Last week Laura wrote about moving from outrage to determination, shifting the energy of anger from blame to action. I want to add to that discussion by considering a step in the process Laura didn’t mention: embracing your powerlessness. Stay with me; it’s not as bad as it sounds.  

Individuals and entities in this world can sometimes act in pretty shitty ways. Police kill people at traffic stops. Governments enact laws to benefit business interests over the interests of the common good. Hamas attacks Israel. Israel attacks Hamas. These, and other kinds of shitty events, often inspire anger.  

Anger is an interesting emotion. It is protective; we perceive ourselves, or someone or something we love, is threatened. It is necessarily uncomfortable; its purpose is to get us to do something about a threat. Anger assumes we have power in the situation and whispers encouragements to us: “Fix it. Do Something.” “There is no time to waste.” “Don’t think, act.” These impulses are helpful in situations of immediate threat. Most of the time, however, acting on our impulses while angry is not helpful.  

Here’s the thing, anger will tell us we can make a situation better regardless of whether we actually have that ability. When we act impulsively, we are acting out of neither our wisdom nor our true strength. We are caught up in the idea of power, rather than actual power. This is when powerlessness comes in.  

To harness the power of powerlessness, stop trying to change what is not for you to change. This is most things. Set down the load you are carrying. Free your hands. Unfurl your body until you come to your full height. Pause. Breathe. Notice where you are. Feel the ground beneath you. Reconnect with what supports you. Then feel. Feel it all. Let the emotions come and let the feelings go.  

The feelings will be uncomfortable. Sadness. Loss. Helplessness. Fear. It’s okay to go through these; on the other side is a clearing. In this clearing is humility, an acknowledgment of not being President of the World. From the perspective of humility, you can better see what actions you are best suited to take. These are the actions that will be most effective.  

I know for me, there is little I can do to shape or change the events I read or hear about on the news. I am powerless to stop people dying from gun violence. I am powerless to unseat fascist or totalitarian governments around the world. What I can do is love on and support my sister’s kids. I can inform myself and vote. A friend who is a retired teacher recently returned to the classroom when she learned of several vacancies in her local district. She said, “I can’t stop the war in Ukraine, and I can’t do anything about the children in Gaza, but this is something I can do.”  

Embracing powerlessness clears away distractions and allows us to see where we do have power to benefit our families, our communities, and our world.   

Rachael Miller (Guest Blogger)

To learn more, explore learnmodelteach.com for tools, videos, and coaching opportunities.

Rachael Miller is a Spiritual Companion based in central Ohio. To learn more about spiritual companionship (also call spiritual direction), check out the Spirituality Network.