Amani Khanna - Week 9: Withdrawing Inner Strength
Legitimately, power can be defined by the amount of authority granted to someone or something by whatever means. For example, your parents have power over you simply because they were able to shape you to become who you are today, and the Queen of England has the power to suspend and summon the elected parliament. Now, we high schoolers may not hold this same charge; however, even the smallest individual can conjure up their full potential. For such circumstances, power can be redefined as a sense within an individual.
There is power in pretty much anything. Power in speech. Power in technology. Power in knowledge. Despite all these wonderful abilities, the most important one is power in individuality. It takes incredible strength for people to understand their self-worth and dignity while respecting everyone else. Those who realize that only they themselves can control their own lives are able to reach the stars.
I personally have experienced this shift in perspective after entering high school. My freshman year was a complete mess. I had stopped taking care of myself and set aside a ridiculous amount of faith in people, believing that they would all be there for me forever. I was oblivious to reality so I wasted a lot of energy satisfying their needs because I had convinced myself they would all disappear if I did not. I had very little self-respect. My dad snapped me out of this ugly consciousness. He is truly my best friend and taught me to put myself before anyone. Aside from the spontaneous roadblocks, I am now living my best life.
Some do not even seem to realize they are living an alternate reality. I know plenty of people who wouldn’t dare to act like their true selves at school because of what others would say. This mentality consumes them, and they are not able to live the life they desire. Staying true to yourself can be a make-or-break factor in the world. It is time for people to step out of this fever dream they are trapped in to take back the power that is rightfully theirs.
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Hi Amani, I really love what you said about the power of individuality! I truly believe that it is only up to a person themselves to pave their way into their dream life by achieving all their goals and striving for success. Besides that, I'm really glad you had support to help you get on your feet again! I also agree with you when you discussed the topic of people not being true to themselves; it's super frustrating to me. If I were to tie this back to the topic of power, I'd say that it takes a lot of strength from a person to get out of what feels most comfortable for them. But, once done and over with, the results are amazing, and honest!
ReplyDeleteHi Amani, while I agree that finding one's individuality is important, I'm not sure if it is power. Individuality is not really something you can take away, or create for that matter. As much as you try to copy someone else, you will always be you. You are unique, and there isn't anything anyone can do to change that. Power on the other had is more fickle. Power is sought after, because it can be obtained, and it most definitely can be taken away.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your detailed look at what power truly means. It is a word that most people hear often but few stop to actually think about. There is definitely power in individuality, and I agree that being yourself is difficult but super rewarding. I am so happy to hear that you are in a much better place now mentally! I also know a lot of people who are scared to express themselves for fear of social backlash, but I personally do not even know what or who my “true self” is. I inadvertently become a different person with varying personalities in varying situations and I don’t think I’m the only one.
ReplyDeleteHi Amani, I read your blog, and I agree with your views on the power within ourselves. Power can be interpreted in many ways, and the individual power that we each have comes in the form of motivation and determination. Our willingness to change for the better stems from our confidence in the power we hold. I’m really glad that you have been able to discover your inner power, and break free from living in other people’s expectations.
ReplyDeleteHi Amani, I really like the positivity of your message and agree with your points on inner strength and personal power. Like you mentioned, many people chose to not be themselves in places like school and do not realize that they are putting up a facade. However, I believe that once they realize this and are willing to be themselves, that is when inner strength comes in. Roadblocks and sad times are a part of living, but what makes a difference is trying to make an effort to overcome these low parts in life using personal power.
ReplyDeleteHi Amani, I think it is astonishing how you were able to take a negative and turn it into a positive by helping yourself and forming a closer relationship with your dad. I also agree that there is power in everything. While we may not see it, everything that we are doing takes power or shows us the power put in. For example, we see how the construction workers put power into the new building from creating.
ReplyDeleteHi Amani, I agree with your post—there is certainly power to be found in individuality. Individuality is what gives the art we create its form, the songs we sing their cadence, and the words we speak their weight. In my own post, I spoke about the incredible power of words. However, I am not so certain that the power of words would be what it is without individuality guiding it.
ReplyDeleteHey Amani, I completely agree that power is defined by the authority that people allocate to it. I feel like it is ourselves that and the power we give ourselves is what makes up inner strength and this blog has really opened my eyes to just inner strength in general and the idea of mental strength over physical strength.
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