“The melodious song mesmerized me and cloaked my soul in a most liberating embrace I had never known. The emotion enveloped me, and smothered the emptiness.”
― J.D. Stroube, Caged in Spirit
I just read theSkimm’s take on Weinstein. I don’t mean to come across as a man hater with this post. I’ve seen both men and women do horrible things to others because they had the power to do so. And although most of us don’t have as much power as a Hollywood exec like Weinstein, a yogi mogul like Bikram, or even an attorney who would do anything to destroy those around her, many of us actually hold power over someone. There are more and more conversations about the challenge of staying ‘good’ as your power grows.
In Jack Stern’s The Right Not to Remain Silent: Living Morally in a Complex World, he has a chapter on the use of power. At the end of the chapter, he shares his translation of the prayer, Aleinu. I am neither Jewish nor Spiritual in the traditional go-to-church-every-Sunday sort of way, but I am sincerely interested in living the best life I can and treating others with love and respect. These words touched my heart with their simple brilliance.
That on this earth we are all kings and queens and princes and princesses in the personal places of our power, whether we corrupt it or ennoble it or both…May God bless us with a true knowledge of our powers. May God give us the courage to ennoble and not to corrupt. May God give us the strength to stand before God and render an account of our powerful and powerless selves on this day and all the days of our lives. Amen.
Yes, we live in a society where men are typically the ones with the most power and yes, it seems like the mistreated are feeling more and more empowered to stand up for themselves. That takes courage and I am grateful for anyone who has the courage to stand up and speak up for injustice. It also takes courage to remain vigilant of corruption within ourselves. I am grateful for so many friends, family members and strangers who put the extra effort into remaining good people. You are role models for a beautiful future and you give me hope.
Recycled Affirmations 