Breaking News: You Are Powerful Beyond Measure

(Are you brave enough to use it?)

I was very recently asked to write something on the topic of power. When I requested more specifics, this is part of what he said: “The powerful have thought of everything. They have understood power.” 

It’s hard not to agree. After all, “they” have the power to make us fear breathing air, right? They regularly convince us to give up our deepest dreams to take whatever job we can find that “pays the bills.” (They also convince us to pay the bills.) The powers that (shouldn’t) be very much rely on our acquiescence. There are too many of us for them to control by force so they have learned others ways to exert their (perceived) power.

Surely, they’ve thought of everything. Or have they…?

Obviously, I could take this contemplation in a wide range of directions. So, I’ll stick (for now) to personal experience… something I can speak of with authority.

There was a time when I was one of the best-known activists in NYC (and elsewhere). I attended and organized hundreds of “protests” for dozens of issues. In addition, I photographed many such events and was often asked to give speeches at them, too. As a result, I couldn’t go anywhere in Manhattan without running into someone I knew or getting “recognized.”

On any given week, I might be at a protest against fracking or animal experimentation, a demo in favor of forgiving student debt or ending stop-and-frisk, and conducting a teach-in about drone warfare — yes, all in the same week. Spoiler alert: None of these exercises created any change at all because I was misunderstanding my power. 

An issue as large as “climate change” or “universal health care” seems big enough to justify dedicating time and energy — in all kinds of weather — to “raise awareness.” Looking back now, I can recognize how deluded we were (and some still are). By definition, a group of misfits holding signs in the middle of a busy city do not inspire any action — except for people crossing the street to avoid them. Then… I learned how to downsize in the name of doing more.

In fall 2016, I stepped away from futile “activism” and founded a one-man project offering direct relief to homeless women on New York City streets. (CLICK HERE and donate right now.) The previous version of me would’ve mocked such an effort. “You’re just addressing symptoms,” I might smugly declare. “You’re not challenging poverty or patriarchy.”

Reality: For the past 5.5 years, I’ve never been (or felt) more useful. 

I’ve created deep connections and friendships; bore witness to tragedies and victories; lent a compassionate ear when no one else would listen; fed the hungry; clothed the cold; shared laughter and tears; defended the vulnerable from predators; and, most of all: provided a glimmer of hope to women who have landed squarely at rock bottom. 

I came to understand power as a triage of sorts. I stopped voluntarily wasting my genuine desire for a better world. Instead, I took stock of what skills and resources I could offer. Next, I discerned who could benefit from those skills and resources — and who was within my reach. Then, I committed to offering direct relief on a regular, almost daily basis. Translation: I had discovered and released my superpowers.

Imagine if each of you did something similar, in your own way (right now).

Imagine yourself owning your immeasurable power (right now).

Imagine you stop complaining and complying — and instead, you actually fuckin’ do something (right now).

The powers that (shouldn’t) be want us to be diffuse and disorganized or grandiose and delusional. They want us to aim our precious energies into fruitless causes and exhibitionist virtue signaling. They want us to validate their power structure by petitioning them for crumbs.

What the elites understand about power is that the rest of us have enough of it to scare the hell out of them. The last thing in the world they want is for you to step out of your cookie-cutter, paint-by-numbers existence, and step into your personal power. 

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,” Marianne Williamson famously wrote. “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.” 

Homework: Find a passion and get busy (right now).