PAGE IN PROGRESS What you see here is a page of my hypertext book POWER of meanings // MEANINGS of power. Initially empty, this page will slowly be filled with thoughts, notes, and quotes. One day, I will use them to write a coherent entry, similar to these completed pages. Thank you for your interest and patience!
When I say that everybody is powerful, I am not talking about some kind of absolute power. Power and powerlessness are not absolute, because they are mixed in every situation, in our every action. Same as everybody is powerful, everybody is also powerless. We all have power to help or to hurt others. You can think of examples of yourself doing both. Influencing each other
Because we don't know (we cannot know) the full (ripple/butterfly) effect of our actions, we do not full understand our power but how to connect this with intentionality? our actions need to be intentional in order to be considered a form of power but intentionality does not mean fully understanding the impact
We have power but our perception of our own powerlessness does not help us use our power in the best way. When we persuade ourselves that we are powerless, we cannot properly use our power.
whether you think you have power, or you think that you don't, you are probably right (and you are probably wrong)
From Starts With Us newsletter (April 12, 2013): Before you say, “That’s the same as not being able to control anything!” — remember that how we act affects everything around us. While we can control only our own actions and behaviors, each action and behavior can have implications and effects far beyond the limits of our lives. Your children may imitate it, your family may be impacted by it, and your friends may learn from it — then it can ripple out to their children, their family, their friends, and so on. Every “big” event in our world is just the compounding of a million tiny events; a million small actions. Insisting on the power of the individual doesn’t mean ignoring the impact of systems or pretending that one person can fix massive problems. It isn’t reckless optimism with our eyes closed to the powers that be; it is a conscious practice of agency. Of course global events and political strife affect us, but we don’t live our lives on C-SPAN — we live our lives in our communities. Maybe we can’t end world hunger by ourselves, but we can listen with curiosity to our teachers, relate with compassion to our neighbors, and speak with courage at our town hall. Start with you. Everything else will follow.