When you control your thoughts and emotions, you become more at peace with yourself, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,” Abraham lincoln had said.
Mahatma Gandhi, the father of free India, has defined power in two forms. One obtained by the fear of punishment and the other, by acts of love. According to him, the power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.
However, the world that we live in today has a different scenario wherein power spells authority, strength, capability and superiority. If we walk down the history lane, we will see that all good and bad endeavours by individuals or groups in the past were directed at garnering power.
Be it the World Wars, political uprisings, revolutions, religious propaganda, scientific research, technological innovations, economic strategies, ethnic-cultural dominance — almost everything was aimed at being powerful or being in the seat of power.
What is it about power that makes most of us go crazy after itIJ Well, the simple reply to this would be to question, “Who doesn’t want to be powerful and experience the adrenaline rushIJ” All of us just love that moment of power which allows us to do what we want to do on our terms.
Power has different meaning for different people, but the most common association of power is with money. That is why the rich and the powerful people in society always make headlines due to their high net-worth. Another common imagery of power goes with political leaders who are seen as synonymous with power. In 21st century, science and technology combined with marketing has also become another means of power along with media which has also emerged as a highly influential medium of power.
In fact, it wont be exaggerating to say that media is one such source that affects all powers as it helps to highlight, downplay or even destroy the power value of all the above mentioned powers. However, in reality these are all outer forms of power. And since they are based on outer reality, they tend to deplete, change and perish with time. They are also unstable, unreliable and often disempowering. If that is so, then what is True powerIJ
Majority of us are unaware about this reality that True power is rooted in human consciousness — the soul. Yes, but its unfortunate that most of us, in our quest of power totally forget that money or status are only means from which temporary power can be derived. Such power is also limited in its outreach, value or benefit. Because all these sources of power are limited and changeable with time.
They give temporary support. The sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ turns such power into a limitation and it has its influence for a limited period on a limited area of life in a limited degree.
On the other hand, true power will be unlimited, benevolent and universal in its impact and hence, it will automatically empower others. Therefore in order to reclaim our real power we need to first understand who we are and live life from a spiritual perspective because when the spirit is awake and aware, it is indomitable. When we become aware of how powerful we are from within, we become free from all kinds of desires and attachments.
A person who can control his thoughts and emotions, and live by the highest values of peace, love, truth and joy under all circumstances is truly powerful. Such a person is able to influence and bring about change not only in his life but also in others’ lives and the world around. Due to gross ignorance about these very values, we lose our true power and start searching for it through wrong sources. That is why today, the whole human race has become weak and impure.
But now the Supreme Source of Power himself is guiding us all to regain our lost power and sovereignty by imparting knowledge of spirit (soul) through which we would become the rulers of our inner kingdom.