dailydatewithgod

Power sometimes seems like an abstract and nebulous concept. Who has it?  Who doesn’t? Does anyone know how they or it got it?  Many of the power structures within which we operate were not ones we had a say in establishing.  There is also the idea that power is a black or white element.  We either have it or we don’t.  Little lip service is given to the layers of discretion that exist within whatever we deem as having power. If we are truly honest with ourselves we give away our power with great ease instead of using the discretion at our disposal.  Discretion requires personal responsibility. Discretion is about choosing the degree to which we assign power to others or institutions and which part of it we keep for ourselves.  The acknowledgment of having discretion is on one level a form of power.  I am face to face with this each time I find myself saying I have to do something.  The truth is aside from dying, there are always options.  I may not like the options I have but I still have the discretion to choose one.  I may want to blame the person, idea, or institution I see as having the power, but then I am limiting my discretion to blame.  I am the one giving the power to something outside myself.  If I am willing to adjust my lens slightly to pay attention to where I can implement any and all the discretion I have at my fingertips, I will see the level of power I do have.  I think often of what Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” The truth is no one can make us feel anything without our consent. It is always within our discretion how we feel no matter what power we perceive to be outside ourselves.  It is simply a question of recognition, connection, and willingness to exercise our discretion.