Seneca: A tyrant differs from a king in deeds, not in…

A title can lie. Calling someone a leader, founder, president, parent, or mentor does not make their conduct worthy of the name. Seneca insists that the difference between a king and a tyrant is found in deeds: how power is used, whom it protects, and whether it has limits. We should apply the same standard closer to home. Do you lead through service or intimidation? Do you create room for disagreement, or punish anyone who challenges you? Do the people around you become more capable, or simply more afraid? Authority is not justified by the label on a business card. It earns legitimacy through restraint and responsibility. This is also a warning against the self-deception of small power. You may never rule a nation, but you can still be tyrannical in a meeting, group chat, household, or relationship. Let your actions, not your title, answer what kind of power you exercise.