Serenity595
Active Member
The True Essence of Power
In the course of human history, there have been many powerful men. From Julius Ceasar to George Washington, each individual had great influence over the people of their day and were given the authority to shape the world in their hands. This is what many consider the essence of power: dominion over people and over the earth. But that is not real power. It is only scratching the surface. True power is not measured by the ability to control others, but the ability to control one's self.
In the popular 90's film directed by Steven Spielberg called Schindler's List, there is a famous quote from Oskar Schindler, the man who saved 1,200 Jews from execution by the Nazi party. It reads as follows: "Power is when we have every justification to kill, and we don't." Amon Goeth, one of the antagonists of the story, questions his statement: "You think that's power?" Schindler explains,"That's what the Emperor said. A man steals something, he's brought in before the Emperor, he throws himself down on the ground. He begs for his life, he knows he's going to die. And the Emperor... pardons him. This worthless man, he lets him go." Goeth remarks,"I think you are drunk." The scene concludes with Schindler insisting his point:"That's power, Amon. That is power." What Schindler was trying to prove here was that power was not having the ability to kill a man because of his "crimes". He calls that justice. Power -- true power -- was having every reason to kill, and choosing not to. Why? Because a truly powerful man is in control of his thoughts, feelings, and actions. He is not easily angered by the world around him. Such a man has power over himself rather than letting his mind have power over him. In turn, this self control can lead to a greater ability to help others with authority and tranquility.
There is a saying: "Peace through power." This means that if a man exercises dominion over others correctly, peace can become of it. But there is another, more important phrase than can be drawn from this: "Power through peace." There is no greater example of this than the Indian reformer and leader, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who liberated his country from British control through non-violent acts such as protests and boycotts. So, why were these acts of peace so effective? It's because not only was Gandhi able to gain a lot of support for not encouraging violence, but he also gave the British no legitimate reason to quell the "rebellion". In essence, because of his promotion of peace, Gandhi became a very powerful man. He saved India from British occupation and brought freedom to his people. And he did this all without firing a single shot. Once again, he had control over his mind, rather than the other way around. But most importantly, he showed the power of peace upon mankind.
There are many people who are "power-hungry", but they forget that true power is within the mind. Any fool could exercise dominion over others. This is ever so apparent in tyrants such as Nero or Kim Jong-un. But only a man with deep self-control -- a man with inner peace -- can wield it with great might. And that is the true essence of power.
