We may feel we have reclaimed our power in many areas of our lives but like it or not, we still live in a world where at times others will have the power to restrict our freedom. We do not have the freedom to walk down city streets naked without risking arrest! If we don’t pay our taxes or license our vehicles, we may face unpleasant consequences.

In some places, parents are forced to send their children to school, whether or not they consider it a healthy environment for them. If we are ill enough to require hospitalization, we are often forced to sign forms relinquishing some of our power before we receive treatment. So the question arises: can we be truly self-empowered while living in society, or is self-empowerment just an illusion?

The Purpose of Government

When the European people first started immigrating to North America, there was no central government here. Native tribes had their own chiefs and councils, but there was no centralized ruling body governing all tribes. Initially, the new immigrants also functioned independently, but the consciousness was such that there were certain people who chose to take advantage of the weaknesses of others.

This resulted in groups of people banding together and relinquishing personal power to a leader for the sake of security. The leaders made laws and individuals were commissioned to enforce them. Eventually, leaders joined forces to govern larger territories and so state, provincial, and national governments emerged.

In America after the 9/11 event, many citizens have been willing to allow the government more power in order to protect them from further terrorist attacks. Seeing this trend has made me increasingly aware of the fear many people live with on a daily basis. It is this fear that causes people to give up their freedoms in exchange for what they perceive as security.

Exercise

Take a moment to imagine what you think your country would be like if it had no government. Paint a vivid picture in your mind. Would you feel more or less secure than you do now? What do you imagine would threaten your security?

Examining Our Fears

Your response to the above exercise will reveal much about your beliefs about human nature and your fears. For example, if you imagined a world of chaos, a “dog eat dog” existence, a world where you are not safe, that is a reflection of your belief that you are powerless to create a positive reality. If you believe in your own powerlessness, you will be more inclined to give your power to those you perceive as more powerful, in return for their protection.

Interestingly, most of us see ourselves as relatively harmless. We know we would not purposely hurt another or take advantage of another unless perhaps we are provoked. Yet we may still harbor a hidden belief that others are not nearly as benevolent as we are. We fear that others will take advantage of us or hurt us without provocation. We look for evidence in the outside world to substantiate our fears…that is why we are so fascinated by the stories of violence that dominate our media.

It is my belief that the fears we harbor deep within ourselves help to create our version of the reality we all experience. So if we wish to change our world or at least our experience of it, we must first bring our fears out into the open. Once out in the open, fear can be examined, evaluated, and transmuted.

What do you fear? Do you fear death, pain, violence, poverty, or loss of social position? Let us take a look at some of the institutions in our society and how we have empowered them to protect us from our fears.

The Institutions We Live With

The Police Force

In a democratic society, we have empowered the police to enforce the laws made by our governments. (In dictatorships the dynamics are somewhat different, yet the fact remains, if enough people transcend their fears and stand up to the dictatorship, it cannot survive, so the power is still ultimately in the hands of the people, whether they know it or not.) Often, we are adamant that others obey these laws, but aren’t so sure they should apply to us.

For example, most of us feel that a car speeding towards us at 100 miles an hour should be stopped by the police, but when we receive a speeding ticket ourselves, we complain bitterly! We have, in effect, given our power to control our own driving speed away to the police, in exchange for their protection from others who may drive recklessly. Can you see how our fear of others and their behavior has curtailed our own freedom?

The Medical Establishment

Pain is not a pleasant experience, and most of us fear it greatly. When my physical body falls into dis-ease and sends pain signals to my brain, my first reaction used to be fear and a desire to stop the pain as soon as possible. Like most westerners, I grew up with parents who took me to the doctor at the first signs of disease, so I was encouraged to develop a belief that doctors had more control over what went on in my body than I did.

I reclaimed my personal power by becoming informed about my biology. By studying nutrition and alternative medicine, I was able to take total responsibility for my health. Now, when I see a doctor, I approach that professional as a consultant rather than as a person who has the power to make me well.

