Person Power
Person Power
In this lesson, we’ll delve further into the theme of nonviolent power, this time with person power.
The term “person power” was coined by Michael Nagler, Metta Center’s founder, to bring needed attention to the unlimited potential inside each human being. According to Gandhi and others, this is the essential area: the greatest power lies within each of us as individuals. When we join together, yes, we have an amazing capacity for collective power (also known as people power, a phrase that arose during the nonviolent revolution in the Philippines in the 1980s), but it is important not to forget the building block: the power each one of us has to make positive change in the world. Cardinal Jaime Sin, who played an instrumental role in the Filipino revolution, said that even though the movement brought two million people onto the streets of Manila, the movement ultimately consisted of “two million individual decisions.” Gandhi’s life story also serves as an inspiring example of how one person can transform themselves and in so doing, literally change the world.
The exciting thing about person power is that we can ALWAYS start there. We can always be working on it, even when outside forces prevent us from working on anything else. When nonviolent leaders have been put in jail—Gandhi, King, and Mandela included—they were not able to organize or be on the streets, but they were able to work on themselves. For many leaders, the spiritual work they did at times like these was pivotal to their growth as nonviolent leaders.
Often, when people awaken to the possibility of changing the world, they want to go out and do something, and can sometimes become paralyzed by the sheer amount of work that needs to be done. WIth person power, we don’t go out; we go in. And from this inner transformation, we can become much more effective in the outer change that we seek.
Someone who has tapped into their person power:
Is a leader. They aren’t afraid to stand up for what they believe in, and they are very effective at persuading people to see solutions that benefit everyone.
Feels empathy. They try to understand where other people are coming from.
Respects everyone. Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Jesus all told us to “love your enemy”. They meant it!
Is courageous. Gandhi said he could convert an angry person to a nonviolent practitioner, but that he couldn’t convert a coward. Person power requires that we develop our inner strength.