Is there a metaphysics to "Power"

[TheOneReborn]

I guess everything that happens under the Sun has a metaphysics to it, but is "power" and specifically social power metaphysical in its nature? 

I think of what social power, status, confidence, etc allow to be borne into the world. All the things that are done and not done because one has power over another, all the ways in which Being flows because of power. How must we properly situate and reflect on the nature of power in the universe and our own society? 

When in non-dual states I venture out into the world. When I'm with friends or at the office, my non-dual awareness fades as I get sucked into the energies and "frame" of other people. I notice how the mental frame of some prevails over others, and over myself. If I can muster the strength and self-love to enter into non-dual awareness again, I notice how fundamentally the game of social power and status has an existential and metaphysical dimension to it - the dominant personality impose their frame and understanding of what the world is upon others. My body can literally sometimes feel locked in certain places and my eyes feel unable to meet other more powerful people in their eyes. All this results in unconscious reactions by me. I notice how my body feels more or less open and free depending on what the "power situation" of the room is. It feels like there is a literal energy to this thing.

All of this is to say that I feel like "power" of one thing over another, is a force unto itself. 

What do you think the nature of this force is (the force which by which one thing asserts itself and dominates another and closes off different futures), and is "power" the best word to describe it? 

[Vibroverse]

Well, if you want a deep dive into the idea of power, I can recommend that you check philosophers like Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Foucault, these guys were really interested in what power means and what are the reaches of it, but won't let them depress you even further. 

[TheOneReborn]

I love Schopenhauer. I definitely think he was decently enlightened. 

Where do you recommend I start with Nietzsche?

[AtheisticNonduality]

3 minutes ago, TheOneReborn said:

Where do you recommend I start with Nietzsche?

Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

[Vibroverse]

11 minutes ago, TheOneReborn said:

I love Schopenhauer. I definitely think he was decently enlightened. 

Where do you recommend I start with Nietzsche?

The Will to Power. 

[JuliusCaesar]

27 minutes ago, TheOneReborn said:

When in non-dual states I venture out into the world. When I'm with friends or at the office, my non-dual awareness fades as I get sucked into the energies and "frame" of other people. I notice how the mental frame of some prevails over others, and over myself. If I can muster the strength and self-love to enter into non-dual awareness again, I notice how fundamentally the game of social power and status has an existential and metaphysical dimension to it - the dominant personality impose their frame and understanding of what the world is upon others. My body can literally sometimes feel locked in certain places and my eyes feel unable to meet other more powerful people in their eyes. All this results in unconscious reactions by me. I notice how my body feels more or less open and free depending on what the "power situation" of the room is. It feels like there is a literal energy to this thing.

Indeed, it's much like gravitational power, isn't it? Just as a more massive body tends to move the less massive body, so the greater man tends to move the lesser.

 

27 minutes ago, TheOneReborn said:

All of this is to say that I feel like "power" of one thing over another, is a force unto itself. 

In my understanding, power takes many different forms. Perhaps the most important thing to understand when exploring different states of consciousness is that from every state of consciousness, reality attempts to manifest thoughts and feelings. But from some states, it responds more faithfully to these than it does from certain other states. The ordinary human state of consciousness is incredibly impotent, as most humans can't even control their own feelings or bodily sensations.

 

However, there are rare instances of humans persisting in magickal work through herculean feats of repetition succeeding. So while we can say that humans have little to no power(when I say power here, I'm referring to magickal power), they cannot be underestimated for two reasons. Firstly, that some of them have discovered ways to alter their state of being and thus can access more powerful states(I'm referring mostly to mind-altering substances of course), and secondly because some of them have found out that because they get more powerful results from repeated action, they succeed in imposing their will on existence through sheer perseverance.

 

Though I'd caution you not to study too deeply recreational drug users' trip reports. I've done it myself, only to find that mostly they're as children playing with power tools and nuclear bombs. And as such, you don't really get an accurate representation of how the same would impact you if you were to use it with the appropriate intentions and practice.

[RendHeaven]

If you've ever experienced "God's Will," or some faint variant of that which you can recall in memory as some sort of directed unfolding of structure/specificity, you will intuitively understand that all of reality is aimed or oriented towards the highest Good.