Only I can make me well, though I may choose the assistance of facilitators when I feel the need. As a result, pain is now my partner in leading my body to greater wellness, rather than my feared enemy.

The Educational Establishment

Few people would dispute the belief that education is the ticket to a better life. Yet many in western culture have come to equate education with degrees from prestigious universities. What are the fears that these degrees help to alleviate? I feel that many pursue education because they fear without it they will have less money, less status, and less power.

To begin with, our society is based on a pecking order with the wealthiest people at the top. Those children born into the wealthiest families are also sent to the most prestigious and expensive schools, which insures that they will stay at the top of the pecking order.

In our mass consciousness belief system, wealth equals power. The way to attain both is through education. What few people realize, is that the educational establishment dis-empowers the individual in order to perpetuate itself as the purveyor of power and control.

How is this possible? Schools and universities, with their competitive orientation to learning, create fear and perpetuate it. Every student who fears failure at the hands of a teacher or professor is giving up personal power to that authority figure. The fear of failure will taint the educational experience, often to the point that what is learned is blindly accepted as truth, rather than carefully discerned and filtered through the student’s own inner knowing.

Does this mean that students can’t learn from teachers? Of course not! Teachers who do not coerce through rewards called “marks” can be excellent resources for students. They empower the student to pursue learning for the sake of discovering personal truths, rather than to please another.

Can We Make a Difference?

Our biggest stumbling block is we do not believe in our own power. We look at ourselves and think: I am just one small person…what can I do, all by myself? Even when we join with others, we may think: we are just a small group…what can we do in the face of the overwhelming majority of people out there who think differently? Yet the reality is this: each and every one of us is connected and each and every one of us makes a difference. When we get together, our energy compounds and we make even more of a difference in the collective vibration and thought pattern of humanity.

Do you find this hard to believe? Stop and think for a moment. How many people wrote the constitution of America? How many people invented the theories our science is based upon…Newtonian physics, relativity, quantum mechanics? How many people have you personally influenced in your life that you know of? For every person you know of, there are possibly a dozen you don’t know of! We all carry tremendous power, and it’s time we reclaim it and start believing in it!

When one person steps outside the boundaries of conventional behavior, repercussions may follow. That person may be martyred and never know of the impact he or she made. However, there are always others watching. The courage of the one who dared to deviate has made an impact and as a result, 3 others may dare to deviate tomorrow or next week, or next year. Individuals who stand up for their truth DO make a difference!

What Can We Do?

1. We need to evaluate our own beliefs about the purpose of each institution we are part of. Why does it exist? How does it serve us? How would we change it if we could?
2. We also need to decide how much involvement we want with each institution. Do we choose to become active in politics, or to confine our efforts to show up at the polls? Do we choose to learn about maintaining our health or do we empower others to take that responsibility for us? Do we choose to put our children in school or do we home educate?
3. We can use the power within us to affirm the highest and best outcome whenever we deal with an institution. Our thoughts make a difference, so by thinking positive thoughts about our interactions with institutions, we are actually helping to create a more positive outcome.

The Power of Choice

Most religions, no matter what their differences, have one concept in common…the idea that we, as humans on this planet, have free will. Free will implies choice. Presumably, no matter how dire our circumstances, there is always the possibility of a choice and of change.

Sometimes, when events have been set into motion, the range of choices may decrease. For example, the person who has chosen to jump off a cliff and as a result broke his neck may no longer have the choice to get up and walk around. He may be confined to a wheelchair, but he can still make the choice of whether to see the wheelchair as a blessing or a curse.

We can apply the same concept to our dealings with institutions. If we fear their power over us, we are in fact giving our power away. Never underestimate the power of your thoughts and emotions when dealing with institutions. By choosing the positive outcome rather than fearing the negative outcome, you can help create the reality you prefer.

For this reason, it is important to examine one’s fears and beliefs about a situation. Once we have looked at our fears and other emotions, we are free to act, rather than react. We can make our choices calmly and take responsibility for them. When we are able to do that, we are well on the way to reclaiming our authentic power!