{"id":54876,"date":"2025-11-17T09:21:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/?p=54876"},"modified":"2025-11-17T09:21:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:21:44","slug":"secret-of-power-and-meekness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/faith\/gospel-fare\/secret-of-power-and-meekness\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paradox of Power and the Secret Strength of Meekness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/The-Secret-of-Power-and-Meekness.pdf\" download=\"\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/wp-content\/webp-express\/webp-images\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pdf-download-1.png.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-right: 2px; padding-right: 0; float: left;\" src=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pdf-download-1.png\" class=\"webpexpress-processed\"><\/picture> Download Print-Friendly Version<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is power? Even without a formal philosophical framework, it is easily recognizable in a multitude of dynamics: physical power, electrical power, political power, military power, economic power, intellectual power, social power, persuasive power, spiritual power, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a conflict, what can be done when it seems the other party has all the power? As Christians, should we desire power? And if so, what kind of power is righteous, and what kind is destructive?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Series<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the second-to-last article in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtube.com\/shorts\/RrfkCslhUTM?si=TaMdcG3rfMs_poQy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the 12-part series<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> published by <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public Square Magazine<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and written by the team at <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/thefamilyproclamation.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TheFamilyProclamation.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Each article expands on the ideas from 12 short, 1\u20132 minute videos in the playful yet poignant <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLzb39EjcScf0GPXG9FqNfGNW42c_ppNil\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peacemaking Series<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This week\u2019s video, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-bQJdTyXBx8&amp;list=PLzb39EjcScf0GPXG9FqNfGNW42c_ppNil&amp;index=8\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is Power?<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, offers practical suggestions for navigating the power dynamics inherent in conflict resolution. The video uses the visual analogy of two children playing baseball to illustrate power plays that emerge in conflict. Its dual purpose is to help those who feel powerless recognize the power they do have, and to caution those who abuse power that they bring upon themselves natural consequences because of their abuse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Video 8: What is Power? ??\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-bQJdTyXBx8?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><b>Power Defined: Control Over Resources<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat is power?\u201d the video asks. \u201cPerhaps the simplest definition is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the ability to control a resource<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d While this simplifies a vast and complex topic\u2014one debated by Western thinkers from Plato and Aristotle to Locke, Marx, Foucault, Piaget, and Bourdieu\u2014it provides an accessible entry point. This thesis seeks to provide an accessible, utilitarian definition that helps a person recognize their own power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Viewed through this lens, a sense of power<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">less<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ness stems from a lack of control or an ignorance of or undervaluing of personal resources. Resources are not only external, like money, property, information, or authority, but internal as well: like participation, patience, integrity, ingenuity, empathy, motivation, faith, or moral conviction. Increasing one\u2019s power becomes a matter of recognizing available resources and learning to exercise mastery over them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Mastery and Self-Control<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what does it mean to be a \u201cmaster\u201d? Consider Christ, who taught, \u201cNeither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted\u201d (Matthew 23:10-12). True mastery is not domination, but compassion and self-control. <div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-right pullquote-border-placement-left\"><blockquote><p>The childhood adage \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter whether you win or lose; it\u2019s how you play the game\u201d captures a deep truth about sustainable power.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span>Latter-day Saint canon further emphasizes this idea. \u201cNo power or influence can or ought to be maintained \u2026 only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, \u2026 without hypocrisy, and without guile\u201d (Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-42). Christian discipleship thus envisions power not as coercion, but as persuasive influence grounded in virtue. The manner in which we engage with others is important. Our engagement with others must be voluntary, honoring their agency. As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.churchofjesuschrist.org\/media\/music\/songs\/know-this-that-every-soul-is-free?crumbs=hymns&amp;lang=eng\">the hymnist<\/a> penned, \u201cGod will \u2026 in nameless ways be good and kind \/ but never force the human mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Christian discipleship emphasized such power of persuasion emanating from an internal purity of charity. We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Charity is a gift from God, yet manifests itself within a disciplined inner self (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). There are resonances of this principle beautifully expressed in ancient Asian philosophies. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.themarginalian.org\/2021\/01\/27\/confucius-good-government\/#:~:text=The%20%5Bancients%5D%2C%20wanting,into%20organic%20categories.\">Confucius illustrated<\/a> that an empire\u2019s \u201cgood government\u201d radiates out from the individual citizen\u2019s self-mastery of heart, thoughts, and knowledge. Similarly, <a href=\"https:\/\/terebess.hu\/english\/tao\/mitchell.html#Kap33:~:text=Mastering%20others%20is%20strength%3B%0Amastering%20yourself%20is%20true%20power.