We all crave it and what it embodies. Power. Power to harm our adversaries. Power. Power to determine our own destinies. Power. Power to express ourselves, our thoughts, our beings. Throughout history, man has pursued this ever-elusive quality. Yet what is power? Why do we crave it?
Well before delving deeper into this, we need to understand the nature of power. In ages past, a person’s measure of power would be measured in physical strength, his army, his land. Today, the universal measure of power is economic wealth.
If you are strong, if you have the strength of a hundred men, a rich and physically feeble child could hire two hundred men to beat you up. Far beyond the simplicity of its exercise, power grants us freedom.
Who among us but the poor are forced to adhere to religious codes, ‘moral values’, subjected to mediocre service, racism, and stigma? All the while, the rich go clubbing in Damansara, protected by their wealth, in the echelons of power, yes even those folks that are forbidden from consuming alcohol.
Power is freedom, the freedom to learn all that you can in the short space of the cosmic second that is our life, the freedom to be stupid. Take Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, complete idiots, unable to do anything on their own, and yet rich beyond the wildest dreams of most Malaysians. Yes richer than those of us that study hard, get good jobs and work hard. I am sure that the immense amount of judgements passed against these girls are not without a modicum of jealousy.
But back to power itself. Clearly we all have wants and desires, kind and good, dark and malicious. Yet one must not be confused with one’s true desires, and one’s longing for a way or tool to fulfil those desires. Money, power, they are merely tools which we use to attain that which we crave. The pursuit of money has become the goal, the desire, and this is our greatest failing. I’m all for the pursuit of wealth, as long as there is the recognition that wealth is merely to implement and free myself.
Thus we return to the dichotomy of good and evil, and where power fits into the picture. Who are you? You are a sham. A half person. You lie. You suppress yourself. The grandeur of your soul. The twisted horrors residing deep in the bowels of your being. You creep in the shadows pretending to be something you’re not. You are a prisoner. Tortured in more ways than it would be possible to physically, because you deny yourself.
Before the defensive nature of denial takes over, before you brush this accusation I have made aside, consider this. If you had a billion dollars. How differently would you have lived your life? What would you have said differently, to your parents, to your friends, to girls or boys in nightclubs? What would you have said to that person cutting in line? What would you have done if your lecturer said something stupid? What would you be wearing? What vices would you engage in? What would you have studied in college? Would you have even bothered with the pretence of going to college? Would you be hiding that stash of porn from your parents? Would you have asked that girl you’ve been crazy about for years out? Would you have punched that guy who pissed you off? Would you be happier? Would you really be a nice, good, respectful, down to earth person, who honours their fathers and mothers, who respects their elders etc etc etc?
The last one is a real whopper. So many more questions can be asked, but I think the point has been made. You are there, somewhere on the fringes of that persona you display to the world at large, its been so long that you might have forgotten, but sit in a room with the lights off, there you are.
The saddest part is that most of us spend our time hoping that power will come our way, that we will somehow attain it. A practice no different from hoping that ab-exercise bar you bought on Smartshop will turn you into the Governator, for only 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Power is a difficult beast to tame and it has been my experience that those with power are the ones that attain more of it.
So what are poor people like us to do? Oh how to be free without my money? It’s easy. You see what most people fail to realise is that they can snatch power for themselves. Most humans are meek, frail little things. The crave power, yet are afraid to claim it for themselves, always looking for ways to convince themselves that they’re trying when they’re really not, always resenting those with power.
You can claim power, freedom, though try to avoid going on mass-murder sprees. It is all your choice. Think about it the next time you want to speak your mind, but are afraid to. The next time you want to tell someone off, but don’t want to make a scene. The next time you have a great idea at work, but you think your boss might not like it. The next time someone with supposed authority over you life tells you to do something you don’t want to, and you think just this one last time. Then you will see that you do not earn power, you command it, command respect, and command those around you. All the greatest people throughout history commanded power, commanded authority.
The world is littered with failures, people who couldn’t even be themselves out of some internalised fear that they weren’t allowed too. You’ve all seen it. The genius painter that became an accountant because it was what was expected of him. The talented young girl who became an office worker because acting wasn’t a proper job. The young couple who were too cowardly to continue with their relationship because someone parents were racist. The young executive that thought it better to never speak her mind just in case her boss might get upset, and not amounting to anything.
Life is too short to be spent living in fear. Free yourself. Become the embodiment of power, your power, not power that was given or allowed to you. Do what you want to do. Be who you are, never who anyone wants you to be. You can do this. My plea to all of you who read this, is to think deeply on all the choices you’ve made or failed to make in your life because of fear and powerlessness, and to decide, never again. Never again will we huddle up in our cocoons, convincing ourselves that we aren’t good enough. Never again will we deny our natures and ourselves. Never again will we stand down from a challenge, or be afraid to challenge others. Never again will we fear the glorious splendour of life. Never again will we allow another person to be the master or mistress of our destinies. Our choice. Our will. Our lives.
You have power….you always did. Now what will you do………………? |
