Or alternately, the anecdote of Alexander and Diogenes. Wherever you voluntarily become the student, the teacher has the power - even if the teacher has nothing

Or alternately, the anecdote of Alexander and Diogenes. Wherever you voluntarily become the student, the teacher has the power - even if the teacher has nothing material. The materialistic power ladders are just visible and highly competitive. People who don't want to bother with it usually gravitate towards something more esoteric.