Power. It’s a word we’ve all heard before, but what does it really mean? When we were young it meant Superman, Batman and Spiderman; in other words, superheroes. As we got older it meant strength, energy, ability and electricity. But now it has taken on a whole new meaning. A wise old man once made an observation reflecting his views of power. He said, “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” In this quote he refers to power as leadership. He states that it is possible to have physical or mental power over people; but also that it can be gained through relationships and connections.
In my opinion, power is a force that someone has over one, or a group of things. It is an authority that is used to force people to do certain things or act certain ways and comes in many different forms. Power is everywhere and if you don’t believe me, look around you. Do you see teachers? They have power. Parents? Them too. And although you may not like to admit it; older brothers and sisters also hold the power. Power isn’t always obvious though, it can also be insidious. For example, a magician has the ability to fool the whole audience into believing that they are “magical” and can perform miraculous tricks. The audience then becomes mesmerised and don’t realise that the magician has power over them through their ability to easily persuade.
Persuasion. What a wonderful word. The oxford dictionary states that the meaning of this word is “causing a person to believe or agree to do something”. Wordnetweb.com declares that the meaning of persuasive is “intended or having the power to induce action or belief”. There’s that word again: power. Throughout time, famous leaders have used the power of persuasion to enable them to force people to follow their orders and achieve their own goals. They draw on the fear of others to help them sustain their power and usually have other strong supporters enforcing their ideals. Other...