You need Power,
only when you want
to do something harmful
otherwise
Love is enough
to get everything done.
I found these words on Instagram through a dear friend, and they caught my attention. They are often attributed to Chalie Chaplin, but he never said them.
Would they have caught my attention if they were shared without such a famous name attached to them? I don't know.
However, they got into my head, and I've been thinking about them since.
Is it true?
Indeed, both power and love are forces that propel human beings into action.
When motivating others into action, I see power as an extrinsic force. One that uses dominance, manipulation, or coercion. Maybe it's not explicitly used to do something harmful, but for sure, it's needed to push people into doing something we believe they wouldn't do otherwise.
On the contrary, love is an intrinsic force rooted in trust, compassion and care. It's not about forcing people into doing anything but trusting them and their creative potential.
So, I can see the wisdom in those words. When there isn't enough love for ourselves and others, we need power to get things done.
As always, life is not clear-cut, so there’s always a mix of different degrees of love and power.
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.