Up, down, look around; easy, hard, it all plays a part; happy, sad, people get mad; tall, short, love all sorts. What does it feel like? The other will never know.
Last night I was lucky enough to find myself in a stadium watching Adele perform live. Before she came on stage I looked around me and thought to myself how amazing it is that there are over 95,000 people here, all from various backgrounds, each with their own beliefs, values and unique journies yet we all had one undeniable truth in common, our admiration for a single person, for a single soul who has been gifted with such amazing talent that she is able to bring a full stadium together in peace and harmony. How powerful is that?
There is so much hate, ignorance, discrimination, prejudice and isms in the world today that it can be really hard to connect with people. So much tension, so much ego. So much pain and misunderstanding between individuals, groups, cultures and countries. Despite all this an artist can always bring harmony, union and peace to a large group of individuals, not by using force but by using truth and expression. If only politicians were more like artists, I wonder what type of world that would be.
But this isn’t a political post, it’s a humanity post. It’s a post about our individual power to do good. I am left disappointed when I look at the ‘definition’ of powerful.
This definition and all the suggested synonyms is exactly what is wrong with the world right now. Powerful is not the same thing as muscular, manly, strong or anything that is socially deemed to be a male characteristic.
I challenge this definition of powerful with a more equal, balanced and realistic definition which I am suggesting below:
Powerful: An individual who can cause any form or size of change or impact on another person, group or a situation.
I would associate powerful with words like “impactful, inspiring, lifechanging, resilient, touching, influential”. This definition of powerful isn’t defined by gender, sex or size; this definition appreciates the power we all have as individuals.
If you think about it, we all have power because we all interact with other people on a daily basis. Meaning, at any point in time, during any interaction, we each have some form of impact on another person. We have the power to make someones day with simple acts of love, kindness and compassion or we have the power to be cruel, disrespectful or difficult. Every small action or reaction has an impact on someone elses mood, day or view on a topic. When you smile at a stranger, when you make eye contact with a merchant, when you call a friend, give up your seat on the bus, give way to another driver, stand patiently in line at a concert, share food with others, acknowledge a homeless person, say thank you to the cleaners in the office, say please to the waiter, listen to children talk nonsense, you are using your power to create positive impact. Whatever the scenario may be, every interaction and every moment is an opportunity to impact another person, even if it is just for a moment in time, even if it is a very small impact, it’s still an impact. This impact makes you, me and every single person so incredibly powerful.
Power that is obtained through rank, hierarchy, roles, money or status is a form of patriarchal power; which creates the perception of the powerful and the powerless. But not all of us will get those opportunities in life, not all of us will have thousands or millions of followers and not all of us will be able to create mass impact through our status, role and wealth. But I no longer think that this means that we’re not powerful.
I used to think that volume was important when making a difference or having an impact, but I’m slowly starting to realise that whilst positive mass impact is important, small scale and every day impact has just as much value. One human life is still a human life, an individual soul deserves just as much love and positive impact as millions of people do; because everyone matters, every single one of us is equally important as another.
With this realisation and recognition of my power, I have come to understand that my every move, my every interaction, my every reaction or action has an impact on someone elses life and their journey. At first this was daunting because I suddenly realised how powerful I am. But once I accepted this, I realised the boundless opportunities I have to do good towards others. This sense of power doesn’t feed my ego, it helps me appreciate the divine responsibility which we all have. But of course being human we won’t always practice our power, impact or influence in a perfect manner and we will have days or moments where opportunities will be missed. When we realise this, we need to be kind towards ourselves and try to be more mindful next time around. This is all part of the practice and part of our evolution towards our personal growth journey.
Once you become aware of your individual power, influence and impact in a world where power is limited to a certain group of people or to an elite few who have status and perceived power, you become liberated. Remembering that not all of us will be activists, join the fight for social change or be bold enough to stand tall in front of users and abusers and demand that they practice peace, justice and equality, but all of us can have the power to make small yet impactful changes in our own lives, within our own circles. With great power comes great responsibility; we all have this great power, so we should all take responsibility on the footprint we leave behind.
It really isn’t that hard. Next time you see a homeless person stop and acknowledge their existence, when you are at the shops or a restaurant smile at the waiters and sales people who serve you, say please and thank you, if you see someone who is in a rush at the shops let them go in front of you, if you see a mother struggling to keep her children calm and loading the groceries into her car offer a helping hand, give up your seat on the bus, text a friend, thank a colleague; do good to those who are impatient, angry or ignorant. Do good towards all not because everyone is deserving of it but because you understand your power, your impact and your influence. Do good however you see fit, but be mindful of your power and use it wisely and kindly. In a world where there is so much hate and ignorance, we all have the power to be good and to be kind, don’t underestimate the value of that.
Just, right, lifes not fair; hope, light, the futures bright; here, now, focus on what’s there; smile, laugh, show you care; fear, pain, be powerful, be brave.
Love Always,
Miss Dreamer
Souloom™ 