The powerful are the most afraid
Power, as I see it, is the ability to get other people to do what you want them to do.
People want power if they think that others, when they're acting freely, would not look after them. People who want power think that in order to be cared for and listened to, they must force others to care for them and listen to them. They are afraid that if they lose control, they will not be safe.
I am not judging the people who feel this. Almost always, they have had life experiences that have taught them that others cannot be trusted. They have experienced in the past that without manipulation, others will not properly care for them. That is very sad, and it makes sense that they are afraid.
When we frame it like this, the billionaires and the most powerful politicians are people to be pitied and cared for. They are specialists in turning fear into control. They find others who are afraid, and grow that fear, building their own power and building the power of the in-group.
But we know that when we are distrustful and afraid, we do things we are ashamed of. I certainly recognise that these are the times when I have lied and manipulated to protect myself. Those feelings make sense, but I don't want our governments and businesses to be run on those principles. We are right to care for and respect people who are hoarding power, but we should not be led by them.
The only way for them, and for us, to find a feeling of safety and ease, is to get to a place where we can let go of our control over other people, and know that they want to care for us, as we want to care for them.