January 23, 2004

Next question, please!



Am I standing in my own power or am I trying to please another?


ANYBODY THAT KNOWS ME Knows that I have always hated authority. My first response to this is, "DUH." But I must be more reasoned than that... And it begs the real question, what is power?

Is power intrinsic? Are there personalities that exude power? Or is power simply the perception of power? Either one of these - and I tend toward the latter - tends to be overly simplistic. I am not and have never been a charismatic person. I am a person that can hold his own in discourse and can argue his way into and out of just about anything I want. Is that power? I don't think so. I tend not to put a lot of stock in power (remember, I tend toward the idea of power deriving from perception of power). Instead, I tend to think about motivation. Now this is where I thank the Gods that are that I am an introvert.

Jung spoke about introversion and extroversion as the source of motivation for the person. Introverts derive motivation from within, extroverts from without. Put in terms of this rather poorly phrased question - originating as it does from an equally smarmy self-help book which I still refuse to either read or buy - it says that we introverts stand on our own while the rest of you obsequious toadies grovel and kowtow to please others. Maybe that's why your marriages lasted longer than mine?

Bloody Hell! It is not an issue of one being good while the other is bad... I think the real question is do I chose to live my own life authentically or vicariously. But those words don't sell copy.

Alas, I am just a fool...