Power is a curious term. It can denote your power to replicate something and it can also define the strength of your office. This strength of office manifests in the ability to get things done and to exercise influence. As such the idea of power simply states an effect – but it does not state the quality of the power exercised or the character of the one that is wielding power nor the effort of the machine that produces power. It its most optimal presentation power is omnipotence. Power is a constant theme in Foucault’s discourse where the whole idea of power is taking institutional forms in the Panopticon. Here the material and profane government usurp omnipotence by control over the actors in the material world. From this comes opposition as a natural consequence of being confronted with a tyranny that abducts your sense of humanity and choice.
Power is a force that denotes influence and invites what supports it. A machine for instance is supported by a current of energy that ignites the power of the machinery to perform. A political party that is assuming power is doing so because voices of support and protest challenge the power; if the power is wise it will grow by its character and wisdom. If the power is rotten it will grow because of its ability to obscure, lie and deceive. Until it resigns and give ‘bread a circus’ – just to keep opposition away.
Power is always confronted because opposition, both positive (praising) and negative (condemning) is forces that carries the seed of growth when it is directed. Creation does not take notice of the quality of the attention you give, just the power you give. Power and its resistance and support are all magnetic powers that support the power in question positively or negatively. This means that condemnation can actually have the same effect as giving support.
There is yet another issue; condemnation of a power can also be a mirror. The child as it grows up constantly defies its parents. This is the body asking growth and the response given to the body sets the mind in flames with the power given or taken. Here we find growth or regression. This simple mechanism plays itself out in our life constantly. We oppose because of our growth, we bless because of sympathy and a promise of solace in our growth. To find the right power means that we are going in the right direction. It is here we find saintly dwellings of comfort that gives us the power to move on and not what defies and challenges our power.
At times opposition can be a shadow or it can be direct confrontations. If these powers meeting your power brings growth or rest is ultimately defined by your character. Power, potency, strength, fire all this is fuel to our character and growth.
Power in the cosmology of Ifá rests in the wonderful odú Irete meji. The message of Irete is found in various proverbs around the world speaking of how we all make our own good fortune. Irete is, according to Baba Falokun, an elision of ire and te which literally means to force by power your good fortune to manifest. It speaks of determination. A bad use of this determination takes form in a resistance to change – positively it creates the determination to take what is yours, mediated by Fate and Wisdom.
There is one verse in the corpus of Irete Meji that speaks about determination, life and growth in particular.
Bùtùbútú ònà Ijèsà lomode fiì sere
Bí ó bá kómo ní rírìn esè
A komo nì níyan
In Karengas translation we read:
The fine sand which children play with on
The road to the land of Ilesa
If it is used to teach children how to walk
It can also be used to teach them how to
The road from Ilé ifé to Ilesa is a long road, this road is covered in soft sand, like at the beach. A child walking in sand will not walk gracefully, but as life and good tutors teach them they can come to walk gracefully on an earth that does not invite to grace – like the sand at the shores of the ocean. The message is, you can learn to walk for sure – but to walk gracefully invites an acceptance of opposition and humility in front of one’s teachers. This simple verse tells us that the world is not easy – but for sure you can make your way somehow – but only when we walk the world gracefully have we understood to essence of power as it reveals itself in determination to embrace our happy destiny.
