The Power of Love Versus the Power to Control
I’ve shared how bewildered I’ve been that humanity is facing so much chaos, divisiveness and war these days. I picture us one day in some distant future looking back at ourselves and thinking “what were we thinking?” It’s like an innocent part of us knows “We can do better than THIS, can’t we???” The only way I’ve been able to make sense out of the nonsense comes down to how we use our personal power. Are you using your power of love or power of control to navigate your life? Love expands, and control tightens. I came across something recently that blew my mind around the “power of control”. We’ve all heard that LOVE is the most powerful force in the universe, so I’m starting with love, then I’ll dive into control. These words first helped me understand the POWER OF LOVE: In other words: our power to LOVE rests in our ability to release our JUDGMENT. Judging someone is a way we use our power of control, sometimes intentionally, more often unintentionally. More Wise Words from the Spiritual Masters Mother Teresa famously said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them”. It’s as if you’ve tossed love out the window of time when judgment against someone poisons your mind. Jesus said… “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your eye?” ~Matthew 7:1-5 Judgment in this context does not mean evaluation or assessment or even having a negative opinion of someone. We all have the right to think for ourself, however – are your thoughts about someone self-destructive and harmful to others? Here’s a previous article I shared to help clarify what it means to judge someone in practice: 10 Ways to Be Less Judgmental of People You Disagree With When you label a person as bad or wrong, it becomes a slippery slope as these words are subjective, and can affect how you treat someone because of judgmental thoughts even if you’re not speaking them aloud. Your personal idea of what’s right or good can have you morally condemning someone from a limited lens of reality, and whatever ILL WILL you hold against someone will come back to you in unseens ways. The law of attraction works both with dark condemning energy and light loving energy. It’s why love creates more love and hate creates more hate. We cannot walk in another’s shoes to ever fully understand their story or the soul lessons they are meant to learn. Being judgmental is an attempt to control someone’s “wrong thinking” with your “right thinking”, and thought is part of our consciousness that has great power. But what if someone is attacking you with their judgment? Judgment as Control in Your Interactions Have you ever had anyone attempt to control you with how they think you’re supposed to be? You will IMMEDIATELY feel defensive, and for GOOD REASON!! If you allow yourself to be controlled by being imposed upon or avoiding an attack when you silently disagree – someone has power over you. The spiritual law of free will that gave you the right to think for yourself is being stepped on. A Shocking Wake up Call – the Power of Control I recently came across a book called “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene. With over 72K reviews on Amazon with 4.5 stars, I was surprised it hadn’t crossed my path – maybe because it was written 25 years ago? I glanced through recent comments – so much praise. I thought “wow – this must be a classic”! These laws were so popular, they’ve been summarized in charts available online. As I began reading, I was stunned. Here’s a few so you can “be the judge” meaning evaluate these laws for yourself. Law 7: Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit: Delegate tasks when possible and take credit for successes, enhancing your perceived power and influence. Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You: Foster dependence in others to increase your power and influence. Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally: If you have adversaries, eliminate them completely to prevent future retaliation. One 5 star reviewer praised its “unapologetic examination of human nature” and Greene’s laws for the range “from the strategic and cunning to the ruthless and manipulative, offering readers a glimpse into the darker aspects of human behavior.” It assumes humans are naturally dark. This NY Times Bestseller shows how to effectively use “a sword” in your dealings with people to maintain power. It’s the opposite of what it takes to love someone: trust. These are 48 ways to maintain your control over others not trust in your higher power of God’s love within you or anyone else. My first thought was “does this author have any connection or faith God”? Here’s Greene’s view on God in his words: “I don’t have a hardcore spiritual practice. I’m not a hardcore Atheist; I’m sort of how Einstein was: He wasn’t a believer in the Jewish God. I’m intrigued by the sense that there’s something there. I want to make people more realistic about the human animal and how we behave sometimes. We are still primates. We are not descended from angels.” It’s true we did not descend from angels – these are seraphic beings of a different order, and not who we ever become when we cross over after death. However, when we remember that a fragment of the Creator resides within us: “Be Still and Know I AM God” becomes our reality as spiritual beings who have the potential to ascend beyond our pre-historic animal nature! Getting Triggered with Judgment I admit it took serious effort to suspend my …