Power of the individual

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“Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” — FRANK OUTLAW Late President of the Bi-Lo Stores

It’s easy to feel as if our collective society is running almost on rails. As if history is ending. As if the great historical tendencies of democratization, of capitalization, of general progress will lead us on to a happy future. As if individual action, can only serve to slow it down or speed it up infinitesimally, the end result being the same in any case.

I don’t quite believe that framing. It’s hard to look at AMLO and not believe in the power of an individual to change the lives of many. I think that He demonstrated one of the highest forms of Power, the ability to influence people to change without threats. Nietzche said that argumentation was a weak-person’s game. I think part of AMLO’s power (and what made him so hated to the opposition) resides in the fact that he didn’t really argue with his opponents. He explained, sure, but after explaining, he simply did things. Others argued for him.

But not everyone is a powerful politician, or a business tzar like Musk who has the power to influence millions, if not billions. By definition, most of us are relatively powerless, having influence only on ourselves and those who surround us. Some, not even over themselves.

I think that most people are more powerful than they realize. More than I realize, more than you realize. Honestly, I feel like that’s something that you learn as you grow and mature, as you get more responsibiilities, like having pets or children (which start very similarly). It’s definitely something that’s learned, and that can be taught. Should be taught.

Personal Power in the media

I honestly believe that the best kind of media is the kind that displays a person reaching their potential. Characters that start out feeling powerless understanding the impact that they can have on the world.

The latest example that I can think of, was a delightful video of a young man walking through the forrest with a white bucket, laughing because it wasn’t full. For the previous months, he had walked the various routes and trails of the forrest, picking up a single bucket-full of trash on every journy, until the day that he wasn’t able to fill the bucket anymore. He had single-handedly rid the forrest of the trash that contaminated every trail, every path.

Another, was a man who’s wife died, because the route to the nearest hospital was too long, as it had to circle around a mountain. So during years, , he worked to carve a path through it, which more than halved the distance to the hospital for all his neighbors.

There are, of course, countless examples of people doing inspiring things. Creating art. Changing the world around them. Still, my favorite examples are always the ways that people can help eachother. Examples of teachers pushing their students to excell, parents helping their children flourish.

What to do — So what?

Personally, how to help is an issue. Maybe the issue. In his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire argues that in societies built around the “Banking model of education”, the clear outcome of teaching children to memorize facts and repeat them, is that we’re neglecting to teach them how to think critically about these facts, and worse still, neglecting to teach them how to act upon this knowledge. He argues that the current pedagogical systems build “sheeple”, people that uncritically accept what is shown to them.

I feel like this is a feelin that pervades society, the feeling of wanting to do something, anything, and not really knowing how. I think the passivity of modern media reinforces this, converting us into passive receivers, who barely even decide what it is we want to ingest.