What is power? We all know and understand the significance of power, what it means to have power, what power can do, and why it is often desired. But what power actually is, the reality and the truth of power is far from the common dialogue and understanding. For instance, if two young men are arguing over what is better for their people, and one fought in several wars, is well trained and athletic, while the other is smaller framed, and has no real training or experience, the rational conclusion is that the veteran is more powerful than the new rebel. But if the new rebel has gun, and the veteran is unarmed, than the new rebel has the upper hand, and thus has more power. Now before the example is explored any further, it is important to understand the difference between being powerful, and having power; in the first example, the veteran was more powerful, whereas in the second example the new rebel has more power. Note that this does not mean that the new rebel would then be more powerful, as he is not, the veteran is the more powerful in both examples, but in the second situation he has less power. This is because there are essentially two types of power, inner and outer, one comes from the individual or group, and is carried with them so long as it is maintained and manufactured.
This means that the power is born in the individual, grows in the individual, and lives within that individual until it is no longer; this is what it means to be powerful, it literally means to be full of power. Outer power on the other hand, is power obtained through something other than yourself, to look outside of the inner, into the outer world as a source and a means for the power you desire. A gun is a good example of outer power, money is also a good example; anything one can use as a means to gain power, is a source or outer power, as it is maintained and manufactured through the outer rather than the inner.
Now back to the example, what if the veteran and the new rebel both have a gun, that is where being powerful is important as also having power would also be important, but this situation is a bit vague, seldom do we have a real world event where both sides have equal power, and the lines are typically a bit more blurry as to judging who is actually more powerful than the other after it is all said done, as this is merely analyzing the basic elements and components of power, and ignoring other factors that may change the dynamics of the confrontation. This is do what I call the 12 spheres of power; each ring is different form of power born from the combination of both inner and outer power as well as the realm in which it exists.
The top four spheres of power are the most significant and from them each new stage of power can be formed. Without spiritual power no other form of power would exist, everything in this world has its roots in the spiritual realm, and also has a spiritual component to it; in the case of human beings our potential for spiritual power is stronger than any other form of life. From this spiritual power of the human soul we gain the spheres of emotional, social, and intellectual existence and power. The three spheres of power are split between a logical and emotional energy that is the foundational for our consciousness, this consciousness is the perception of our soul through the window of our eyes, behind that window our two rooms the closest to the window is the emotional sphere, putting it closer to the spiritual (our hearts, belief, love, passion, etc) the second is the intellectual (our minds, perception, thoughts, ideas, memories, etc).
Between the emotional and intellectual rooms, or spheres, is the social sphere, an independent realm of humanity located 'between' the emotional and intellectual spheres, as it is both emotional and intellectual, with the additional element of being non-singular and plural. Each of the top four spheres are plural, humans as one entity exist in each of them as a collective group, we all have souls, hearts, and minds, and so are part of the spiritual, emotional, and mental worlds and spheres, but we also have an individual consciousness, significance, and power in each of these worlds aswell. The social sphere is also individual, ( you, your character, your charisma, your respect for others, your notoriety), but it is non-singular, so these things couldn't exist without other human beings.
To have power in any of the top four is to be powerful, spirituality, courage, genius, fame, these are all extremely significant forms of power all come from within (fame is a social power, but as social beings this can arguably be attributed to the individual's social influence over others which is an inner form of power going outward).
After the first four come the next four, financial, influential, physical power, and knowledge ("knowledge is power"), this is because none of these things accessible or useful to us without first the acquisition of the soul, heart, mind, and social nature, in addition to of course the physical aspect of being in some cases. Knowledge is truth, and truth comes from the spiritual, knowledge is a very significant form of power, as it is the foundation for progression, understanding, and application. To know martial arts, gives you skill, which gives you power, to know your enemy gives you insight, and so on. Physical power is an interesting sphere, although some people are naturally stronger than others, one can also work to gain physical power, and accumulate physical power. There is also a deep rooted connection between physical power and emotional power, to have courage or bravery is an emotional attribute, which can quickly change your physical capabilities, although so can knowledge, as in the case of chi gong, or, will, there was one incident where a young girl around 8 years old lifted a car to save her fathers life, so physical power can be more than what it commonly perceived.
After that there is influential power, which is definitely a strong form sphere, although it is more of a soft power, which is no surprise given its roots in the social sphere. The power of influence can blow your mind, as with the placebo effect, someone having respect for an individual or group, or simply by what it shown to an individual and what is not shown, this can all have large effect and impact. Especially when paired with the technological power of the media, the influence has a monumental effect on entire nations of people. The last in this column is financial power, which should not be underestimated, a socially constructed reality that has shaped the way nearly everyone views the world. Money is power, its influence, its technology, its social status, it is the foundation for world domination, a soft power with a hard shell, the financial sphere of power is one of the most significant in the digital age. Although one should keep in mind that with its roots in intellectual sphere, the financial world is all in your head, the only thing that makes it real is that its in everyone else's head too.
The next column of powers consists of will and technology, both derive from a combination of foundational power spheres.Will has its roots in both the spiritual and emotional spheres of power, it is the force that enables us to chose, to do, and to do anything. Will is the energy within you that allows you to move your hand, or your foot, and that same energy was used to win wars, and world wide olympic games. Will power can be one of the strongest powers human beings are capable of having, there are many amazing, dark, and mysterious things that our power of will allows us to do.Technology on the other hand, has its roots in both the intellectual and social sphere, as it is both logical and collaborative. The gun is technological power, the nuclear bomb is technological power, the internet, cars, tanks, knives, swords, boats, airplanes, and surveillance drones are all forms of technological power. It is one of the strongest in this world, and has been throughout human history, although it has been significantly more powerful since the industrial and recent digital revolutions have left their mark. Spaceships, rockets, artificially intelligent machines, memory scans, etc. the list goes on forever, the technological sphere is without a doubt full of power. The remaining two spheres in the final column requisite and authoritative power, are or can be comprised of almost all of the above.
Requisite power is the power gained through having something that is valuable or needed by others. For example, OPEC (oil exporting nations) have requisite power over the global economy and natural gas industries, they have what others need; that is a form of power, although it is typically more important on the larger scale it does have a large influence on the individual level as well.The last form of power in the 12 spheres is authoritative power, which is; the power gained through having authority over an individual, group, or nation. A King has authoritative power over his subjects, just because of their position on the social hierarchy, although not all hierarchies are social, and not all authoritative power is relative to the social world; it usually is. Although there are still kingdoms in the world, a more modern example of authoritative power would be the power the police have over 'ordinary citizens'. The police can arrest, carry guns, have access to data bases, and other merits, and liberties that give them the authoritative power they have. A police officer can kill a criminal and be hero, but an 'ordinary citizen' that kills a criminal is a criminal, more often than not. Authoritative power is not only an asset but also a strong source of power within the limits of jurisdiction, although it may seem to be contrived and artificial, the authoritative sphere of power has proven itself to be a form of immense power, time and time again.
