Our lives are filled with people who benefit from our obedience. Teachers, bosses, parents, politicians, and more - all of them with their own agendas, embedded in institutions with their own agenda. A great deal of what motivates everyday humans is coming from a place of goodness, so there's lots of wisdom to be gained from listening to people who have something to teach us.
Ultimately, what we do with that information is up to us. We're responsible for the world that flows from our choices. When we obey people who are compromised by the pursuit of wealth and power, we hand over our power to be used against us in ways that can add up to great harm in the world. They are responsible for enacting that harm, and we are responsible for taking our power back.
Here's what empowerment looks like in practice:
- Becoming aware of hidden motives and manipulation in our personal and social relationships.
- Moving beyond narratives of blame and victimhood to take decisive action for our own and each other's well-being.
- Cultivating inner strength and courage to break cycles of dependency and abuse.
- Celebrating our own and each other's victories, overcoming doubt and mistrust to lift each other up as we rise.
Empowerment is not the same as holding power over others within a hierarchical structure of control. Empowered people don't need to control others because we're surrounded by people inspired and empowered in their own right. From this foundation we naturally work together to achieve great things, and this is what traditionally "powerful" people are afraid of.