Nguvu ni neno la ajabu. Inaweza kuonyesha nguvu yako ya kuiga kitu na pia inaweza kufafanua nguvu ya ofisi yako. Nguvu hii ya ofisi huonekana katika uwezo wa kufanya mambo yafanyike na kutumia uvutano. Kama vile wazo la nguvu linasema tu athari, lakini halisemi ubora wa nguvu inayotumiwa au tabia ya yule anayetumia nguvu wala juhudi ya mashine inayozalisha nguvu. Ni nguvu yake bora ya uwasilishaji ni nguvu zote. Nguvu ni mandhari ya mara kwa mara katika hotuba ya Foucault ambapo wazo lote la nguvu ni kuchukua fomu za taasisi katika Panopticon. Hapa serikali ya kimwili na ya kidunia inachukua mamlaka yote kwa kudhibiti watendaji katika ulimwengu wa kimwili. "Hii inatokana na upinzani kama matokeo ya asili ya kukabiliwa na udhalimu ambao unakunyang'anya hisia yako ya ubinadamu na chaguo. """ Nguvu ni nguvu inayodokeza ushawishi na kualika kile kinachokuunga mkono. Kwa mfano, mashine hutegemezwa na mkondo wa nishati ambayo huchochea nguvu ya mashine kufanya kazi. Chama cha kisiasa kinachoshika madaraka hufanya hivyo kwa sababu sauti za kuunga mkono na kupinga zinapinga madaraka; ikiwa madaraka ni ya busara yatakua kwa tabia na hekima yake. """Ikiwa nguvu ni mbaya, itakua kwa sababu ya uwezo wake wa kuficha, kusema uongo na kudanganya." Hadi itakapostaafu na kutoa <unk>mkate circus<unk> <unk> tu ili kuweka upinzani mbali. Nguvu daima inakabiliwa kwa sababu upinzani, wote chanya (kuheshimu) na hasi (kushutumu) ni nguvu ambazo hubeba mbegu ya ukuaji wakati zinaelekezwa. Uumbaji haujali ubora wa umakini unaotoa, tu nguvu unayotoa. Nguvu na upinzani wake ni nguvu zote za sumaku ambazo huunga mkono nguvu inayohusika kwa chanya au hasi. Hii inamaanisha kwamba kulaumu kwa kweli kunaweza kuwa na matokeo yaleyale ya kutoa utegemezo. Kuna suala jingine; kulaani nguvu pia kunaweza kuwa kioo. Mtoto anapokua, anawapinga wazazi wake daima. Mwili unaomba ukuaji na majibu ya mwili huwasha moto katika akili kwa nguvu iliyotolewa au kuchukuliwa. Hapa tunapata ukuaji au kurudi nyuma. Utaratibu huu rahisi hufanyika katika maisha yetu daima. Tunapinga kwa sababu ya ukuaji wetu, tunabariki kwa sababu ya huruma na ahadi ya faraja katika ukuaji wetu. Kupata nguvu sahihi inamaanisha kwamba tunaenda katika mwelekeo sahihi. Hapa ndipo tunapopata makao matakatifu ya faraja ambayo hutupa nguvu ya kuendelea na sio kile kinachokataa na changamoto nguvu zetu. Nyakati nyingine upinzani waweza kuwa kivuli au upinzani wa moja kwa moja. Kama nguvu hizi kukutana nguvu yako huleta ukuaji au mapumziko ni hatimaye kufafanuliwa na tabia yako. Nguvu, nguvu, nguvu, moto, yote haya ni mafuta kwa tabia yetu na ukuaji. "Kama ilivyoelezwa katika kitabu cha ""Ifa,"" nguvu ya Ifa inategemea udhihirisho wa ajabu wa Odin Irete Mejia." Ujumbe wa Irete unapatikana katika mithali mbalimbali duniani kote zinazozungumza juu ya jinsi sisi sote tunavyofanya bahati yetu mwenyewe. "Kulingana na Baba Falakuni, ""Iret"" ni neno la kiingereza linalomaanisha ""kufanya kwa nguvu bahati yako iwe wazi.""" Inazungumza juu ya azimio. Matumizi mabaya ya azimio hili huchukua fomu katika upinzani wa kubadilika <unk> chanya inaunda azimio la kuchukua kile ni chako, kuwasiliana na Hatima na Hekima. Kuna mstari mmoja katika corpus ya Irete Meji ambayo inazungumza juu ya azimio, maisha na ukuaji haswa. "Bungani ya Ilesa, ambayo inaitwa ""Bungani ya Ilesa,"" inaonyesha mchanga mwembamba ambao watoto hucheza nao kwenye barabara ya Ilesa, na pia inaonyesha jinsi ya kutembea na kutembea." Mtoto anayetembea kwenye mchanga hatatembea kwa uzuri, lakini kama maisha na walimu wazuri wanavyowafundisha wanaweza kuja kutembea kwa uzuri kwenye dunia ambayo haitoi neema kama mchanga kwenye pwani ya bahari. Ujumbe ni, unaweza kujifunza kutembea kwa uhakika <unk> lakini kutembea kwa uzuri hualika kukubalika kwa upinzani na unyenyekevu mbele ya walimu wa mtu. Mstari huu rahisi unatuambia kuwa ulimwengu sio rahisi, lakini kwa hakika unaweza kufanya njia yako kwa njia fulani, lakini tu tunapotembea ulimwenguni kwa neema, tumeelewa kiini cha nguvu kama inavyojidhihirisha katika azimio la kukumbatia hatima yetu ya furaha.