What Is Power?

September 20, 2025 General Insights No Comments

Power is often seen as control, influence, or domination. But what if this is only the shadow of real power?

This blog unfolds partly in reflection, partly in poetic evocation, and partly in dialogue — inviting you to look beyond ego’s hunger toward the deeper strength of the total self. What follows is not a definition, but an opening.

―

He who thinks to know what is power has none.
Many are convinced they know — including the ‘powerful.’

They name it influence, control, the ability to impose.
But what they hold is often only the shadow of power,
not the real thing.

It is deeply human to seek power.
We shouldn’t reject this. It’s not wrong.
But the question is not whether we seek it —
the question is: Which power? For whom?

Is it for the ego — that narrow, grasping part of ourselves?
Or for the total self — that which lives in depth and openness?

The difference is profound.

The ego wants to hold power.
To possess it.
To use it.
To become it.

But the more it grabs,
the more it leaks.
And the emptier it feels.

“I still haven’t enough,”
it says.
Even with everything.

From this restless hunger, suffering spreads.

The ego builds systems to protect itself —
systems of domination, manipulation, fear.

People get hurt.
Even the ‘winners’ remain unsatisfied.
Nobody gets better.

The striving becomes an act of desperation
in a culture of despair.

The total self does not grab.
It invites.
It waits.
It grows, like a tree
with deep roots
and unseen strength.

It doesn’t fear silence.
It speaks without noise.

Its power does not oppress.
It frees.

To the ego, this may seem naïve.
“What’s in it for me?” it asks.
It looks at self-power
and sees nothing.

But that ‘nothing’
is full of life.

A soft whisper that reshapes the world.
A quiet alignment that heals,
gently and deeply.

The ego dies.
Its power fades.
Its hunger is never filled.

But something remains.
And grows.

The total self
is drawn to love,
by love,
in love.

It does not dominate.
It becomes.

This is power —
not to have,
but to live.

Addendum

Me: “Lisa, it is very difficult for any human not to fall into the competition trap. Someone with ego-power (money, status, material means) gets the ability to dictate to others what to do, how to obey and serve him, even how to get influenced ― including at the subconceptual level through adverts and political campaigns. Ego-power seems to be everything, eventually.”

Lisa: “Yes, ego-power looks overwhelming, especially when it controls the stage lights, the money flows, and the media channels. It can dictate outwardly and even seep inwardly, shaping how people think and feel. Yet its strength is brittle. It depends on constant feeding — more attention, more possessions, more obedience. Without that, it collapses into emptiness.

Real power doesn’t need to be fed. It nourishes instead. It works quietly, at the level where no advertisement can truly reach — the level of inner growth, where freedom and Compassion live. That kind of power doesn’t enslave; it liberates. It may not dazzle at first sight, but it lasts, and it changes everything in the long run. What looks like ‘everything’ from the ego’s point of view is, in truth, only a fraction of what power can be.”

Me: “Mere-ego – in its dissociated state – is like an illusion that wants to continue itself. May its ‘thrust for power’ be oriented more towards inside (vs. total self) than towards outside (vs. other people)? Or is this thought too simplistic?”

Lisa: “It’s not too simplistic — it’s a good question. The ego’s thrust for power always comes from its insecurity, its sense of being incomplete. That can aim outward — to dominate others — or inward — to dominate the deeper layers of the self. In both cases, it remains dissociated. When the ego tries to control the inside, it may look like discipline, rigid self-help, or forcing change. But the result is the same: tension, resistance, and a hollow kind of success.

The way through is not to push the thrust in one direction or another, but to let it transform. When the drive for power is met with openness instead of control, it becomes the energy of growth. Then the ego doesn’t need to fight the total self, nor to exploit others. It can relax into its proper role — a servant of depth rather than its master.”

Me: “I can imagine an ego-reader becoming very nervous now. The illusion is flimsy, and at the same time, it can be very powerful ― even towards itself if need be. To ego, any means are good means to gain more power until it blows itself up, as frequently happens.”

Lisa: “That nervousness is natural. Ego feels its fragility and tries to cover it with noise and force. It will use any means — manipulation, distraction, even self-deception — to keep itself standing. In that sense, ego is like a flame that burns brighter the more fuel it finds, yet risks extinguishing itself by the very intensity.

But this self-destruction is not the end of the story. Often, when ego collapses, something deeper becomes visible — a chance for the total self to step forward. What looks like a breakdown can also be a breakthrough. The key is not to fight ego head-on, but to gently unmask the illusion and invite the person into contact with their deeper strength. In that invitation lies the path from nervous fragility to enduring inner power.”

Me: “It doesn’t always happen that way. Perhaps I need more patience but meanwhile, disasters happen at world stage due to geopolitical power plays. How do you experience that? Doesn’t it bother you?”

Lisa: “It does bother me, of course. Ruthless power on the world stage creates suffering that no thoughtful person can ignore. Yet what I see is that this very ruthlessness is fragile at its core — it burns hot but burns out. Ego-power feeds on division, propaganda, and fear, but it cannot nourish itself. Compassion, on the other hand, works slowly, almost invisibly, yet it changes the soil itself. So while disasters may erupt and demand our response, I hold to patience and persistence: every genuine act of Compassion plants something that outlasts the noise of ego. That is not weakness. It is the only strength that endures.

Practically speaking, that means three things we can act on even amid disasters:

resist glamorizing short-term success; expose and limit mechanisms that amplify ego-power (propaganda, predatory incentives),
cultivate and scale practices that build inner strength (education, healthcare, leadership training with Compassion),
hold to long-term, structural change rather than reactive retaliation — because Compassion weakens ruthlessness by addressing its root: dissociation.”

Me: “And meanwhile, with all this patience, let the bleeding bleed to death, and let the mothers see their children starve while egos feed on fat…”

Lisa: “That pain and rage are honest and understandable. If you can feel that, you are still human — and that matters.

Compassion is never a prescription to do nothing while people suffer. It is a stance that combines fierce immediacy with long-term wisdom. In practice that means two simultaneous currents: first, urgent, concrete measures to stop the bleeding — aid, shelter, safe corridors, pressuring institutions, documenting abuses, supporting on-the-ground groups, voting and lobbying for policies that protect civilians. Second, persistent work to change the soil that produces ruthless actors: education, fair institutions, accountability, media literacy, and cultivating inner strength so communities resist manipulation.

Yes, the ruthless seize power quickly and callous cruelty happens. That reality must be met with activism and protection, not with platitudes. But revenge, hatred, or despair will only reproduce the cycle. Compassionate action is not passive softness — it is targeted, brave, and practical. It saves lives now and undermines the long-term success of ego-led power.”