power.

Is policing the only system that needs change? Is policing the only system whose process may seem antiquated and not relevant in 2020? Is policing the only system falsely represented through media outlets, particularly television and movies, greatly influencing public perception? 

I have worked in the school system my entire adult life. Prior to working in the system, I was influenced by the system beginning at five years old. 

As a school social worker, I have involvement with social systems. As a human, I have observed and engaged in conversations of person’s experience with human or social services.

Medical system? Political system? 

This post is not going to complain about systems. My blog is based on my mission, to create and share ideas that allow adults and children to feel seen, heard, valued, and understood. My desire is to write from a space of empowerment and possibility, rather than a place of ‘pushing against’. When we spend our time pushing against a perceived enemy, it can feel good. But. It often results in more of the same. 

When I first began blogging, my inspiration often came from wanting to prove a point. I realized that if my motivation to write and share was fueled by some level of anger, then I was only going to attract others who felt the same way. It can be validating to read or listen to someone complain in a compelling way, but it doesn’t lead to growth outcomes. 

Judgement, comparison, and criticism can tip us off to when we have given our power over to ‘other’. ‘Other’ can be defined as anything outside of ourselves that is perceived to be responsible for our level of ‘joy’. (ex. “Are you enjoying yourself?” the guest was asked. “No. The food is cold.” – does food have the power to influence your level of joy? Or is it the story you tell about the food?)

Pushing against ‘other’ can make for great conversation and dialogue. It just does not lead to new outcomes that sustain themself and evolve. I suppose that is not totally true – it may be the difference between flowing downstream, or continuing to push upstream…somehow believing that the fight against the stream is the most effective way to get results.

When one is pushing against another person, idea, or system, the person, idea, or system has to exist, otherwise there is nothing to push against. The pushing against creates a game. The game must include a winner or a loser. It never ends.

Self-awareness allows one to recognize when they are outside of personal power. Personal power lies in choice – if you aren’t aware of patterns that result from allowing ‘other’ the power, then you are unaware of your ability to choose next steps. Next steps can include taking a break, slowing down, or recognizing when it’s time to consider a new perspective.

It’s so easy to allow others to do the thinking. We can be indoctrinated into believing that others are in charge. Others will tell us what to do. Often we believe that there is some other who is going to take care of things.

This paradigm of ‘other’ is being disrupted. The disruption may bring us back to the guidance system within. Intuition.

Visualize a sphere with a center. For the sphere to hold it’s shape, there has to be tangential forces at work. Tangential forces are an energetic push-pull. Buckminster Fuller designed domes that represent this force; they have been compared to the structure of a cell, the structure of the planet.

The sphere has a center. The center is the source of power. Where does the power come from? What activates it? Is the source a creative force? Is the force, or power, exclusive to some and not to other?

As a school social worker, I get curious about emotions and how they play into a student’s experience of school. Emotion. Energy in motion. When energy isn’t flowing (ie. stuck or spinning), it results in observable ‘problematic’ behavior.

Each living thing has a center. A force. When we tell a story that this force, this power, exists outside of ourselves – it results in observable behavior that diminishes present moment experience, rather than contributes to and uplifts present moment experience.

Slow down to observe your patterns of thought. Be a witness to the experience of energy in motion within you. Notice your power within.