[Vulnerability & Power - I]
Consider the most powerful “thing” you’ve ever seen.
Not might, as in the power of one person, group, or country over another.
Not energy, as in the the power of explosives or the potential power of splitting atoms.
Not manipulation, as in the power to intimidate or coerce emotionally.
Rather, consider the most powerful “act” you’ve ever witnessed. For example, the most powerful act of bravery.
Or, consider the most powerful “event” you’ve witnessed. Maybe it was a speech. An immense display of compassion. Or, an overwhelming move of generosity.
Power is not necessarily the measurement of might, intimidation, or threat. It’s not, as my sociology teacher taught, the ability to get people to do what you want.
The greatest power is counterintuitive. It’s not immune to risk; it requires great risk. It’s not unmoved strength; it often includes weakness. And it always has at its center profound vulnerability.
I’d like to spend some time exploring the relationship between vulnerability and (an alternative definition of) power. I believe where the two intersect is where transformation and change happens—for you and me as individuals and for our communities at large.
