What makes for a powerful man?
4 lessons on power
Power, everyone desires power, seeks power and when given squander it.
Power tests the person who holds it. You master power if you resist the urge to use it. You master money if you resist the urge to spend it. You master your desires, if you can decline the advances of a woman.
True power is willful abstinence, than indulgence.
Power and Posturing
People who seek power, read up a couple of books on power, think they have mastered power and begin posturing.
People of such kind lose big time.
This is a sign of weakness and lack of power for starters. Hence, the posturing. Overcompensation as recognition of absence of power.
The difference between power and posturing is same as the difference between virtue and virtue signalling. Same as the difference between being masculine and seeming masculine. It doesn't have to be, shouldn't be.
True power is subtle, calming and not loud or pretentious.
What is power?
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Power
Power of two kinds:
Intrinsic power is your innate quality. A quality that most fail to cultivate and exercise.
Extrinsic power is the one you're used to witness. It is the external manifestation of intrinsic power.
This extrinsic power cannot manifest in the absence of intrinsic power.
So what is intrinsic power?
The intrinsic power is your RESOLVE or WILL.
The WILL that turns a layman into a king and places the power firmly in his hand.
The extrinsic power when manifested as consequence of will power or intrinsic power, is visible to all and it's not the same as posturing.
Absence of Intrinsic power
Let’s consider an example of availability of extrinsic power such as wealth, status, clout - but lack of will or resolve to contain or tame the power.
Such examples are commonly found among spoiled children of the wealthy, who have abundance but lack the character to do something meaningful with it.
The inherited power doesn't last unless there exists intrinsic power capable of taming the inherited power. Plenty of examples in the history where men have inherited power only to lose it, and bring destruction and disgrace to family, community, nation or civilization.
Problem with virtuosity
There is something worse than the absence of intrinsic power and that is of excessive virtuosity.
Specifically, men with both intrinsic and extrinsic power drunk on their virtuosity.
Such people underestimate the threat owing to their over confidence on their own power and hence pave the path for their own demise.
The sense of virtuosity prevents them from inflicting any costs of transgression on the aggressor & show mercy despite the transgressions. The aggressor with every renewed chance turns stronger in will and competence, which causes the downfall of the person drunk on virtuosity.
Virtuosity in this case is not a virtue because you fail to account for power of the aggressor in your decision making.
This is disrespect of power.
A powerful person who disrespects power is sure to lose it because power doesn't tolerate disrespect.
4 Lessons on Power
Hence if you seek power:
Lesson #1: Stop chasing extrinsic power for it will be elusive, like money.
Power never manifests for a person lacking the intrinsic power of will. Even when power is handed, you will squander it due to your inability to harness it.
Don't simp after power. She dislikes those who simp.
Lesson #2: Cultivate your intrinsic power. Awaken your will and resolve.
Develop a habit of committing to a cause and seeing it through.
Passion or lack of it is irrelevant. Extrinsic power manifests around person with strong will and restraint. If a task requires completion, be a man who does what needs to be done. Hanging on to passion is a peasant behavior and peasants seldom get power.
Be a man that draws power towards you, not the one who eternally chases power.
Lesson #3: Power is not a magical pill which will make you mighty overnight.
It accumulates with every small win, losses, efforts and knowledge.
Do not see power as number of people who listen or fear you rather view power as number of lives you can influence positively. The former perspective leads to negative connotations of power, and the latter leads to the positive and true definition of power.
Posturing sows seeds for distrust among peers.
Possessing intrinsic power results in extrinsic power handed over to you by people voluntarily.
Lesson #4. Keep your virtuosity in check.
It is a chisel that chips away at your power.
Engage in activities that build power and hence trust. This is compensation for erosion of power due to misplaced virtuosity. The main message here is to prevent stagnation. The ability to move on and create new avenues, a diversified portfolio of power as a hedge against inflation due to bug of virtuosity.
Those who wish to do good, must accumulate power.
Accumulation of power is virtue and intrinsic power makes your character indomitable.
If you liked this piece subscribe and feel free to forward this email to your friends and family, not on twitter or substack. If you are reading this and have not subscribed, you can do that below, to receive my essays in your inbox.