Today, on our Friday “Word Fast, we look at POWER and how the way in which we perceive each other affects our understanding of the word, and the actions that then arise. Jack gives us an acronym to reframe our thinking and a helpful practice to reframe how we look at our fellow humans…
My acronym today is: P.O.W.E.R. Presenting Our Will Equal, Regardless
The idea of presenting our will equal regardless of the authoritative or academic status, race or age of people is a practice originally introduced by ancestors of various regions who defined their fellow humans as equal allies, nothing more nothing less.
Later generations were taught to perceive people via judgment and measurement. The result is that we either give our POWER away when we see ourselves as less than, or steal someone else’s POWER by seeing ourselves as greater than.
I remember specifically feeling this at a local gym, where the underlying assumption of POWER was based upon a particular type of physique and the absence of tan lines. One morning I came into the gym to find a small sign hanging in the main workout room, in a plain black frame on plain paper were the words written: “When we choose to compare ourselves to others, we will always find greater and lesser persons than ourselves”.
I smiled and realized for the first time this POWER struggle is an endless game with no real winner, just temporary ones who are waiting to be replaced by someone else in the next minute.
I also experienced this in occupations over the years where “The Boss” had some form of POWER assigned to him or her. We all just fell right into place like ducks behind their mother, we even enforce a sense of hierarchy in the term “corporate ladder”. I remember a time working in Boston when during a meeting the C.E.O. had made a derogatory comment about the computer engineer’s wardrobe and hair style.
I smiled and replied to this statement from a place of equality and understanding for the generation gap differences. The table went silent with all eyes fixed upon me. A few days later the C.E.O. approached me and apologized regarding his comment during the meeting. I was amazed by how powerful the idea was: Presenting Our Will Equal Regardless. From that point on the C.E.O. and I developed a mutual respect for one another.
I now practice the choice in my day to day experiences, releasing my perceptions and judgments whenever I create them. Sure, it’s challenging at first, but the choice you will realize is, “Do I feed the need to impede my life through judgment, or do I practice a larger perspective of equality Presenting Our Will Equal, Regardless.
Next week’s acronym is T.R.Y.
Listen to Jack’s soothing voice as he describes more powerful acronyms on his website www.sciencesofspirituality.org.
John Nickolas Barakitis is the founder of Sciences of Spirituality a project of the Congressional District Programs a 501(c)(3) non-profit company. As educators and practitioners in holistic massage therapy and Reiki, John and his wife Sona offer products and services to Inspire, Enhance and Heal through music and the spoken word. For more information visit www.sciencesofspirituality.org
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