Hmmmm, interesting view of things and evident through out our lives with particular emphasis on martial systems today where things denote power yet may or may not be true power. There is power that emanates from a person and then there is power that tends to be aggressive and dominant in nature. The question is which do you wield? The next question will be which one would you prefer to wield?
I quote, "Phony power is always tied to something else you have - a weapon or title or the trappings of wealth or the protectie infulence of some other person. It can be easily taken away at any time when someone arrives with a bigger weapon, a more important title, more money, or a mentor with more clout than yours." "When phone power is all you rely on, you never know how long your turn at the top is going to be."
All this and more tend to make a phony power person nervous, tense, always sizing up the upcoming threat, and always checking their power and strength against others. Fear they will lose their perceived power - phony power.
In MA systems you see it when folks get a belt color, in those who have been there longer with greater ability, and with some instructors. You can see this sometimes in the manner of the instructor and how the atmosphere is when in session practicing and in particular during sparring. Sometimes you can tell it is phony but unconscious when a guest partakes in a class where they tend to resist their participation in certain ways.
When someone enters a room most can perceive real power in a person by instinct yet will wonder what it is about that person or what is it that makes that person appear so powerful. I am not saying physical appearance as to strength and bravado but one who appears nondescript and average yet exudes a sense of power. That person most often will be quiet and un-assuming, etc. I can tell you I tend to look around and study participants in a dojo because I know that my instincts and intuition will tell me who has real power and who has phony power.
Example: One time at a dinner party a man walked in to the room and I knew he did because I got this really uncomfortable feeling so I looked behind me where the entry door was located and saw him. In this particular case I felt in the presence of something very powerful and in this one instance a very dangerously powerful person. I later understood that he was a hatchet man who actually had many of the traits of a psychopath/sociopath. I kept my eyes and ears open for the remainder of the dinner. It does happen and you can know if you are aware.
I am not sure I am articulating this well in written form so if it seems foggy let me know in a comment to I may expand.
Last, how can you tell what kind of power, at any level, you have? Ask the question, "Can it be taken away?" Real power is not subject to anyone or anything and phony power can be taken by someone who appears with more rank, more systems of MA, more clout, more connections in the organization, someone who cannot be spoiled by the unscrupulous or careless behavior of others.
In MA if you feel that someone can take away your power as a black belt simply by saying and/or requiring you put on a white belt and start all over again then you have phony power. Once you achieve a level of proficiency you have it forever regardless of the color belt, the trophies, the accolades, the patches, or any other external validated source. Power, real power, is that power within each of us that is unaffected by any other outside source, it cannot be removed once attained under any circumstances. It cannot be taken away. If it can, it ain't real - it is phony.
Sensei - a powerful title yet it can be taken away.
O'Sensei - also powerful, yet it too can be taken away.
Winner - powerful and can provide self-confidence yet it can be easily taken away causing a loss of esteem and confidence.
Grandmaster - denotes one of great ability and power yet it can be removed resulting in a loss of power and ability.
These and many other things I can barely think of tend to be titles or outward power symbols, etc. yet if a group, association, or such decides to ignore them or pass the word that it is phony and the holder is a phony then the power is gone.
When you practice, when you test, when you compete, when you work with Kohai, do you act with power? Or, do you just have it and kohai, competitors, test panels, etc. just act toward you with a respect for your real power from within? Some things to consider as you progress through the path of the martial arts. This also helps us to understand that to practice with out a balancing opposite it will end up phony, not real.
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