Every day in our lives we move through systems of power that many of us will never truly understand, realize, or even know how to tap into the vehicles of the powerful to benefit in our personal lives.
For further clarification let's use the simple definition of Power: Power is the ability or right to control people or things, political control of a country or area, a person or organization. History teaches us that we have a number of gateways to seeing miraculous power manifest on a consistent basis. One of the least understood, and therefore seldom practiced, is the fact power is always advancing, this is true in nature, and in mathematical equations or systems. In truth there is an natural universal algorithm for power that we must follow and learn to identify to gage more.
If you and I would want to look at a few historical examples of power then we can probably say, one instance is the Nazis Movement.
The Evil Power of The Nazis Movement
The Nazis movement- Historical facts will show that The Nazi’s gained control of Germany when the Great Depression hit. Please Note:- When people have difficult times, they turn to extreme views in order to solve their social problems. In Germany at that time for the disenfranchised-Hitler while considered by many to be evil-was just that solution. This was well represented by the fact that in 1930's the Nazis (pictured-right) received 6.4 million votes, the same number as the Social Democrats of Germany. The overall Nazi strategy was very clever at this time. They would walk out when votes needed to be taken and tried to paralyze the Riechstag (Parliament) in any sort of way they could during the depression. In essence, through this “program of catastrophe” the Nazis eventually caused the internal disintegration of the Weimar Republic, and later a large portion of the known world.
We understand the fact that power may seem like a taboo subject to many, or to some power may seem evil. But please understand that power is no more inherent good or evil then fire or the evolution of life (The truth of the matter is that any person has the potential to use power for whatever purpose they so choose). Time spent learning how power operates will go a long way in helping each one of us understand who determines the rules of the game. A further fictional example of power is the movie “The Matrix", the plot is created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Computer programmer "Neo" (Keanu Reeves) learns this truth and is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, which involves other people who have been freed from the "dream world". The allegory of Power is related to Plato's theory of Forms, which holds that the true essence of an object is not what we perceive with our senses, but rather its quality, and that most people perceive only the shadow of the object and are thus limited to false perception. If this false perception exist then, the natural world is dominated and replaced by the evil alternative source. This movies influence is based in theory on Philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant states in his Critique of Pure Reason that people come to know and explore our world through synthetic means. The plot is Kantian, because the machines wished to impose a perfect world on humans in an attempt to keep people content to remain completely submissive to the machines, both consciously and subconsciously, but humans are not easy to make content, so there is a classic struggle for who has the power.-man or machine.
What can you do to gain Power?
Power plays out in all arenas of life from family to the workplace and even to our personal relations. Labor unions are legally recognized as representatives of workers in many industries in the country and globally. The unions' have political power thus comes into play, as a power broker for many people. The major challenge for individuals is learning how to read power. The first precursor for those who wish to have power is to make determination to be an agent of change. Learn to express yourself in the most sincere authentic voice that you can possibly have. Over time as you speak out, your voice will become more pronounced, more powerful.
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Power without love is reckless and abusive and love without power is sentimental and anemic.” He (Dr.King) urged all to find the balance.
During the 1960s in the United States, many young people began speaking and writing the “Power to the People," phrase as a form of rebellion against what they perceived as the oppression by the older generation, especially the Establishment. The Black Panthers used the slogan "All Power to the People," to protest the rich, ruling class domination of society. The Power to the People slogan become a call to action and a motiving call out for thousands of disfranchised blacks at that time.
According to Internet “self help,” Guru Brian Tracy-You can learn how to persuade others and can develop your personal power by always remembering that there are only two ways to get the things you want in life, you can do it all yourself, or you can get most of it done by others. Your ability to communicate, persuade, negotiate, influence, delegate and interact effectively with other people will enable you to develop leverage using other people’s efforts, other people’s knowledge and other people’s money. By learning how to persuade and influence people, it will open up doors for you in every area of your life.
So, as we close out our first installment of determining, "The True Nature of Power," we must advise -if you want power you must learn power, daily you must refine your ambitions, practice and organize. Not just thoughts but, beliefs. While we are organizing on a personal level we should organize on a community or social level as well. Organizing community groups, book clubs, and neighborhood watch groups is vital. Set personal objectives and step into bigger ones once you've reached the initial goals. Learning how power operates and flows in Theory and now application is key to being taken seriously and not being taken advantage of. [glg]
Further Research on Power:
How to understand power by Eric Liu.
Gregg L. Greer a Public Speaker, Minister, Social Activist, and the Editor of the One World internet journal. Greer is the Founder of Freedom First International-if you are interested in interviews from his and others of the brightest minds today, you can email him at oneworldtoday@gmail.com His website is www.gregglgreer.com