Power, Knowledge, and God are often thought of as being quite different. Perhaps they aren’t. In this article, we’ll explore their relationship. By the end, you will have a completely different understanding of the ways in which they connect.
Power
“For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power”
– Corinthians 4:20
“What is good? All that heightens the feelings of power, the will to power, power itself in man. What is bad? All that proceeds from weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power increases – that a resistance is overcome.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
In order to understand power and its relation to knowledge and God, we must define it. The word power comes from the latin word “poetre”, which means “to be able”. [12] Similarly, in ancient Greece, Aristotle used the word “dunamis” as a word for power. “Dunamis” translates to the latin word “potentia”, the root word of potential. As we can see, the ancient roots of the word power have to do with both potential and ability.
The official definition of power, according to the Oxford Dictionary [1], is:
- The ability to control people or things
- The ability or opportunity to do something
- A particular ability of the body or mind
As we can see, the common denominator of all of these definitions is “the ability to”. That’s what the concept of power is all about. Therefore, it can be said that the highest form of power is the ability to do all things. As mere mortals, we cannot do all things, but we can still become powerful. We become powerful by developing abilities and placing ourselves in positions with power attached to them.
Forms of Power
Since power involves having abilities, there are many concepts incorporated into our language that are associated with power. These concepts can be thought of as forms of power. In fact, people even refer to them as forms of power and intuitively understand why they are powerful. Let’s delve into some of them.
Will
“There is a driving force more powerful than steam, electricity, and nuclear power: the will.” – Albert Einstein
The idea of will permeates all of humanity. The word contains great meaning and importance. People don’t often use it lightly. Let’s explore why it’s a form of power.
The Will to Power
Friedrich Nietzche, the great philosopher, proposed the idea that all life is the will to power:
“Wherever I found a living thing, there found! Will to power; and even in the will of the servant found I the will to be master.”
Within Nietzsche’s quote, he refers to “the will to power”. It’s very important that we define that concept. We’ve already defined power, so now we must define will to complete our understanding of ‘the will to power’. As defined by the Oxford Dictionary [2], will is the ability to control your thoughts and actions in order to achieve what you want to do. Therefore, we can deduce ‘the will to power’ to mean, the ability to control your thoughts and actions in order to achieve the ability or opportunity to do something. This sounds almost paradoxical, but it’s not. This is what we do every single day. We control our thoughts and actions in order to achieve the ability to do certain things, like say afford a house or raise our kids.
Strong Will
We refer to people that excel at controlling their thoughts and actions in order to achieve something as people that have a strong will. Will is clearly a form of power, because it involves the ability to do something, including the ability to become more powerful. Will, ironically, can also be used to avoid power. For example, Buddhist Monks use their will to avoid most forms of power and material possessions.
Control
In the Oxford Dictionary [3], the definition of control is as follows:
- The power to make decisions about how a country, area, an organization, etc. is run
- The ability to make somebody/something do what you want
The fact that the definition of power contains the word control, and the definition of control contains the word power, shows just how heavily linked they are. The main difference between them is that control is concerned with making things do what you want. If you are able to make a person do what you want, you have control over them. If you are able to make yourself do things that you need to do, you have self-control. If you are able to make big decisions for a business, you have control over that business. Since we are genetic organisms and have certain survival imperatives, we need to be able to make certain things happen in the environment around us. We need a certain level of control. The more control we have over the things around us, and even inside of us, the more power we have. Control over large groups of people has been fought over for tens of thousands of years. To this day, countries are waging war for control over certain parts of the world. For all of these reasons, control is most certainly a form of power.
Money
“Money is power.”
Money is one of the most commonly associated concepts with power. Money is associated with power, because possession of money grants you the ability to exchange it for nearly anything of value. Money can be used to buy tangible things like food, shelter, raw materials, and luxury items. But in reality, it can also be used to buy intangible things like social status, people’s labor, control over organizations, and more. Having the ability to purchase nearly anything of value is an immense form of power. This is why we view the rich as being powerful. We intuitively know that their riches grant them the ability to obtain more control and power over us. We fear the rich for this very reason. Therefore, money is most definitely a form of power, and people that possess it have the ability to wield its power.
