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We are Powerless . . Or Are We? George
Washington's Blog The problem isn’t that we’re powerless. The problem is that we have allowed those with agendas in government and the media and organized religion to CONVINCE us that we’re powerless. They've confused us, belittled us, distracted us and made us feel like we barely have the power to get out of bed in the morning, let alone challenge those with the biggest arms, megaphones, or pulpits. The truth is that EVERY one of us has tremendous untapped strength, intelligence and resources hard-wired into us. The truth -- shown by millions of examples throughout history -- is that people can thrive in the worst imaginable circumstances. Individuals can dig deep and get creative and think of ways to turn things around even when all seems lost. People can succeed against overwhelming odds if they are committed. The human spirit is powerful, flexible, creative, intelligent and resourceful. It is there within each of us . . . lying dormant. Wake up your inner hero, your inner genius, your inner leader. It is there . . . just under the surface.
And the truth is that, when we come together to talk about what is really happening, and what we want, and how to obtain it, we create a very powerful dynamic and we set powerful forces in motion. The truth is that, together, we are unstoppable. There is no act too small, no act too bold. The history of social
change is the history of millions of actions, small and large, coming
together at points in history and creating a power that governments
cannot suppress. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that
human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or
acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice,
he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from
a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build
a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and
resistance. The power of an aroused public is unbeatable. Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be,
and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light
and a power. To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities. The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness
has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. A good intention clothes itself with power. If you don't like the news, go out and make some news of your
own. But the [people], if only they could somehow become conscious
of their own strength, would have no need to conspire . . . They need
only to rise up and shake themselves like a horse shaking off flies
. . . You let one ant stand up to us - then they all might stand up.
Those puny little ants outnumber us a 100 to one. And if they ever
figure that out, there goes our way of life. In times of danger large groups rise to the highest pitch of
enthusiasm, courage and sacrifice . . . Mankind will be refashioned
and history rewritten when this law is understood and obeyed. From the Pain, come the Dream Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. We must remember that one determined person can make a significant
difference, and that a small group of determined people can change
the course of history. I'm not talking about putting out your fire of righteous anger.
Keep that anger alive and channel it into defeating the lies and bringing
the bad guys to justice. We need your righteous anger! But anger without
love turns into hatred, which weakens you. Anger plus love turns into
power, effectiveness and success. What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and
it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which
you know exactly what you want...and are fully determined not to quit
until you get it. Men habitually use only a small part of the power which they
actually possess. You're in the midst of a war: a battle between the limits of
a crowd seeking the surrender of your dreams, and the power of your
true vision to create and contribute. It is a fight between those
who will tell you what you cannot do, and that part of you that knows
-- and has always known -- that we are more than our environment;
and that a dream, backed by an unrelenting will to attain it, is truly
a reality with an imminent arrival. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure. Most of us can learn to live in perfect comfort on higher levels
of power. Everyone knows that on any given day there are energies
slumbering in him which the incitements of that day do not call forth.
Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake. It is evident
that our organism has stored-up reserves of energy that are ordinarily
not called upon - deeper and deeper strata of explosible material,
ready for use by anyone who probes so deep. The human individual usually
lives far within his limits. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up
and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find
them, make them. In these words lies all his power: He chose the path along which
he is walking and so has no complaints.
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