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Power. In the deepest darkest part of us we all crave it. Whether one wants political (popularity), dominance (physical), financiall (money), or any other, we all seek it. But what is power? What defines power...? And then how do people, and I mean individuals, pursue it?

bye bye, typos

It all depends on their intent, whether it be for selfish reason or to use for another or a majority

that is a pretty vague question

evaluate your strengths and embellish on them. strive to focus on what your good at and then dominate the field

How can you say that everyone seeks power, if you are unable to understand what it truely is...? Each mind has different purposes, challenges, and goals...Power isn't always one of them...

To me, power means the ability to overcome all obstacles in ones path, so in essence, yes, I do crave power, however not in a materialistic meaning.

The most important types of Power are beyond this reality, and have nothing to do with the physical...

Power is craved on some level by most individuals. Absolute power has proven to be something no human can handle. Absolute power corrupts anyone.

Many people want power over their own lives to some extent or another.Parents have some power over their children. Raising children in itself is power, but should not involve abuse. You have the power to make sure your children do not become a problem to society, because you did not teach them better.

Some want power to control others. This is a major problem in the world. These people do not usually have anyone's best interests at heart. They want what they want when they want it.

I seem to like the power of choice. I can choose my friends. I may not be able to choose what they do or approve of it all the time. If a friend of mine wants to shoplift everytime he or she goes to Wal-mart, but is basically a good friend, I can still be friends with them, but avoid that store if they are along for the ride.

Some feel they have no power at all. They usually will do things to feel more powerful. Sometimes they will hurt others. Sometimes they hurt themselves. A rapist is trying to have power over another person. A person who is throwing up every bite of food they place in their mouth is trying to gain control over their own life.

I will end this by saying "Knowledge is power." The more you know the more powerful you will be in given stituations.

I agree that knowledge is power, and without clarity of mind, wisdom, and proper intent, you are correct that power can corrupt...

power is not tangiable, it is a fictitious thing that society makes very real, power will always exist, its what sets us apart, what would people do if they lost all power. mass panic!

Mainly its the fact that wihtout violence, or even have to show some streinght or any outside attibutes, you get what you want. SInce you can have power over anyone or anything ehter you have it or you don't. For exemple so babies when they cry and until they die(very old) have poeple at their mercy and ready to do what ever they want. As for others they never get anything but the basics to survive. I am only 5'4" and even as a sword master I never challenge first, (irl) andknow when to refuse one. Plus power is also knowing when to say no and when to say yes, since it mostly comes down to this, being the one who say the final word but not because other shut up but because they wait for your approval or denial and fear your answer witout even you asking or expecting it.

One cannot posess much power in a world where everything can be turned around. We are all subjected to the same tragedy, I suppose "power" is in how you deal with the hand that you are delt. Power in ones self perhaps, but there can't be power truly over anything else but ones self

The urge for power is in-born in all of us. Only variation is to what extent that urge dominates us. For some, it is an addiction, which chases them all through out their life. For some it is a driving force which inspires them to become the first and the best in what ever field they are in. To strike a balance between these should be our goal in life. Striving for it as an addiction in the sense it should push you to the limits. Limiting it to just an inspiration that you've would lose the peace in your life.

Take the power! It s all yours!

For me at least, I seek the power of mind over body. Good ol' Criss Angel:

"Some believe the body is a slave to the mind... I believe that to be true."

So If I strengthen my mind above the body, the body will follow-- catch my drift? Currently that is all I care for.

the power I strive to is being strong in body and soul to become an legendary warrior on the battle field. you know the type that can lead his outnumberd troops into battle and come out victorius. (I talk about it in the medieval battles, read my profile for more info)

An uprising Knight

"Absolute power corupts absolutely."
The only th8inkg I seek is controle over my life. I do not require any real power, at least not in the usual since. All I want from life is to find where I fit in to then puzle. Not every one is after wealth popularity or the like. Money is spent and stays here when you die. Popularity is fleeting. The only tihing I seek is a legacy through children of my own. A means to pass down values and traditions handed down to me through my parents.

power is something that many humans thrive for... as there are indeed many forms of power... but the person whom lacks interest in the commercial form of power has indeed achieved the most powerful form of power..

