By JoAnne Young
As I started writing this, I had no power. Literally. It was Thursday afternoon and the power in our house had been off for 24 hours, part of the citywide outage that was being restored slowly. I knew it wasn’t rational, but I was hoping the people who had the power to restore our power wouldn’t forget us. When all you can do is wait, because the power is in someone else’s hands, my mind wandered into a black hole of wondering and doubt.
It reminded me how important power is, in our homes where the lack of it changes our lives in so many ways, in our streets where we must rely on the cooperation and attention of others for our safety, and in our leaders who can choose to guide us rationally through a crisis, or who can contribute to the chaos.
This week, I had to rely on the basics of open windows, books, candles and pencils and paper. I had to rely on others who had the power that I didn’t.
This has given me a lot of time to think about power, all kinds of power that make a difference in our lives.
The events in the past couple of weeks have renewed my hope that a woman could, in a few months from now, be handed a big chunk of power in this world. I, and other women I know, have been waiting a lifetime for a woman to earn the keys to the Oval Office, to have major authority in decisions that affect the rules of society, defense of our country, foreign affairs, our economy and our public services.
Someone who understands feminine power – power that can be defined as empathy and patience, creativity, good communication skills, an important kind of confidence.
Vice President Kamala Harris is quoted in her book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, with this: “Democracy just cannot flourish amid fear. Liberty cannot bloom amid hate. Justice cannot take root amid rage. America must get to work. ... We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred, and the mistrust.”
She has defined leadership. “The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth. A leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength.”
Harris’s entrance into the presidential race makes this so much more interesting. A recent Associated Press story noted that “Kamala Harris has range. She can grill nominees for the Supreme Court or meet with foreign dignitaries, then pivot to hosting a Diwali celebration or dancing enthusiastically alongside an Historically Black College and University-styled marching band.”
She has dexterity, is good at celebrating all her identities and relating to many audiences. She’s an adroit code-switcher, someone who can deliberately adjust her speech style and expression to optimize relatability and ensure getting her message across. (Another woman who is good at code switching is Michelle Obama.)
In Cassandra Speaks, Elizabeth Lesser writes about the lessons of power handed down through the ages by men, from Machiavelli in The Prince, (“If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.”), to Sun Tzu in The Art of War (“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”), to The 48 Laws of Power, compiled by Robert Greene (Law #17, Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability. Law #42, Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter).
What would it be like for humanity today if women had contributed to the theories and stories about what it meant to be a powerful person, she asks. “What if their emotional intelligence, their relational natures, their roles as nurturers, as healers, mothers and teachers had been respected, sought after and woven into the story of power?”
As I finish this up, Lincoln Electric System workers have restored the power to my house – my lights, my refrigerator, my electronic connection to the outside world. And they have given me lots to think about.
What if women could add their voices to the stories of slaying dragons and waging wars and bombs bursting in air? What if it could be cool to be talkative, as Lesser says, brave to cry, noble to feel and relate? Laudatory to educate children and tend the garden?
What if a woman, for the first time, could lead our country?
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