YOU! HAVE THE POWER | Dr. Ellen Brown

Be Careful with Your Power

BY DR. ELLEN BROWN

April 2022 brought a boatload of public actions and experiences taking place around the action and process of power. My monthly article is intended to remind you that power is omnipresent, and it is within one’s reach, if only we believe it is possible and reach for it with that belief. But what about the outcome when power — legitimate power — oversteps acceptable boundaries to impose upon others illegitimately.

I am treading lightly on a very hot topic that seems to be front and center on the world stage. I am talking about Will Smith’s seemingly impromptu act at the Oscars. If you are unaware of this event, you may be better off leaving the details where they are.

Only days before the infamous slap in the face levied on Chris Rock by Smith, I sat through an entire interview of Smith conducted by Oprah Winfrey. His book about himself was released November 2021 and almost instantly became a bestseller. In his interview, Will annotated the personal story of his life, intermingling the victories with the failures. As I watched and listened to his story of what seemed like power lost versus power gained, I became connected in a new way to this superstar whose successes were clearly built upon beliefs of power coming true. In the interview with Oprah, Smith convinced me that his rise to fame and fortune created a power that was an amazing expression of belief, support, and follow through. He was the epitome of a man with power. A winner many times over in many different categories. So, what happened on Sunday, March 27, 2022? Will Smith lost his power. Really lost his power.

Your power is a fluid force. It ebbs and flows to the betterment of its force. There are times when we may feel we have lost that magical source or other times we are sailing high with no end in sight. When we attain power from the universe, we have to recognize its source and treat it with humility, because it is not intended to raise us up above all others forever. You have the power and it must be treated with respect as it was not obtained without other sources of force

Dr. Ellen Brown enjoys writing on political topics that encourage and invite discussion leading to action. She is a retired university educator and Dean, and currently an Affiliate Faculty member at Regis University, Denver. Contact her at ebrown.nci@gmail.com