Valeriia Karpenko ENC 1101 Professor Spera 6 October 2014
Power
Every day people see “power” around themselves. When they go to work or school, when they walk into their classrooms, auditoriums, or offices, the first that they encounter is power. Power is everywhere. Power permeates every piece of the Earth. Power is on the radio and television, in your heart and thoughts. The definition of power is controversial because power is a loose concept that includes material and mental aspects.
Commonly, people believe that power is connections, a successful career, and money. As a matter of fact, it is correct. Knowing “right people”, in most of cases, eventually leads to quick getting up the career ladder. It goes without saying that the higher position you take the more money you make, and money is a factor in many things that happen. People who have money also have certainty and confidence in their present and future life. Indeed, families with money can afford living in safe and nice neighborhoods without having to worry about being robbed or killed every day. Besides, they can meet the expenses of education, thus they have bigger chances of getting in prestigious universities even than people who has ever had only “A”. Also, the rich can see all the beauty of the world because there are no financial issues that would interfere with their traveling and visiting any place of our planet. All these factors give them distinct control over their lives and, as a result, power.
Mental power, by some believes, is even more important. A power of personality includes such things as intelligence and inner strength. Perhaps, everybody has heard that power is knowledge. Indeed, the power of knowledge has changed our world out of all recognition. In fact, the power of knowledge helps to fulfill one’s dreams, carry out one’s plans, and turn the impossible into a habit. Because of knowledge and intelligence, people now have opportunities they have never had by nature like: flying, moving heavy objects, surviving diseases and enormous number more. Therefore, knowledge is power. Similarly, inner strength, persistence and self-control are qualities of a powerful person because they give people power to deal with life difficulties, human relationships, and the whole world. For instance, by virtue of his endurance Robinson Crusoe not only survived on the island, but did not lose his humanity. Due to his own strength of character and hard work, he supported himself with everything necessary for life. He realized that the chances of survival were pure, but he continued to hope and believe. That persistence is a power. In fact, there are plenty of examples of this power in our daily life. These examples are people who continue to take care of a terminal person, who do not give up their goals after the first failure or even people who can go past a slice of cake on the table when they are on a diet. In sum, the ability to control your uninvited desires on the way to your dreams and overcome difficulties and obstacles is power.
As it has been stated before the concept of power is a controversial concept. Some people perceive the idea of the material power as the most important. Others claim that power should be measured by one’s mental strength. In fact, people can argue about what power is for years without coming to an agreement. But is there any reason for these disputes over this topic if everybody sees power in different things?