Power is referred to as the ability to influence the will or conduct of others. It is also the ability to direct your energy toward your goals and to control your conduct. Power resides within the individual. It is independent and informal, derived from charisma and status. Power allows a person to influence and set an example for millions of people. On a smaller scale, we have power over our children, employees, students, family members, friends, and ourselves. How we use power determines our prosperity.
Misuse of power is known as manipulation. It may gain you the upper hand temporarily, but it will at some point bring rebellion, disgust, hatred, humiliation, and destruction. Think of all the powerful leaders who misused their power. Most were eventually met with great opposition, defeat, and death. Power at its best empowers you and others to make the world a better place.
Power is a mighty force. Whether we believe it or not, we all have power. We have the power to persuade, to direct, to dominate, to master, and to teach. In all our relationships in the world, we have the power to do good deeds and act unselfishly, or to manipulate and control. If power is attained without the right moral and ethical underpinning, it can become a destructive force justified by selfish means.
A parent guides a child with a strong sense of right and wrong, based on honesty and openness. This is power at its best. We help a friend by lending our support. We teach each other how to be good partners in a relationship. All of these involve teaching, guiding, directing, and even persuading and dominating. It’s all about the intent and how that intent is directed. That is the beauty of power. Like the expansion and contraction of our breath, life has a natural rhythm of exchange. When power is exchanged with compassion and love, our thoughts, words, and deeds align with our sense of right and wrong. Let’s work on our power today.
END: Knowing that you can create your own reality is a very powerful thought. Add to this the power we all have to influence, sway, coach, and instruct, and we can see how important it is that power is used for good. If a friend asks your opinion about a life issue or needs a little support, are you able to guide them unselfishly? You have just been promoted and are now in charge of other people. Do you treat them fairly, or are you overcome with a sense of misguided power and seek to rule rather than lead? Do we use power to buy and control other people, or do we use it to help other people excel?
These are moral and ethical questions that sit at the base of power
EGO: Flip your palms up and extend the index finger – the ego.
According to yoga, the world began as unmanifested pure consciousness. When the universe began to manifest, the ego was born, then the individual, and then the mind. From the mind arrived the gross physical world. As we think, so our world exists. This is the power of life. It is called free will.
What we see outside ourselves is our manifestation of the physical world. But what we must always remember is that everything in life evolves and dissolves. When we lose the evolutionary process and live in fear of dissolution, power can corrupt. Pull your index finger in and place the thumb on top – take a breath and surrender to the soul.
Knowing that you can create your own reality is a very powerful thought. Add to this the power we all have to influence, sway, coach, and instruct, and we can see how important it is that power is used for good. When power is grounded in love, compassion, and understanding, there is always a moral and ethical guidepost to help us make decisions. If you wish to prosper, do not give away your power and do not abuse it. As Sri Chinmoy reminded us,
“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”
Namaste~ may you walk the path of life with health, happiness, and peace,
Doctor Lynn
