The Power in Powerlessness | by Tommy Rosen
The Power in Powerlessness | by Tommy Rosen
Admitting powerlessness is not something we love to do and yet, it is the cornerstone of the healing path of recovery. To admit one’s powerlessness is to understand one’s place in the world. For example, we are powerless over the actions of others. We cannot control other people. Simply understanding this can literally change the course of our life. I struggled for many years trying to “fix” my father. He was very sick and was making poor choices. It hurt me to see his pain and to watch the results of his poor choices right in front of my eyes. Truth be told, I became annoying to my father by trying to change him. He needed acceptance and unconditional love, but it was very difficult for me to give these to him. When he died, I thought to myself, “Wow, I’ve expended all this effort trying to make my dad better. It strained our relationship and he has still died, sick and unhappy.” That was a hard lesson for me to learn in recovery, but it has been one of the most important of my life.
There is an amazing power in admitting one’s powerlessness. It is counter-intuitive, which is why our logical thinking gets in the way. On your path, you will hopefully come to learn many ways that you are powerful. You will be blessed indeed not to forget the places where you are powerless.
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It is indeed hard to know that we are powerless to change others regardless of the circumstances. There is only one person we can change and that is ourselves, as long as it is not done to please others or to conform to what others say are acceptable.
When I know I am powerless to change something like world hunger for example, I find I have the power to feed one hungry child…it’s a start..and if we all take that one step then there is power in numbers. Thanks for posting this…X
There are two instances where I feel totally powerless …these are the finality of death and Mother Nature …these two really put me in my place and makes me realized how small and powerless I really am !
This was a wonderful post … it reminded me of some things I need to be reminded of often… thank you.
If you think about it for a while you may come to understand how most of your life falls into the powerless to control category. For the fraction left we then make mostly choices that always seem at lest best of bad alternatives only to find later we made the wrong choice. Stumble along with me to the great ?? that awaits. And, gosh, do have a nice day. Gimme another pint, Paddy.