WHO HAS THE POWER & CONTROL

The one who writes the history has the power to tell the story.

Political scientists frequently define power as the ability to influence the behavior of others with or without resistance. We all have it, but it is not the same for any of us. I am often reminded of that when I hear the frustration voiced about what the man or the system is doing to us or not allowing us to do. I pay special attention when it comes from my Black folk. All it takes is for one to understand what power means to know that it is this way for a reason. It is how it was designed to be. We, the people, do not hold the power or the ultimate decision-making authority. We are not the architects of the system we see today.

When you struggle and have what you came to get, you must know that. For no matter what you do, there will be no more. And when you have to ask, it means that someone else has what you want. What should now be obvious is that no one gives up much unless there something in it for them that would more than compensate for such an unnatural move. It is not easy on the mind and a bit hard to accept, but you get what you can get when you are not in a position of power. It is not a sign of weakness; it is just a thing we all must-see for what it is. Power is never willingly given away, no matter how it may seem—it is just an illusion, a sleight of hand.

You do not design a system that does not work in your favor. And when it is felt that it is best to give an inch, it is given only after being neutralized with a countermeasure. A mile has been taken. So, if you are the beneficiary of the inch, use it for all you can. The worth is only in what you do with it. No one knows this better than you. How else can you know how far you can go. You have to use what you have got to know what you need. If you will not, there is another one who will. As is said, use it or lose it.

From the constitution’s framing, groups have felt left out simply because they were. Of course, this was by design. What would you expect? A Document that would place power in the hands of those who did not have it. Blacks were constitutionalized as less than a whole human being and counted as so, and women not being allowed to vote at all. Again, what would you expect. To maintain power and superiority, you must keep control, and this is done best by law and the tools of enforcement. That is until it can be institutionalized and become either a part of mainstream thinking or a counterbalance of competing thought. I say I deserve it, and you say not. The intent is to pit one against the other. An excellent example is the so-called middle class.

In reality, the middle-class is the credit class, an invention, a money tool, to generate wealth for those on top and serve as a buffer or protection against those on the bottom rung of the social and economic ladder. It is an artificial class supported by the credit industry. There can be no other logical reason for it to exist. And because there is no foundation in financial reality, it is just a tool to be used when the job calls for it. If the lower class is getting restless, call out the middle class, when more money is needed at the top, you do the same. The so-called middle class has been led to believe that they can live the American dream with hard work and determination.

The message cannot get through that no one should fret over another’s gain, that your lot and theirs are not the same. It may be hard to accept, but when it comes down to it, and the cards are on the table, it is clearly the ones with the power who rule the game. You could say this is not the way it is supposed to be. Though, if you look at nature, it is how we grow. It is not about race, creed, or color nor whether you are male or female or a member of a protected class. No, it is just fundamental that some will lead while others will follow. Some will have, and some will not have much if anything at all. But above all, it is power that is the guiding hand. And working the leverage of this power is the way that it is done. To pit one against the other is accomplished with ease when you control the resources and the means of production.

There was a time in human history where consent had no standing and force was used as a means to an end. To this day, it still exists in some measure in all walks of society. You or I will have the power in our relationship. One of us will have the last word. Someone has to be the one. When more than one thing is in motion, they will not stop at the same time. Of course, with two people, it would be hard to measure the distance between them. On a broader scale, there is chaos and disorder when society’s rules and nature’s laws are not respected. In a scenario such as this, we would all be doing our own thing and going our own way. How could you know what to expect. There would not be much we could depend on, now could we. If you do wrong by nature, you must pay.

Many of the failings today and the past come from a breakdown and a challenge to the natural order. You want it your way, and I want it mine. And the times are few when we want the same. I do it, you do it, and nations do it. One could wonder, if one were so inclined, why is it this way, “why can’t we all just get along.” We will never know why. But we do have to work with what is. Now, this does pose a problem. Racism, sexism, ageism, religious differences, and a host of other things come between us. Now, this is what I do. I look to nature. And there is one thing that is central and at its core; someone has to be in charge.

There have to be leaders, followers, and all that is in between for life to function as it should. As well, we must have owners of the means of production and workers to do the work. It is as it is meant to be. What can and does cause a problem and disorder is when you have followers wanting to be leaders when they are not and leaders who do not know how to lead. When this happens, how we live our lives becomes unbalanced. When the natural order of life is out of balance, chaos is soon to follow. You may say that all humans have an inalienable right to be free to come, go, and do as one is pleased to do. One thing we all should remember, with freedom comes responsibility. The freedom to speak comes with knowing when, or not, to do so. The freedom to choose comes with knowing the choices to make. And to be free to be you, you must know who you are. Everyone wants it, but few know what to do with it when they get it.

Equality is defined as the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.  Are all things that are viewed as equal, equal? To be equal, what is it, you may ask. Is it more than a feeling? For most, it seems, it is what it is thought to be or not. What are the benchmarks? We think we know it when we see it. For many, it is a state of mind. It is what we see it as being. What it is, is fluid and open to change with a change in status. There is no agreed way to measure it. With that being so, equal many times is no more than what we feel it to be. It is a thought by those who think they need it. I do not believe, as defined, that there is a thing in life that we can say, without a doubt, is equal to another. When looked at through the lens of equality, it is clear equality is not equal. It is a goal that is out of reach because it does not exist beyond conception. Life was not created, evolved, or designed to be that way. We cannot get it, and we cannot give it. It is a power we do not have. Even when we mean well, it will not happen. Each thing is different from the other thing. No matter what they may have in common. No two are the same. And no two outcomes will be the same. All things are created one at a time—each of its own.

What determines what comes our way is most times by our design. Not always, but what we do with it is, no matter the circumstance.