Power

[panic in paradise]

"Paradoxically, I think that acknowledging this humbling fact is one of the most empowering things anyone can do."
-MDAO

its true, seems once you acknowledge that your greatest achievements mean nothing, there could be a lot more to realize.
... in accompaniment to this~
contentment in an understanding of how you can only hurt, as much as you allow yourself to over-time is a powerful means of strong self establishment as-well, i believe. this also i feel can help accelerate the steps to be taken to progress through emotions etc.


similar to what you have said thujone, because its true;-)
i dont try to do this daily, my day doesnt end until i do.


but its all useless if you cant trust, and trust yourself before anything else, only then everything else in accordance will as you truly do.

 

[Dedbeet]

I know I've said this before, but the whole point of "Power" is not how to get it, but how to avoid it.

"Power" is another word for the illusion of separate self, from here.

The psyche will sometimes admit that it's powerless, but never will it accept that everyone is -- that there is actually no one running the show.

The psyche needs "people out there in power, ruining everything". How else could it be the person in here, ruining everything? .

You mean self = other? Non-separation? Naaaaah. There are bad, bad, evil, judgmental people out there.

And that's my final judgment.

Peace...

 

[ebola?]

mmm...this was a pretty promising topic. A timely bump, maybe?

ebola

 

[Foreigner]

Been struggling with the question of power myself lately. For years now I have devoted myself largely to spiritual pursuits, but the cross-roads I'm at has to do with recognizing the reality of true worldly power. How many spiritual philosophies include concepts that help people come to terms with the fact that they are not powerful in the worldly sense? Some teach us to pity the overlord, the rich, etc... like they have it so bad, ultimately. We tell ourselves that karma, virtue, etc. are what shape their destiny, not their worldly possessions. But how can we really know that?

I was reading a Buddhist text recently that talked about the failings of attachment to material possessions and for the first time it dawned on me that this, like other comparable philosophies, are Defeatist. They cater to people who never have and never will have worldly power. Many of the world's religions basically tell people to give up this search for worldly power because there is a greater Divinity within them, or awaiting them; and yet, the leaders of these religions are profoundly powerful people with a lot of material access.

I think of power as ability. If you can do something, you have power. We can further sub-categorize it into different kinds of power, but it all relates to ability; and those abilities relate to freedom. I imagine someone imprisoned has no power, yet someone who commands entire armies or the wealth of nations has a lot of power. You don't see those people feeling bad about it. They don't sit around asking these questions... they simply act according to whatever they want. In the end we're all just going to die anyway, so what difference does it make?

I can't help but wonder if all the guilt, shame, and acceptance around worldly power (or lack thereof) is just mind control to make the billions of common people accept their trivial fates.

 

[rickolasnice]

People seeking power (whether that be monetary gain or becoming physically strong / fit) is, i think, the remnants of the alpha male social constructs of our ancestors (or indeed even us, before advancements in civilization).. Some people strongly have this drive to gain a "high/er rank" and to be honest this kind of thinking pisses me off.. in social structures any way.. I can think of a few people i know / knew that had an obvious alpha male drive and I've only ever seen it come off as arrogance and bullying.

As for the super rich / powerful.. I don't understand it. I think they are so far removed from the world we live that they look at people as being just a part of some kind of game.. The goal is profit / gain.. The manipulation of people is the "playing" part.. The profit / gain are the "rewards".. *You have unlocked population control - mass apathy award* and You have now reached level 48.. You can now implant people's opinions on pretty much anything.. Achieved by simple manipulation and censoring of mainstream media mixed with a bit of well placed distractions such as: "OMFG That plastic looking girl from that bullshit program might be engaged to that twat from that manufactured band".. Just plaster the front page of the most popular news papers with this shit and it distracts the lobotomised working class. Long ramble short: The rich cunts are all playing the earth like a game.. The goal being power.

Collectively.. people have the power to change things.. but realistically it's never gonna happen.. The powers that be have too much control for them to lose it any time soon..

I had hopes for last years sudden interest in Anonymous and what they have to say / want to happen..

We need a leader to lead the way.. we need someone or something to gather the troops and set out the strategy.. anonymous seemed promising for a while.. The association with the V character was perfect.. We need V.

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Good post, rick.

I think some people, of both genders, have an itch that can only be scratched by dominating other people, and by leaving a very large imprint on the collective human experience (the two seldom don't go together). I think that men and women just tend to use different tactics of forcing their way on other people. It's a trait you either have or don't, and like all personality traits is not only a matter of the right genes but the right environmental triggers that turn on (or conversely, DON'T turn off) those genes at the right junctures in physical and mental development. It's a trait I can usually instantly pick up on when I meet someone -- there are definitely salient nonverbal elements to the, bow down, I'm the alpha dog between us vibe. When I feel that, I usually make a conscious effort to give that person as close to nothing of myself as I can give. I give them absolutely nothing to grab me by and subdue me. Nothing they can lampoon or blackmail me for. I try to make an effort to learn what it is they want that they're willing to extort from people, and never appear to have any for them to shake out of me. I can be detached and businesslike and have interactions with people like this that are completely tolerable for all involved. As long as I never tempt the person to make me his bitch, either by cowering or challenging.

I think there's a lot of like-attracts-like when it comes to the jones for power-tripping. Just like people who can't help drinking or gambling tend to hang out with the same, who forgive each other their common vice, I think the power-hungry also self-select into social circles where showy glamour, white-kid-glove-to-the-face rivalries, and acts of jaw-dropping unkindness and exploitation are regular, expected, and often forgiven. Likewise, I think there are vast social circles where fucking over, or even just bossing around, your friend or family member is never acceptable.

 

[ebola?]

I can't help but wonder if all the guilt, shame, and acceptance around worldly power (or lack thereof) is just mind control to make the billions of common people accept their trivial fates.

Yes, I typically concur: socially, power tends to manifest as domination.

ebola

 

[thujone]

This is something Tolkien said about the LoTR story, and the role of the enigmatic Tom Bombadil character within it:

"I might put it this way. The story is cast in terms of a good side, and a bad side, beauty against ruthless ugliness, tyranny against kingship, moderated freedom with consent against compulsion that has long lost any object save mere power, and so on; but both sides in some degree, conservative or destructive, want a measure of control. But if you have, as it were, taken 'a vow of poverty', renounced control, and take your delight in things for themselves without reference to yourself, watching, observing, and to some extent knowing, then the questions of the rights and wrongs of power and control might become utterly meaningless to you, and the means of power quite valueless …