\">the Taoist<\/a> believes \u201cmastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><b>The Baseball Analogy: Play as Power<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patience, long-suffering, and charity are not merely moral virtues\u2014they are practical strategies that make influence sustainable. Power emerging from coercion or fear may achieve immediate results, but will eventually fail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the video, a larger child wishes to play baseball with a smaller friend. When the larger child\u2019s aggressive play causes an injury, the smaller friend no longer wants to participate. This simple example illustrates a profound principle: abusive systems of power eventually lose the participation of those they seek to dominate. Tyrants are overthrown; corrupt institutions collapse; cheaters stop getting invited to play.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The childhood adage \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter whether you win or lose; it\u2019s how you play the game\u201d captures a deep truth about sustainable power: Those who respect others&#8217; agency and fairness and elicit joy inspire continued engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/EN2lyN7rM4E?si=mJSA2-MtgELmakpW&amp;t=2914\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Jordan Peterson<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> illustrates life as a series of successive and increasingly complicated games. While winning is important, whether or not an individual wins the immediate game isn\u2019t the most important objective. Fair-play is the quality of an individual who engages effectively in the \u201cmeta-game\u201d; they demonstrate they are a person worth playing with and therefore attract playmates. Someone who wins repeatedly but fails to play fair will eventually exhaust their playmates. This might explain why someone can \u201cwin\u201d some games (like the financial game of life), but \u201close\u201d in other games (like the relationship game of life).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The solution is mutuality: power is most durable when all parties willingly participate. Participation is power. And, play motivates participation. Systems perpetuate themselves when participation is voluntary, and relationships thrive when engagement is balanced and mutually beneficial. Whether we \u201cwin or lose\u201d in any particular interaction is often secondary to whether our behavior encourages ongoing participation and trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Using Simple Resources<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Power often begins not with influence over others, but with the careful stewardship of the resources already at one\u2019s disposal. Consider William Kamkwamba, who, as a young boy in Malawi, built a windmill from scrap materials, bringing electricity to his village through ingenuity and persistence. Malala Yousafzai, despite attempted murder and continued death threats, risks her own safety to insist on women\u2019s right to education\u2014wielding her voice and persistence as resources to inspire global change. Mother Teresa used the simplest acts\u2014tending the sick, feeding the hungry\u2014to exert a quiet but transformative influence over those around her. Harriet Tubman\u2019s courage and careful planning allowed her to lead countless enslaved people to freedom using her knowledge, relationships, and tireless action as her tools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In each case, these individuals did not possess vast power in conventional terms like money, authority, athleticism, or status. And, in most of these examples, there were even adversarial individuals who utilized all the resources they had to try to stop these good-doers. But these impressive individuals got scrappy using what resources they did have, countering their antagonists, and succeeding in their goals. Their strength came from recognizing the resources they did have, like skills, relationships, knowledge, moral courage, and choosing to act. These examples demonstrate that sustainable power grows from within, from conscience, compassion, the willingness to act, and inviting others to willingly engage in the pursuit of justice, truth, and good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Power and the Christian Perspective<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gospel reframes our understanding of power. Power is not inherently good or evil. When aligned with God\u2019s will, we become powerful in healing relationships, strengthening communities, and fostering enduring peace. Christ Himself never sought domination. He healed, taught, and served\u2014exercising influence through love, persuasion, and example rather than force. <div class=\"perfect-pullquote vcard pullquote-align-right pullquote-border-placement-left\"><blockquote><p>Power begins &#8230; with the careful stewardship of the resources.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span>Moreover, agency is central. When we feel powerless, it is often because we have overlooked resources God has entrusted to us. As Latter-day Saint scripture teaches, everyone is \u201cfree to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator\u201d (2 Nephi 2:27).<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Influence rooted in persuasion, patience, and love aligns human relationships with divine law, creating sustainable cooperation and peace. When everyone wants to play, the game is on.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is power? It is self-mastery and persuasive virtue that honors agency, invites participation, and endures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":319,"featured_media":54877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[475],"tags":[198,1296,834,138,178,725,258,521,85,259,194,356,137,135,319],"coauthors":[1912],"class_list":["post-54876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gospel-fare","tag-agency","tag-charity","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-compassion","tag-discipleship","tag-humility","tag-integrity","tag-moral-relativism","tag-patience","tag-peace","tag-persuasion","tag-philosophy","tag-self-control","tag-virtue"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Secret of Power and Meekness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Power and meekness define lasting strength: self-mastery, charity, and agency build persuasive influence, sustain cooperation, and outlast coercion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/faith\/gospel-fare\/secret-of-power-and-meekness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What True Power Really Looks Like\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Power isn\u2019t domination\u2014it\u2019s self-mastery, compassion, and courage. True strength rises from meekness, where humility, fairness, and faith turn conflict into lasting peace.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/faith\/gospel-fare\/secret-of-power-and-meekness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Public Square Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-17T16:21:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/publicsquaremag.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/unnamed-2025-10-30T150456.796.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Skyline\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Skyline\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading 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