Any human's will or desire that manifests similarly is thereby a mimicry/reflection/offshoot of universal will. Thus the more influence and mountain-moving capabilities a mere human seems to posses, the more godly they appear.

[Razard86]

15 hours ago, Liebestraum said:

 

@TheOneReborn To strive for power and superiority. Can be summarized as self-determination, the concept of actualizing one's will onto one's self or one's surroundings, and coincides heavily with egotism. To quote Max Stirner, "The Ego is not subordinate to any higher principle; the egoist is free to adjust to the world if it is clear he will better himself by doing so. His 'rebellion' may take the form of utter servility if it will further his interest; what he must do is to be bound 'general' values or myths of humanity."
Power is to control the dominant consensus reality and behavioral consequentialism > To control people they must in some way be under your belief system in some cursory way > You cannot reshape a form before it is thought of and labeled in thought. Don't align with anyone else's vision unless it aligns with your own. Recent experimental psychology suggests that the more power one has, the less one takes on the perspective of others, implying that the powerful have less empathy. To learn who rules over you simply find out who you're not allowed to criticize.

This is a good take especially that last line. I've heard people use that when discussing society and who rules society. Whoever you cannot criticize openly has power, and whoever you can criticize openly has little power. Its an interesting perspective.

[gettoefl]

why do you want people under your thumb? 

because you feel superior and so you deserve to control them

[gettoefl]

all superiority is your inferiority complex rearing its head

[Leo Gura]

There's a metaphysics to Absolute Power:

Consciousness/Selflessness/Truth/Love

The rest is monkey-business

[Liebestraum]

36 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

There's a metaphysics to Absolute Power:

Consciousness/Selflessness/Truth/Love

The rest is monkey-business

@Leo Gura 

[Razard86]

On 8/18/2022 at 2:30 PM, Liebestraum said:

 

@Razard86 Criticizing is not strictly pettiness and should be done for a valid reason! hahah
Criticizing to me means to question the sort of contingent claims that make up those webs of significance we call mythology, cultures and ideologies. Once the web has lost its charm, its terms lose theirs; suddenly they seem contingent and open to revision and paradigm shift. It's only when consciousness reaches a higher level then we can detach from the earlier state and objectify it, that is, to say anything about it.

This is not about tricking people, the people trick themselves.

Criticisms should accurately assess the "why" or reasons/ understanding/ epistemology which leads to "how" or actions/ rhetoric/ wisdom/ ethics. Without knowing "why" you have zero power to affect change. People can accurately assess "what" and "how" of a control system, in perfect detail, but not one iota of "why" it's happening which ultimately perpetuates the status quo. The "why" is all of the  logic and processing people believe and are compelled to act even in their most challenging times of curiosity and doubt.

I say people are tricked because people confuse the consciousness potentiality of a "cause" with an actual reality, as in, that which is/ has been generated into existence as actual truth, some "objective universe." When really this "cause" exists in a completely "subjective multiverse" of potential and what ought/ should be.

This perspective to me is as beautiful as a construct aware 5th-person perspective much like consuming art. Sometimes I'm blown away by those with learned helplessness. It's kind of sad. People just aren't taught the Trivium or classical education these days.

Anyway, let's go for more communication and less manipulation. Power is influence as much as it is voluntary support and I hope to see people studying power under the guise of real consciousness. A wise man knows the difference between the power of love not the love of power...

 

Ummmm why are you quoting me? You need to edit your post cause I said nothing of the sort.

[Breakingthewall]

7 hours ago, gettoefl said:

why do you want people under your thumb? 

because you feel superior and so you deserve to control them

Not always. There are times when the one who holds power does so selflessly. he knows that there is something that must be done and that he is the one who is going to do it best. for example churchill. 

[Razard86]

34 minutes ago, Liebestraum said:

@Razard86 Hi, I did not quote you. I was just carrying on conversation. I added @User because you seemed interested in atleast the last line about whoever you cannot criticize openly has power. That's all. Including you. I was just interested in a dialogue. 

I'm going to edit the post and remove your @. 

I'm going to hide this post afterwards and I recommend you do the same for the streamline readability of this thread. 

Oh I apologize I was caught off guard I thought you were saying I disagreed with you because I wasn't I like the point you were making. You don't need to do no Mea Culpa you good man but thanks for that effort it is appreciated. You don't need to go all scorched earth we good man.