Everyone has there own abilities and reason on what there power is and how they intend to use them. everyone is different even on the poser they possess. you just have to do a soul searching to see where yours stands.

power is deep within you. You just have to look for it !

I believe the best or at least the most appropriate definition for power is the ability to manipulate the world around you. It is interesting to see how people have come up with their different forms of manipulation, but it all comes back to manipulation. A thing that vampires are notorious for being able to do. I am enjoying the self imput put on this thread. People are searching themselves for what values they hold true and how they work around them to get the world to do what they want it to. With the corruption side of this conversation, one has to wonder what is corrupt about making the world the way you want it to be?

Enigma and lolitamarie both make good strong pionts as with many others

to me it has been a combernation of many things genraly somed up by "freedom" and the courage to maintain that freedom and the aknowledgment that "kama" has its rolls to play in all outcomes.

cheers

i think that the main reason why people want power is so that they can control something in the world. there aren't many factors than an individual can control, but the amount of power that they have can change everything

The power i seek is the power to better myself. I dont seek to be better than anyone, as we are all individuals and the power to better ourselves is in each and everyone of us. No one is above me, no one is above me, I shall stand beside the, is a phrase i read that i believe.

Interesting concept,

Coming at this from an occultists perspective I will say that knowledge of the subtle workings allows for the control of self to be able to harness those concepts to application to properly achieve what one has the will to achieve.

It is herein what I believe, one has power to shape the world within, but that power is and always has been how well that individual makes use of the knowlege gained from how they interact with the world on every level, and what they need to employ, or want to employ to achieve their goals.

Everyone has their own goals, and although many people do (as a goal) seek power, there are many who do not.

I for one DO seek it.. but, on a level of knowledge and understanding.. one of my favorite quotes is: Knowledge is Power.

I guess learning as much as possible could be a way of obtaining a certain power.

It seems to me that there is a lot of power in simply having the confidence IN your power. I find that the more confident people are in themselves, the more that they naturally get the other powers mentioned (popularity, wealth, fear). Those who are confident in their social behavior, will find that people around them will accept that personal expression of it. If you feel powerful and frightening, people will be afraid - if you feel friendly and confident and inviting, people will flock to you - if you feel nervous and weak, people will attack you or take advantage of you.

when you know that you can really hurt someone even if you don't mean to, that is power.

I said to my friend yesterday this as it is the same discussion,

When you have the skill to destroy things, when you have the strength to level a region, when you turn that nack for destruction into a force of creation that is true power.

In all creation lies destruction, if you destroy you make way for creation. If you merely stop you havent the strength to keep at it. But if you turn that distruction back in on itself and make it grow into something, to create something new, this is power.

POWER = EVil

Not all power is evil. The idea of a given power or a taken power like that of an elected official or ruler is usually corrupting but again not necessarily evil. The power to dream and invent and to create isn't evil. The power to heal. Power is a term that is generally given negative connotations because we immediately think of power abused.

I think power is defined solely by the individual pursuing it.

well as far as i am concerned power means how you take your problems and deal with all.you come winner if you can diminish your anxiety with your will power and inner strength.

I concider knowledge the ultimate power... So yes I do want power, the power only knowledge can give...

I would agree that knowledge is the real power.

"Real Power wears out those who do not have it"

whne you have power over people, they wull fear you.. when they fear you, then you can control them easily.... so for me power is to control...

It is interesting that so many say, "knowledge is power" I have to dissagree. I believe it is the ability to apply the knowledge, and use it to ones advantage. Example. Albert Einstein deiscovered the theory of energy "E=mc2" that in it self is not power. However when he wrote the theory down in a letter and sent ti to the U.S.A. We used it to harness the power of the atom bomb and defeat the Japanese in WWII. Einstien held no power as he could not use the information. It was the U.S. that gained the power through APPLICATION of the knowledge.

