A systems administrator has root access to the entire system. There is nothing they cannot do. They are omnipotent. Their power is absolute. Nothing dan stand before them. Like Sauron, the Dark Lord, they do not share power. There can be but one root. Else contradiction at the most fundamental level is possible, and that can not be tolerated. The sys admin's power is unconditional and non-negotiable. To be a sys admin is like being a god. (And if they are a god, what is the religion?) There is an old saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely. I wonder whether being a sys admin has ended up warping an individual. Perhaps a sys admin has become crazed or even gone berserk? Surely sys admins must need to be very level headed people. For example, imagine being 'the' sys admin for the NSA. (What an awesome job that would be!) Think about the access to data, the encryption keys, the secrets... Perhaps one day a sys admin might go bonkers, turn up for work and 'uninstall the entire NSA'! :) But you would have the same sorts of responsibilities working at a bank or other organization. I wonder whether much emphasis is put on ensuring that sys admins are level headed in the first place and kept sweet in the second. Do they get paid well? I am sure they do not receive half of what they are worth, considering all the hard earned knowledge they have had to gain and the massive responsibility they have.