By Dr. Kevin
Power
In the recognizing and the weaving together of our passions, we see unfold a clearer vision of our purpose. As we step into that clearer vision, our purpose continues to unfold and guide us. Upon this pathway, we can finally realize the true meaning of power, of our power. Our power is at it’s greatest when we are in our place of authentic self.
The more self-awareness we chose to participate in and the more we push ourselves to grow, the greater power we have.
Power derived from a single place of understanding and actualization is not a form of power that we can wield throughout all areas of our lives. To use the power of intellect when the power of the heart is what is needed can be disastrous. To use the power of emotions when the power of one’s intellect is called for can be an equally unfortunate choice. Being strong physically does not give us permission to be mentally lazy and undeveloped. To have a strong spiritual understanding of the world does not condone the avoidance of developing practical worldly skills that are necessary for living a successful life.
Power in any underutilized area of your life develops through awareness, discipline, and a desire to achieve your potential in that area. Power doesn’t transfer from an area where you have stepped into your power to an area where you have not developed or recognized your power. Just because you have become an accomplished manger of people, being a powerful manager does not automatically make you a powerful leader of people. The journey to becoming a powerful manager may help your journey to becoming a powerful leader, but there is still a journey. To be a powerful speaker does not necessarily mean you are a powerful listener. To reach a level of accomplishment and power in the eyes of the world does not mean one has become accomplished or powerful in the eyes of their soul. Power is achieved through the recognition of ones potential in all areas of their life and, then the constant striving to achieve that full potential.
To know and acknowledge where one has no obvious talents or desires can be a power, in of itself. There is power in recognizing and expressing one’s fears. Persisting regardless of your fears, when the goal is important enough gives one access to a different kind of power.
There is a difference between someone who has access to a power and someone who is powerful as a person. In fact we are constantly being exposed to people in power, who use that power poorly because they are unhealthy in their own power as a person. This results in their ultimately using their power as a weapon.
A person can inherit many kinds of power, such as wealth, position or even status. However, that power is not theirs unless they have also traveled the journey of embracing their power of self within the exerting of that power. Sometimes an inherited or limitedly developed power in one area allows people to be put in a position of power where their lack of development of their greater self is woefully evident. Often times, people who may have inherited power (money, connections) and can powerfully touch a group of people who feel disenfranchised can rise to a place of power and leadership, where that power is abused or disastrously mishandled. Never confuse someone who has access to being able to exercise great power as powerful themselves. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon that someone who has inherited or been given access to great power becomes arrogant, resists the recognition of their own shortcomings and internally is being chased by their own demons of inadequacy and low self-worth, making them very dangerous indeed during their reign of power.
We associate dictators of second or third world countries with this kind of power. Recently, however, this country had the unfortunate experience of eight years of this kind of leadership. We moved into the position of world leader a person who had access to power, who had inherited power and who delivered the right message at the right time to seize power, but incompetently handled that power. Former President Bush had not the intellect, insight nor humility to play out his role as a leader on the world stage. His power, after the first election, was based in the ability to manipulate the message and play upon the fears generated because of 9/11. His media machine was brilliant in the fear and scare tactics using terms like patriot and patriotic in the same way similar words and messages were used by McCarthy in the fifties and Hitler in the thirties. To whip up frenzied and fanatical support, we were fueled with an “us vs them” rhetoric. Hypnotizing, to the best of the media machines ability, the public mentality was pushed into a fear and distrust of all things (people) that were different. Labeling all dissenters as unpatriotic, just like McCarthy labeled them all communist in the fifties.
However if you were to ask if President Bush was a powerful man, the answer sadly is no. He was a man in power whose belligerence and arrogance was merely a cover for his numerous inadequacies and deficiencies that became increasingly obvious (missing word here?) because of being elected to a job beyond his capabilities.
