Charting Power
Recognizing and understanding the Etherial
What is Power, and how do we recognize it?
Over the past few years, Power has been a subject of major contention, and conversation. It has been something that the World has once again fixated upon. The World is not the peaceful place we thought it was. Understanding Power, is now of the utmost importance.
The news is dominated by acts of Power. There’s a war somewhere. Youtube is censoring and banning creators. The Supreme Court is embroiled every few months with a decision that raises questions about their Power and legitimacy. And finally, whatever outcome you believe happened in the 2020 election, someone used Power, or Force, perhaps both.
Power vs Force
Power grows out of the barrel of a gun. ~ Mao Zedong
First, Power, is not Force. Coercion is different than Compliance. The outcomes look the same, but are Worlds apart. The famous Mao quote above is one of Force and Coercion, not Power. We can say that having enough Force does confer some amount of Power, but that Power is borrowed.
For the minute any coerced individual(s) are given any opportunity, they will subvert the Force with glee; with as much Power as they can muster. The Chinese Communist Party has kept a boot on the neck of it’s people for the past sixty years for this reason.
What is Power?
Power is marred by an aura of impenetrability. Not talked about amongst polite company; yet even amongst un-polite company it is relatively formless. Within books, talks or articles —they dance around definitions akin to adults when children ask difficult questions.
A multitude of definitions is no definition at all. And if there is a definition it is inadequate ie:
Forcing others to do what you want.
Possession of control, authority, or influence over others
The ability to act or produce an effect
But the hallmark of a definition is its ability not to refer to another concept. And these lack something.
What do all these things have in common?
A junior politician
Unilateral ability to approve or cancel projects within the Tristate Area (Robert Moses)
Your white collar middle manager boss
Monopoly over the US Oil market (Rockefeller)
Inventor and sole owner of multi-spectrum DUV (Deep ultraviolet) lithography (ASML)
The Teenage clique leader
A legal jury
What is the thing that connects all of these groups together?