Sociologists usually define power as the ability to impose one's will on others, even if those others resist in some way.

"By power is meant that opportunity existing within a social [relationship] which permits one to carry out one's own will even against resistance and regardless of the basis on which this opportunity rests."

In my view power is simple, some require it to feel successful and many simply rely on the physical aspect of it. I submit that the strongest manifestation of power lies within ones personality, a truly powerful person can overwhelm others with just their presence.........

vampstalker is correct

I have physical power, though I rarely use it, either to dominate or intimidate. I as yet have no financial power, and I've always been too far on the edge of society to have any political power. But do I have and seek power? Always. Mental power is more fufilling than any other kind, and I have it in abundance.

I think that the true power lies in the pursuror. Power is not everything. Power can not be achieved, because no one does have the power to do anything.

power is a brod term and it can be seen as many things but self power is the will to do anything that you want to do

My goal is to persue emotional power over myself. I have been through a tough year since March 15, 2005 and on March 10th of this year my father lost his battle to brain cancer. Since a week after his death I hit an emotional low, and I have been trying so hard to build myself up again. Things I do to help myself grow to a more steady, emotional state of mind are meditation(that's the biggest thing you can do to help yourself gain any strain of power), poetry, drawing, and listening to the world around me to help me figure out who I am as a woman.

mocanal power i agree is the strongest of powers

People use the word "power" in may different ways. it could be used as ignorance and i agree with my sis deathntgrl.
Some may think of it as popularity, which states they are themselves unsecure.
And to think that this is vague pd? are you placing answers if any to gain level and not even reading what the people that made the thread is trying to state there opinons, for i see alot of opinons here :)

Thank you SwtEternity... Power is real, but do we give it up to other people just so we will feel secure, and not have to be responsible? I seem to see a lot of that.

i think that everyone posses power over something, but i think it becomes a problem when people start abusing that power

THE ABILITY OF HAVING ENTIRE POSESSION OF YOURSELF.

Darkthrone - I think it's rare that anyone is ever completely in ownership of oneself from a functional standpoint. We are free and we are given rigths as humans, but we are almost always financially beholden to our debts and our needs. There is the ability to 'drop it and move' or to simply ignore one's debts or responsibilities but our society is built around debt and rules and laws and the idea that we could be completely free of that, seems difficult to grasp.

Well, I don't have a whole lot of power in anything at the moment. It all depends on what it is and how bad you really want it. Some people will do whatever necessary (be it morally acceptable or not) in order to get the power they desire. Personally I could go for some financial power right about now.

power is relative and only set by societies standards, as a race we provoke power by letting it be powerful. damn thats a paradox to wrap your brain around

This age old adage goes well with this topic .

Here is a quote

by Lord Acton:


And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. All power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

It is the combination of absolute Power and Ego that corrupts...There are those with great Power and control of their Ego, who have not been corrupted...They operate behind the curtian...On many different layers...

Enigma...is it that they have not been corrupted...or that their corruption is so subtle...as to not be openly noticed....which can be an even more dangerous corruption in the long run
I agree with the idea that ALL crave power...on some level, be it physical, mental, monetary, psychic, sexual, or other
the power I crave is both mental and monetary....tho really I only ever expect to attain the mental

Power is an unnecessary (sp?) diversion, but somebody needs to wield power for a society to work.

Peoples motives differ widely as to why they want that power. As long as it is used correctly, thats all that matters. But if it is abused, then power is the worst thing in the world.

As somebody who has been raped, I can say that power is definitely a bad thing sometimes.

Power - This can be anything from Knowledge, Money, Position, Possessions. Anything that can be wielded or used to put over someone else...

Lets take this a step further. I see people talk about "corruption, and abuse of power" but really what is that? What defines a coorupt person or leader? And does "the end justifies the means" ever apply?

I think that power is kind of a superiority over others and this superiority brings some advantages.... because of the hunger from the others to have the same superiority.... in what ever it is.....

Depends on ones definition of power. I don't believe anyone should have more power over another. But in todays' society, the government is the power and uses it, against the common people of the world.

