With POWER - The Weight of our Choices

It is up us to not be intimidated by the responsibility that comes with power.  This starts with a level of respect as to the freedom or original seed that is given to us.  I think great leaders and role models understand this principle, whereas irresponsible people seem to throw their weight around carelessly.  Each of us with any amount of freedom possesses some sort of power, so the leaders and role models I speak of are, guess who? It’s me and you = we.

          Many feel money can equate to power.  Can money make us happy?  I feel the more appropriate question is what does money do? My answer is that money gives us choices.  So whether we have a lot or a little, the fact is still the same that we will be faced with choices.  Maybe we feel that having more money gives us more choices.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing?  Either way, it depends on the state of your mind and whether it is healthy or unhealthy. With a healthy mind, we are able to distinguish what choices deserve our attention and which ones are “needed” to advance our lives or those we help. With an unhealthy mind, we will have no idea of what we’re looking for or what direction we’re facing. 

I think Kahil Gibran wrote it best about handling money:

“Money is like a stringed instrument;

 he who does not know how to use it properly

will hear discordant music. 

Money is like love; it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it,

and it enlivens the other

who turns it upon his fellow men.”

A healthy mind is the foundation for keeping us on the track toward happiness. I’ve heard the phrase “Love can blind you,” and I have also heard that “Money can blind you” as well.  I disagree. It is not love or money that can blind us; it is the love of money that blinds us.  It is also important how we choose to obtain money and love and the choices we make once we obtain them.

          The more we feel free, the more choices we can make, but it starts with the choice toward a feeling versus an image.  A choice many face is popularity or peacefulness.  In this country, it seems that so many are concerned with popularity.  A lot of people want power because they feel they have the freedom to attempt to obtain it, even though many with healthy minds morally struggle to get power because they are challenged by the choice of popularity or peacefulness.  Unfortunately, I feel that this country has created an image that being peaceful in not as powerful as being popular.  As a result, many people feel that they can only have one or the other, rather than possessing all three (power, popularity, and peace). Yet, if we can change the way we view our popular culture, perhaps it is possible to have all three. But this is only possible if we can make being peaceful popular.  The truth is it’s hard to be peaceful without being popular, because to be popular, we need others. It’s easier to be peaceful, if we are in harmony with others.  For example, in the case of music, being in harmony is impossible if no one wants to sing with you.  Singing together is often more powerful and interactive than just one person singing.