Please, tell me more.
You don't currently feel like you have the power to make your own decisions? Also, I'm in town through Monday. Is that shop running?
If you mean power per se, I think everyone desires it, even the stoics and the buddhists that only seek to attain control over their own desires. The only people who don't desire it are those who are not aware of their powerlessness in the first place.
That's an interesting point, I hadn't specified what type of power. Certainly power over one's desires is an admirable goal. But is that power or self-discipline? Could you please elaborate about not realizing our own powerlessness? Why do you believe those are the ones who don't desire power?
The way I see it, what is self-discipline, if not the power to exert control over yourself and not be a slave to the impulses of the moment? Well, desire is born from the realisation that you're lacking something, right? If you didn't know that that nice expensive car existed, you wouldn't feel the need to own it. This is how most advertisement campaigns work, by creating and fuelling artificial "needs" that people then feel compelled to satisfy. With power it's a little different, because one can say that it's an all-pervasive force that takes different forms and makes its presence felt in a variety of ways. For example, it's been said that sex is about power, and that every relationship is, at its core, a power struggle. As such, I don't know if it's possible to completely escape from the feeling of being powerless, but some people definitely seem oblivious to the fact that they lack power in a certain area of their life. Just think about the ones who believe that, through their support of a certain candidate, they can influence the fate of their country in any meaningful way. I suppose that at least in theory, a person could be free from any desire for power, if his basic material and emotional needs were constantly being met and it never dawned on him that those things could be taken away from him at any moment, and he was never exposed to the idea that power is a desirable thing; or if his perception of reality was so warped that he couldn't see how other people are using their power to manipulate him and shape the direction of his life.But is that power or self-discipline?
Could you please elaborate about not realizing our own powerlessness? Why do you believe those are the ones who don't desire power?
I think I'd call that control rather than power, but I suppose an argument could be made that the two are synonymous. But then again, maybe they aren't? In response to the rest of your response, I think self-control/discipline may be different than power, or at least how I've come to relate with the term. I don't know that I agree with your point about relationships being about power struggles. They CAN be, but they aren't always. In my relationship with my fiance, we are continuously aware about each others needs and make sure we don't impose what we want on the other when it's not mutual. I guess that's the definition of a healthy relationship. In repose to the last paragraph you wrote, I would have to say that I'm among those who don't desire power. While my emotional needs aren't always met (I get sad, anxious, etc.) I know that those are things that I can control and always have the ability to do so. It's not that I desire the power to change my emotions, I know that regardless of the situation, I have the ability to do so. I'd say as well that I'm constantly aware that all things could be taken away from me. An awareness of non-attachment has led me to be fine with the loss of anything, including my own life (although, I do still struggle with the possibility of losing my fiance for whatever reason. I'm certainly not 100% at non-attachment, but I believe there are people out there who have achieved that state). In a conversation someone brought up the quote "knowledge is power" to which I replied that I don't want to be powerful, I want to be peaceful.The way I see it, what is self-discipline, if not the power to exert control over yourself and not be a slave to the impulses of the moment?
I desire power a lot and I have taken a lot of bullshit from people for confessing such desire. I desire power for freedom , travel , satisfaction and happiness. Also for macro level philanthropy for our species in someway - if I amass enough of riches and power to be able to do that.
I think I'd be hard-pressed to find someone who could honestly answer "No." I too desire power, but I don't desire attention. I desire power for the sake of making myself as independent and autonomous from society and "modern" civilisation as possible, but I have little desire to bring attention to myself, or "show off" holes in the "traditional" way of living.
You're probably right about that. I left the question as opened ended as possible, and it's occurred to me since that there are many definitions of "power." Would you say that a desire for power coupled with attention is a negative thing?
Without further contextualization, I would be very hesitant to call power coupled with attention a negative or bad thing, but off the top of my head, I can garner up a short list of things one could do with a sated desire for power and attention, and the majority are malicious. Or maybe that's just my head.
I want enough power to go somewhere where I won't need to deal with people anymore. Someplace isolated.
You'd say that requires power? I don't know that I'd use that word. Why is that something you desire?
I'm not happy with where I am and I want to leave. I can't leave. If I had the power to leave, I would leave. I don't know what other word to pick.
If you really really wanted to, could you leave? What would you be sacrificing if you did?
No, there is no situation where leaving could work.
Absolutely. For the majority of my life thus far I have found myself frustrated by my powerlessness against the forces underlying my day-to-day existence. This was first manifested in my dissatisfaction with school, which seemed unable to mitigate. It showed up again and again in my personal and academic life, and over time I developed a deep-seated fear and loathing of powerlessness. Today powerlessness is quite probably my greatest fear, as well as my greatest hatred, so I feel on my less charitable days that I'm obligated to seek out and monopolize whatever power I can. This search informs how I interact with people, what I choose to do, and who I choose to do it with. I sometimes worry that, left unchecked, this fear could develop, leading me down the terrifying path of an amoral power-monger. But it is my hope that through self-awareness, intentional development of my moral compass, and mere avoidance of powerlessness I can build the strength necessary to stave off this future.
What, more specifically, do you feel powerlessness about? You said the "forces underlying your day-to-day existence," but what does that normally entail? What do you do more specifically to try to gain more power? How you ever tried simply acknowledging and embracing powerlessness?
Usually the powerlessnes comes from societal expectations and my unwillingness to break them, or my reliance on other people; e.g. having to stay in school and get good grades, or not being able to make someone like me (respectively). So a lot of times I try to counter this explicitly, like when I sought leadership of our high school government and then set it up in such a way as to be a de facto dictator. But more pervasively, I also tend to do favors for people or act kindly to them not purely on the merit of those actions, but also to establish a sort of personal debt that I can then invoke in situations where I feel powerless. So it becomes like a safety net. I've occasionally tried embracing powerlessness, but something deep within me just can't stand it. If I can do something to improve my situation I feel that I must, and if there's nothing I can do, I feel absolutely suffocated.