Enigma said:

I agree that knowledge is power, and without clarity of mind, wisdom, and proper intent, you are correct that power can corrupt...

Wisdom comes out of the use of the knowledge doesn't it??? Proper intent come from the soul as I see it.
My soul knows what love is, right from wrong, even those these things weren't taught me at home as a child.....Where this cosmic knowledge comes from I have yet to discover for myself...I learn something new eachday and I'm happy with that..So am I powerful yes in my own right..That I don't push others with what I know, I guess I have a measure of wisdom..........

It is all about balance...The more knowledge, the more the power...The deeper you go, if the wisdom isn't there, the eog will take control, the intent will be flawed...These terms can be used in so many different contexts that the discussion becomes clouded...

I agree with Enigma. Its all about how the power is used.

Interesting to note that Plato's vision was to have philosopher rulers who would have the ability but not the desire to rule, therefore meaning that they would have the best interests of the society as a whole at heart.

power can be a lot of things. it's all about what you make of what you get.

power is obtained in many ways the thing to remember is power corrupts absolute power absolutely corrupts my power comes from mother earth

Enigma, Yes I agree there it is about balance I admit there have been times I'm off balance but thankfuly those times are few and far apart..I have seen what Ego can do with others and in a way I take the lesson of that and atempt to remain humble for the most part.........I do not want to have others think I lord over them I'm not into Elitism..I know that others out there have something to teach me and I hope I have something to teach them as well....I'm passionate about the exchange of idea's..I guess that is one of the many reasons I am here on VR to find others seeking this power (knowledge) and learning how to apply it effectively without being calous or overbearing to do it with love..I and this is my belief love and honor go hand in hand..I choose to honor others because I love them not just the few I know personally either but all people

i am emotionaly powerfull. i rain with my heart, mind and soul.
power is a dangerouse thing to have and no one can control it. no one can understand its true potentiol because the are in it for selfserving motovations...

Geisha,
I try not to be self serving...I try to serve others this isnt always an easy thing..I doubt I'll ever attain the lets say the level of a buddha or of any great man of the past I am not devine I am a mere man trying hard to do what I see as right live a life that fits my karmic goals and hope for the best..wanting to know things is a strange kind of want of a power..Yes I wouldn't mind money but I don't worry about it most times.....I can train my mind to be a very powerful tool it all depends on how I use this power..I'm still total the ideals of "Harm None" even though i'm no longer wiccan per se..At this time I have no idea what I am and even if it could be defined.......

Power is a illusion power is simply how other people fear you.

I must be one of the few whom do not crave or seek power...I would much rather crave blood and seek knowledge.

VampyreHeart, Knowledge is a power....

Bravo ventrueprince2 ok sorry I've been dense but Venture got exactly the way i see it....................

power is what you know. what you know can have control over others and thier mentality. so not only is it mental power, it becomes physical power. When you master both, peoople fear what you might be able to do next

I guess that I seek physical power, I have always been the one who people come to for help, I am strong but I can't always get people to leave them alone. SOme times, surprisingly not often luckly, it turns into a fight and strength would really help in those cases.

Power changes with circumstance. Why or what is irrelevant. It is a combination of things, and I want it in all forms.

its human nature... u need some kind of power

true all kinds of power i have the physical power but a lot of people have that money power and i want that now lol

lol money power can destroy too

I think we all have some kind of power, but not all of us knows how to use it.

*adds a couple of cliches*

I agree with whoever said knowledge is power. Without knowledge, you cannot evolve. I also believe wisdom is power. And without knowledge, you cannot achieve wisdom.
My power...I'm not exactly sure what it is. Persuasion maybe....but it's odd. I've realized that I have the power to captivate people, and people look to please me but I do not even realize it!

Trech said: power is relative and only set by societies standards, as a race we provoke power by letting it be powerful. damn thats a paradox to wrap your brain around

I think what your saying is that as individuals we are all something powerful but as a society, we give up that power for stability only to find ourselves victim to it.

