tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034302346804708530.post4519227188857226739..comments2011-08-12T08:56:20.664-04:00Comments on For Gates of Hope: Truth beneath the power -- December 17, 2009Mark Beckwithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02680937603681281705noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034302346804708530.post-87714494810285485742009-12-17T23:12:27.246-05:002009-12-17T23:12:27.246-05:00In response to Diane Rhodes,
Respecfully, I’m not ...In response to Diane Rhodes,<br />Respecfully, I’m not exactly sure what your point is. Power absolutely does change the status quo. That is the nature of power. That power and the misuse of power can be a slippery slope, of that there is no doubt. As far as comparing ourselves to someone else’s situation, that is also and always the nature of things. We cannot describe ourselves or state who and what we are in a vacuum. We always need a reference point if for no other reason than to say that we are here and you are there. And whether we are aiding or jockeying for position, it is all the same. People with power can exert that power and people without power cannot. In a philosophical discussion I could say that “I am I”. But what does that mean and does anybody in the real world really care. Try putting “I am I” on a resume.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05623709712119761741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034302346804708530.post-63268218187265769002009-12-17T14:17:15.972-05:002009-12-17T14:17:15.972-05:00The slippery-est slope of power, and power moves, ...The slippery-est slope of power, and power moves, may be that they appear to change the status quo--who's up, who's down, who's in, who's out--it can be frighteningly easy to get sucked into the dynamic of comparing ourselves vis-avis someone else's situation. That only works when we are looking at how to aid and assist, rather than how to jockey for position.Diane Rhodeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00490066550589948452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6034302346804708530.post-46006432706161682782009-12-17T09:25:17.447-05:002009-12-17T09:25:17.447-05:00Bishop Beckwith writes: “And the work is to resis...Bishop Beckwith writes: “And the work is to resist the temptation to respond with a verbal salvo after having received one.”<br /><br />I’m retired now but the lesson above is one I learned the hard way during my 37 years with AT&T. It’s much better to go home, decompress, get a good nights sleep, and then think about a reply. Responses that come during the heat of an exchange can ruin friendships, marriages, and careers. Words have power and that power can be used to hurt as well as heal. Once uttered, those words can never be recalled. Even after the proverbial handshake the damaged caused by those words lingers afterward; sometimes for years, sometimes for ever.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05623709712119761741noreply@blogger.com