Often times, people want to still lash out at the messes left on the table by our former president, want to make him out as Anti-Christ and though there are none who fit the description of anti-Christ better than fanatical, zealot fundamental Christians, I can not see him in that light. He did not have the personal power necessary to fill such a role. No, I merely see him as a sad indication of how successful a hate-based campaign can still be in 21st century America. For I truly believe that President Bush had the best of intentions, and I feel sad for his lack of self-awareness, and can only believe that by this time, no matter how much he pretends, he is aware within himself how much damage he did through false pride and his lack of abilities. If there is anger, frustration or even outrage expressed about those eight years, directed it at the apathetic, the ones who gave into the hate based manipulations and the hypocrites, who would not stand up in fear of the backlash.
We must also recognize the difference between the abuse of power and feeling abused because someone is exercising their power in a healthy way.
Abuse of power may occur so the culprit can increase their own power, for the thrill of domination, as a twisted way to seek revenge or simply as a way to avoid their own self-doubts or negative beliefs about themselves. These people have power but are not in their power. People who are truly in their power do not intentionally or consciously use their power in these ways.
It’s easy to come up with examples of situations that occur where the abuser holds the power of position (business, religious, social, familial, even age), the boss, the priest, the family elder, the teacher. The subtle abuses of power, which happen because a difference in intellect, emotional or mental instability or even a disparity of life experiences, are likely to go more unnoticed. The person(s) who moves an agenda forward by seeking out intellectually weaker, mentally or emotionally less stable or even less articulate individuals to fence with in situations where they can have an audience, garner support, and look good. These individuals avoid conflicts with people of equal or better skill levels, especially in the case of zealots, whose impassioned appeals may not stand up in debate with a person of stronger intellect and confidence of who they are. They make themselves look stronger by verbally decimating someone of a lesser skill level. People can be abusive through the power of their passion, their ideology, their verbal or written skill level.
What about the other side of the coin? How about when someone feels abused through another person’s healthy use of power, is that abuse or is it not?
Unfortunately, we have become a culture of victims to the point that we allow and justify victims becoming victimizers as both legitimate and correct, because they wear their victim shirts while doing it. So when a person who is both in a position of power and in their own power makes discernment to not accept or support “a victim mentality based” reality, they can be portrayed of uncompassionate, or as one of the bad guys. It may feel abusive the party or parties who are not getting what they want.
Everyone is entitled to ask, just as everyone asked is entitled to say no. However, no one is entitled to demand and receive everything asked for because of their race, gender, background or disability. Yet in this day an age, it is often seen as those who are better off, even if they are so because they did the work to achieve not only their personal power but worldly power as well, are obligated to provide to the less fortunate without any requirement or evidence that the less fortunate are doing anything to help themselves.
In the end, being in your greatest power is being in your fullest potential in all areas of your life. Having that power be most actualized in the world is the awareness of all the different forms of power you possess, not shying away from them or playing them down, but using those powers in ways that support humanity itself to become more powerful on the whole.
When Lord Acton said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” he was talking about those who rise in or seize power. For in the recognizing, developing and claiming the power of you, there is no corruption. Corruption of power happens when the power you receive (or take) in the outside world is not balanced by the same or a greater level of personal power. Personal power developed through self-awareness and the consistent striving of the achieving one’s potential. Because when one who is in power, is not in their own power, that power oftentimes runs amuck as a way to avoid or compensate for their weak internal structure.
As this trilogy of articles closes on Passion, Purpose and Power, I ask you to remember this. Our passions lead us to our purpose, and in living our purpose, we can recognize and embrace our power. And lastly, it is the people who truly stand, live and move through the world in their full power and potential who bring the world to a better place. Will you stand up and be one of those people?
Best Selling Author, International Speaker and popular radio & TV show host, Dr. Kevin has been using his psychic gifts and talents to empower people, worldwide, through his teaching, work as a Spiritual Coach, counselor & catalyst, healer, mentor and spiritual advisor and consultant. After doing psychic/intuitive/ healing work for over 40 years he had joined up with Spectrali to create Spectrali.US (www.spectrali.us )and online holistic spiritual community connecting Spiritual practitioners and seekers worldwide! Join Dr. Kevin on his weekly live call-in radio show every Thursday night, 6 PM EST : "The Dr. Kevin Show" @ ipmNation.com/live2.
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