Or to quote "Harriet and Maude" - "The problem with most people is that each of us is this (pointing to a unique flower) but we allow ourselves to be this (pointing to the field of similar flowers) and end up becoming this (fade to field of military headstones)"

power, to me, equals control. whether it's control over an individual's actions or control over my own thoughts, power is control and control is power. that's why all people want power - so that they know that they have control over something. everybody wants everything their way, so, therefore, everyone craves power. in my eyes, you can only gain power through logic, making them think you're okay with doing what they want, and fear. for example, let's say you're trying to get your five-year-old brother to take out the trash. in order to get him to do what you want you have to use logic, - "leaving the trash inside will attract bugs, little jimmy"- playing upon what they want - "i know you don't want to take out the trash, but i don't want bugs in the house" - and fear- "i know how you don't like bugs, and if you keep the trash inside you just might wake up with a big old cockroach in your bed." see what i mean? or is this just senseless babble from a morbid mind?

I agree that applying the knowledge is key but then you have to fall back upon the knowledge of when to use it and all that... It is all catch 22 you cannot have the ability to use without the knowledge of how to use....

power comes within us u have to find it in ur heart to believe!

The power I admire most of all is the power over self, i.e., self-control or mastery of the self. One of the best examples of this is my first karate teacher, Sensei Cerny. She had an inner peace, a sense of control, a total lack of fear, and a confidence sans arrogance unlike anyone else I've met. Those who have control over themselves are not controlled by others, nor do they seek to control others. They are at peace with themselves and the world around them. It is this kind of power I admire above all others. As to how to pursue it, I am still working on that. Perhaps a journal entry one day??????

Basically, Power is craved on some level by all individuals.

It extends even further: even animals, mostly dogs try to dominate humans (usually one person is the dog's owner, the dog considers the owner as the highest in chain of command / clan leader, then children and other people in lower than the dog in status. So the dog might try to keep people in a single room, bump you off the couch.)

Mostly, Regardless of the kind of power you seek, everyone seek to be a leader of some sort, a kind of power over others

Power to me is the strength to be yourself and to stick to your convictions even when all the odds are against you.

Power can be drawn easily from within with the proper meditaiton and practice. In kung fu and in the craft we learn to channel the energy from inside to effect the outside world. This also works on the spiritual plane as well if you merely learn to direct and focus your own energy. We are all linked to the power, it is the force that creates all matter and all life throughout the universe.

I am 6' and 150 lbs. and I am deceptively strong. When my chi flow reaches a peak it can be physically felt running throughout my body and emmitting great heat from the palms of my hands. I can take down men twice my size with little effort. The control comes from remaining calm, centered and intently focused on the task at hand. The power is there you only have to seek it out. I believe it is the most natural thing in the world for us to use it. It only knows the good and evil that it cast into it, in essence it is pure and untainted.

power is what ever one wants it could be drawn from feelings for someone, or thing, or through training but it always comes from want. i dont raelly know what "power" per say is but you are right every one wants it in one form or another, and its not always bad cuz in some surconstances we need that power to survive this life.

one question i dare not to answer

I believe power comes from within, and from knowledge. The second is needed before the first, for if one does not know the way to power, they cannot generate it from within. This understanding of the after before the before is critical in my opinion to achieving power.


My two cents.

There has been alot of good discussion about this, very interesting indeed. Alot of people make alot of good points. KNowledge is power, but one also needs to know how to apply what is learned. I also thinks that power generates from within, if you do not have the want then you can not gain the power. It has also been stated that power is manipulation, the way you make people do as you wish. To some extent that would mainly be fear and control. To me power is eternal,whats inside yourself and the ability to apply that which you have learned. In some cases I have used manipulation to control others, but I try not to do that often.

i find that it depends on the person and what it is they are reaching for.

I cultivate all of them. Martial arts and working out for physical, and corporate lawyer for financial and political.

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to
test a man's character, give him power."

Abraham Lincoln

nuff said :o)

Power is nothing more than what a person holds inside of themselves. Anyone has the ability to have financial power, political power and whatnot. See, the thing is people want it instead of taking it

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