I had a talk like this with my Step Dad this weekend, his answer was 'Power' don't underestimate how much people love it. We were talking about term limits. My thought was damn, if I could do one term and have life long insurance and penchant I certainly would take it and get out, not sit in there for 50 years. He said Power.
So this applies all over. Some people like alittle power in their lives, some people go with the flow and don't consider power, some people make meaning in their live's with it I suppose is what that answer meant to me. Pops is a hard core industrial economist, loves to power to make money and not pay too much for stuff. He's smart about having expendable income, dresses simply, has a nice RV and place to live, but has this crazy admiration for the engineering that has made people able to move around so freely and all the supporting material.
Point is he doesn't flash it at all though, looks down right poor some times
But he isn't establishing authority with it, he isn't looking for power.
His simple answer blew me away the same way someone said at work once a few years ago...."Man there are some people that don't want world peace" Just caught me off gaurd as an answer.