B. Lorenzo Buckinchere
Jul 13, 2025
When most people think about power, they only think about one kind, control. And because of that, they instinctually believe that power is inherently bad, because no one really wants to be controlled or manipulated.
However, there are many different forms of power, both good and bad. The difference is in how one chooses to wield it. In this week’s article we will go over each one of them.
In last week’s article, I stated that power is not for everyone, and I was right. But power within the context of that article was specifically related to leadership. I also stated that although leadership is definitely not for everyone, there are other forms of power that one can embrace.
But because the word “power” is overwhelmingly used as a euphemism for control and manipulation, the other forms are often overlooked, or not readily viewed as forms of power. The proof of that is that many people make the mistake of mentioning money and power as if they were two different things, which is always laughable to me.
So without further ado, the many forms of power.
Definition of Power:
First of all, what is power?
Power, so far as I understand it, is the leverage to be able to do whatever you so choose, and to be able to do so with impunity. For example, I am no different from Hitler in the fact that we both want power. The difference lies in the kind of power we want, and how we choose to obtain it.
Hitler wanted control over massive populations of people, and chose propaganda and bloodshed to get it. Jim Jones, David Coresh and Charles Manson wanted the same thing as Hitler, but over smaller groups of people who were more the religious type, and thus easier to manipulate.
Similar to PigBoss who wants control over a handful of desperate people, who themselves are in need of the ability to feed their children, and easily chooses to sell their power away in order to obtain limited power in the form of temporary provisions.
Another example is the fake friend/relative/coworker who wants to be able to borrow a bunch of free shit they have no intention of ever returning, so they intentionally set out to get you to like them enough to grant them easy access to you. Then there’s me. And all along, I just want the freedom to be able to earn a sustainable living from reclusive authorship.
In order to know whether or not you have power, you must ask yourself two basic, yet fundamental questions. What do I want to do? Am I able to do it freely? If your answer to the second question is no, then you are being controlled.
Control and Manipulation:
The first is the most popular form, and the most obvious, but also the most negative and self-serving form at the same time. The people who practice this form of power are psychopaths and narcissists. They will do and say whatever it takes to get you under their control.
That is where tactics such as gaslighting, breadcrumbing and projection comes into play. They will make you love them if they think it will make you serve them and give them a bunch of undeserved free shit. You tend to encounter these types in families, churches, in relationships, and on jobs.
Control is ultimately the most powerless form of power, because these people’s need for control and attention always comes from a deep-rooted place of insecurity. They don’t want control because they possess leadership qualities that they feel can be put to use. They want control for the sake of control, similar to “Big Brother” from a certain Orwellian dystopia.
They always target someone easy going who they feel won’t put up much of a fight. That’s why you need to fight like a honey badger whether or not you will actually win. Stop worrying about winning and start thinking about your survival. Sometimes persistence is the only weapon you need.
Leadership:
Often confused with control, leadership is the ability to command respect without demanding it. What do I mean by that? Leadership is basically the ability to take the initiative and lead by example. As a leader, you have the ability to make people want to listen to what you say, want to follow what you do.
This is something that has to come naturally, it cannot be forced, it requires charisma, ideas, and foresight in order to be effective, and is popular among schoolteachers and politicians. The best examples of strong, effective leadership that I can think of are that of the former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and former President Barack Obama. Other examples include civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X.
Donald Trump doesn’t possess Obama’s charisma, but he gets the job done, so his style is a unique form of leadership. Leadership requires some form of influence. It also requires some level of control, and as such, it is therefore the middle ground between control and influence.
But unlike the malignant mentor who gains power from keeping you powerless, the natural leader is strong when we are all stronger together. Sadly, we have more control freaks in today’s world than we have natural leaders.
Influence:
The kind of power wielded by authors, journalists, actors, singers, artists, and socialites (now referred to as social media influencers).
To date, the most accurate definition of power that I have ever heard besides my own, was said by the late Jamaican talk show host Wilmot Perkins in 1998, when he said that power, “is the ability to effectuate one’s will over other people whether that person is willing or unwilling.” Perkins gave that definition on power when asked by fellow journalist Cliff Hughes whether or not journalists have power to which he said, “no, journalists have influence.”
But Perkins was only concerned about state power and leadership. As such, he failed to realize that influence is but one form of power. As a journalist myself, I regard myself as having the power of influence. If the underlying conditions of a single life can be improved from them reading this article, then that is power.
Physical Power:
The man with a car, looks at the man boarding a private chopper and says, “Man, I wish I had a chopper.” The man with a bicycle looks at the man with a car, and says, “I wish I had a car.” The man walking to the bus stop looks at the man with a bicycle and says, “I wish I had a bicycle.” Then the man in a wheelchair looks at the man walking and says, “I wish I had feet.”
Likewise, it can be said that the 95 year old man looks at the 39 year old complaining about gaining a little salt in his pepper and laughs, for he wishes he was 39, or even 50 again.
The physical power of youth coupled with the proper nutrition, rest and exercise will increase your chances of surviving an illness, as well as boost your recovery speed. You can’t pick up a dumbbell at 75 and expect to reverse the effects of your age, you have to start when you are still young. Never underestimate the power of your physical strength.
Spending Power:
Money. This is a big one.
Have you ever participated in a rather modern consumer activity more commonly known as window shopping? You look inside the display case of a store, and see something you want, but won’t buy it on the spot.
Well why don’t you just go inside the store and buy it? You obviously want it, right? What kind of power do you lack if at the moment, you are unable to walk inside the store and purchase the item outright? Spending power.
Spending power is a big one, and you will likely take it for granted until the moment you are faced with a pink slip, or an emergency that wipes out all of your life savings. At least you had savings. The key is in learning how to increase your spending power, and how to fool-proof it indefinitely. More on that in knowledge.
Knowledge:
They literally say that knowledge is power. If you have knowledge, not only will you be able to avoid the kind of traps set forth by narcissists and control freaks, but you will also be able to open several streams of passive income, so as not to remain dependent on these fools. Once you gain knowledge, only then will you realize that it was just an old man behind a curtain pulling the strings all along. An old man known simply as fear.
I call upon you now to make a pledge. Not to me, but to yourselves to gain as much knowledge as you can over the next five years from now until December 31, 2029. Knowledge on money and how to grow it. Knowledge on nutrition and gerontology. Knowledge on the different personality types and their motivations as well as who to avoid. Knowledge on mental health and stability. But above all else, knowledge of self.
Who are you? What are your likes and dislikes? Where do you want to spend the rest of your life? What do you want to do with your life? With whom do you want to do it? Make a pledge to yourselves to shut out all the noises and neuroses of the 21st century and do some thorough soul searching. Because knowledge is power.
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