Beauty
“Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.” – John Ray
Beauty is the quality of being pleasing to the senses or to the mind [4]. Beauty is power, because it has the ability to draw people’s attention and spark their desire. Beauty can be found everywhere in nature. Organisms use beauty to attract mates, reproduce, camouflage themselves, warn predators, claim territory, and more. Since beauty provides its possessor the ability to perform all of these essential survival and reproduction functions, it’s very powerful. Beauty is a female’s greatest source of power. Men greatly value feminine beauty, therefore, women that possess it have power over men. If used properly, females can influence powerful figures, attract high status mates, and get what they want in most situations. Artists, architects, and sculptures possess power because of their ability to craft beautiful works of art. It’s no coincidence that the rich and powerful tend to congregate in the most beautiful parts of the world. All of these important uses of beauty solidify its strong ties to power.
Strength
Strength definition [5]:
- The ability to apply force and overcome resistance
Strength is heavily associated with power. Being strong gives you the ability to apply force to overcome resistance. Resistance can be thought of as something that prevents you from doing what you want to do. If you have strength of mind, you have the ability to direct your mental will in the proper direction and overcome mental resistance. If you have strength of body, you have the ability to direct your physical strength to defend yourself and your loved ones. Strength is without a doubt one of the most important forms of power. Many organisms have to use their strength to fight off predators and compete with other members of their species for mating opportunities, making strength a massive asset in the animal kingdom. It is no surprise that there is a massive modern fitness industry built around selling people products and services that will make them physically stronger. There is also a massive self-help industry that puts a large focus on becoming mentally and spiritually stronger. Strength permeates almost every concept related to power.
Wisdom
Wisdom is the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice, because of the experience and knowledge that you have [6]. The decisions that we make shape the very direction of our lives. Human decisions can have long lasting ripple effects, changing the trajectory of the entire world. Since decisions are so crucial to the way reality unfolds, being able to make good decisions is very powerful. The most powerful figures depicted in great stories are almost always very wise. Characters like Dumbledore, Mufasa, Gandalf, and Yoda embody great wisdom. God himself is depicted as being all-wise. Wisdom is an essential asset for the powerful.
Courage
Courage is defined as the ability to do something dangerous, or to face pain or opposition, without showing fear [7]. Courageous people are able to do very difficult things without showing the effect those difficult things are having on them. Courageous people act despite the fear and pain that acting causes them. This ability to act despite resistant emotions is quite powerful. This is why we often view courageous people in a very powerful light. When we see people engage in courageous acts, we reward them for their bravery. We all know how difficult it is to be courageous in the face of danger. The difficulty of embodying courage is linked to its function as a source of power.
Opposites of Power
Since we are able to identify forms of power, we are also able to identify their opposites. Since power is linked with ability, the opposites of power all have to do with a lack of ability.
Weakness
Weakness is defined as a lack of strength, power, or determination [8]. The word weakness comes from the word weik, which means “to bend”. Therefore, it can be said that weak people bend easily to outside forces. They lack abilities of the body and mind, and the ability to control people and things. Weak people very rarely obtain any power. They simply lack the ability to obtain it. This makes weakness a clear opposite of power.
Fear
Fear is the opposite of courage, which is a form of power. Fear is an emotional state evoked by the threat of danger [9]. Fear is negative in almost all circumstances. When the mind falls into fear, it loses access to its higher brain regions involved in making sophisticated decisions. Under the cloud of fear, people forgo moral judgement and make decisions that they wouldn’t usually make. Also, when in a state of fear, the body becomes compromised and vulnerable to disease. Fear is a weapon of the devil and the corrupt. The Bible consistently warns about the dangers of fear, and advices people to only fear God. This protects religious followers from being controlled by the fear of other people or entities. For all of these reasons, fear is a clear opposite of power.
Cowardice
Cowardice is the opposite of courage. It is defined as fear or lack of courage [10]. Cowards lack the ability to act in the face of pain. They back down in the face of pain and fear and take the easiest route. Cowards are easy targets for evil individuals, because they are easily manipulated and controlled by fear tactics. Weak individuals easily succumb to the people around them and will not fight for their beliefs. In popular stories, some of the most treacherous characters are cowards. Due to their lack of ability to face their fears, cowards build up resentment, making them bitter. This resentment and bitterness can lead them to commit heinous acts. We see this play out in school shootings. Cowardice’s effect on dampening a person’s power cannot be understated.
