My Review:
I have to admit when I first picked up this book, I thought it would be in the same vein as the 40 Laws of Power, or something. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is actually a Buddhist book and that the power that is talked about in this book is the power that we get by living our true authentic selves.
Everyone wants power. We assign respect and power based on jobs among other things. Thích Nhất Hạnh says that true power comes from within and that we all can meet. Even the poorest among us has power. This was an interesting thing for me to read. As an American I had always felt that I could only keep power through my job or other accomplishments. When I was diagnosed with Bipolar in 2007 and I lost almost everything I fell into a pit of deep despair. I wish I had read this book back then then I would have known that even though I may have been poor and had almost nothing, inside of me i still had the power to choose how I felt and treated myself and other people. From this internal wellspring I could cultivate power and still respect myself.
Thích Nhất Hạnh says that once we truly respect ourselves and act accordingly that we have authentic power. Many people put down others because at some level they feel insecure and lack this authentic power so to make themselves feel better they put out false power. In the past when people had put me down I allowed them the control to how I feel. This was giving my power away. I can't control other people but I can control how I react and refused to allow people to put me down.
Reading this book was eye-opening. I have tried to carry out some of the strategies outlined in this book and so far I have found that I really do feel better about myself and when I operate from a secure authentic powerful standpoint, I can be kinder and more compassionate. I urge everyone to read this book. If they do then maybe this world can be a good place both for the haves and haves-nots.
This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land