Aditya Das | Week 9: What is Power to You?

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Power. A word which according to the Oxford dictionary refers to the ability to do something or act in a particular way. It is derived from an alteration of the Latin term “posse” which refers to “be able.” Now, each and everyone of us has from a young age grown up listening to various interpretations of this term, whether it was its use in politics or its random and unknowing presence in a conversation.


But what does power mean to you?


To me power means a lot. It means to choose my destiny and what I do today, tomorrow, and the day after. It means picking chocolate over vanilla, a cone over a cup, or chocolate sprinkles over marshmallows. It means being free in speech, body, and mind. And finally, it means not having to bend to the will of others.


While to others it might mean a lot more. Maybe it is being able to control those around them or it might be invoking fear in those that stand in their way. To others it could mean protecting the things they love and care about most. And, finally to others it could mean sheer raw strength.


Regardless of what power means to you. I am certain of one thing however, it does not mean being able to take advantage of and torture the weak for their short comings. It does not mean being able to slaughter the lives of those that cower under you in fear begging for mercy. And finally, it does not mean you are perfect in every way imaginable.


Do these things I mention seem familiar. Well of course, they all allude to traits possessed by those in history who were considered so powerful that they were blinded by their own narcissism to the basic truths that looked them dead in the eye. They forgot what it meant to be powerful, they went from “being able to” to “stopping others from.”


Comments

  1. Sophia ShaoJanuary 21, 2025 at 10:41 AM

    Hi Aditya! Thanks for your exploration of what power means. To me, power means the ability to choose, whether it’s for yourself or others, being able to make decisions for someone else or at least influence them means having power over them. I like your exploration of power being free in speech, body, and mind and sheer raw strength; maybe that’s what it means too. I agree with you that power does not mean taking advantage of people, and it does not mean inflicting harm upon the weak. I also like how you stylistically chose to end your question with a period. Although it was not grammatically correct, I appreciate the addition of personal voice and style. I hope people will try to consciously not be blinded by their power and become a figure of terror for others. I don’t think that's what power truthfully entails when it just becomes exploitation. Thanks for sharing, Aditya! I appreciate your commentary on what power means and your reminder that with power comes responsibility.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 22, 2025 at 6:23 PM

    Hi Aditya! I've always taken power as the ability to cause someone or something to bend to your will. I have power in my defiance of other's values, or in your terms, power to do with my identity what I wish. However, as you've already stated, power is easily abused and too much of it can quickly corrupt. Heck, look at Elon Musk. He became the richest person on Earth recently and has been cozying up to Trump, and what does he do? Musk performs a fascist salute before the entire country, with little regard for what that signifies and likely intent to harm others. Not to mention, the abortion ban and attacks on minorities screams corruption. Unfortunately, the history you alluded to in the end is unfolding right now and I can only hope that those with an attitude to power that you have step up and improve America.

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  3. Yash SinhaJanuary 22, 2025 at 8:20 PM

    Hey Aditya! I really enjoyed how you began the blog with the definition of power because it sets up the rest of your blog very well and it provides the readers with context about what you are writing about. I also really like the question "What does power mean to you?" having it's own paragraph to emphasize how important that question is. I agree with the claim that you made about power having many meanings such as freedom of body, speech and more. I really like the connection you made about the most powerful people in global history as well as the way that you set it up. It really makes me consider how they were able to get such power with traits like the ones you mentioned. Overall, I think this is a great blog and the structure of it is really nice, thank you for diving deep into what power is and providing your perspective.

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