Ugliness
Ugliness is the opposite of beauty. It is defined as the fact of being unpleasant to look at [11]. As we established earlier, beauty is power since it attracts people’s desire. Being ugly on the other hand makes you less powerful. Ugliness repels people and makes them disgusted to look at you. In many stories, ugly people are lead down a path of resentment, because they curse God for their unfortunate condition. Villains are often portrayed as ugly in famous myths and stories. Ugliness is certainly not power.
Folly
Folly is a somewhat uncommon word but can be considered the opposite of wisdom. A few similar words are foolishness, stupidity, and naivety. These words all refer to a lack of good judgement and knowledge. Lacking judgment and knowledge takes away your ability to make good decisions. An accumulation of bad decisions can absolutely destroy your life and lead you down a path of fear and resentment. Thus, folly and foolishness are clear opposites of power.
Knowledge
“Knowledge is power.” – Francis Bacon
Throughout all of human history, those with the most power have often possessed special knowledge. Knowledge is a very complex concept. There is even a whole field of study dedicated to it called epistemology. In epistemology, knowledge is considered to be found at the intersection of belief and truth.
Throughout human history, humans have created belief systems that guide their actions. The most successful belief systems contain the most truth about the reality that we exist in. Those belief systems contain knowledge. Humans are obsessed with uncovering truths about the world in a hunt for knowledge. Some of the most passionate human pursuits like science and religion are all about uncovering truths about the world around us. Back to Nietzsche thoughts, he attempted to explain why species accumulate knowledge:
“In order that a particular species may maintain and increase its power, its conception of reality must contain enough which is calculable and constant to allow of its formulating a scheme of conduct.”
Knowledge feels like it’s a unique concept to humans, but knowledge can be found everywhere in the natural world. Genetic knowledge is one of the most potent and powerful forms of knowledge present on Earth. Genetic knowledge is a form of knowledge passed down by species through reproduction. It may be the most powerful form of knowledge present on Earth. Everything that humanity has accomplished has arisen from the genes that we are made of. Another form of knowledge is art. Humans for thousands of years have used art to tell stories and convey knowledge. Ancient cave writings provide us with knowledge about how ancient civilizations viewed the world. Language is another incredible human invention created for the storage of knowledge. In ancient humans history, humans stored words and writing on stone tablets. Then paper was invented and we began to store our words on paper, eventually creating books. Now, in the modern age, we can store our words and writing digitally.
There are many more ways that humans communicate and store knowledge, but these are few of the most powerful ways. Next we will get to potentially the most powerful form of knowledge known to man, God.
God
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7
We are going to look at God through the lens of Christianity, as the current world order was constructed by Christianity. Christianity is currently the most practiced religion in the world, and the Bible is the most read book in existence. The Bible is filled with the knowledge of God in written form and has been passed on through generations. God is considered to be the ultimate form of both power and knowledge, because God is an all-knowing and all-powerful being. God provides his followers with infinite power through him.
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.” – Isaiah 40:29
Earlier we talked about strength being one of the most important forms of power. Throughout the Bible, there are countless references to God providing his followers with strength:
“I can do all things through him who strengthen me.” – Phillipians 4:13
Another thing God promises his followers is everlasting life:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16
What greater form of power than everlasting life? It can also be phrased as everlasting will to power. God also blesses his followers with wisdom and knowledge of good and evil:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men literally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” – James 1:5
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2
God also offers protection from fear and access to truth:
“I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and deliverd me form all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
“Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto that put their trust in him.” – Proverbs 30:5
With God, everything is possible, therefore, God is the ultimate form of knowledge and power:
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26
I hope that after this journey through the ideas of Power, Knowledge, and God, the following symbol has great meaning to you. In a world abundant with confusion, having a deep understanding of the most foundational concepts known to man is… powerful!
FOOTNOTES:
- Oxford Dictionary Power Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Will Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Control Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Beauty Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Strength Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Wisdom Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Courage Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Weakness Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Fear Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Cowardice Definition
- Oxford Dictionary Ugliness Definition
- Vocabulary.com Power Word Origin
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