What is power? Power has a multitude of definitions. It is strength. It is control. It is authority. It is influence. It is the ability to get what you want. Power can be a good thing, and it can also be a bad thing. Power can found in a person, an institution or business, a government, or a thing. The word “power” casts visions of world leaders, CEOs, and governments. Throughout history, world leaders have shaped world policy as well as national policy. For example, Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the new Soviet Union, was the first in the world to give women the right to vote and took a country from being feudal to a superpower. His influence continues today in China and Cuba. CEOs of businesses create services and goods for their buyers and also contribute millions of dollars to charities. Their influence on what is sold can change a culture like Google, the …show more content…
Buddha said, “Words have the power to both destroy and heal.” When I was in middle school, a group of kids bullied me to give them something that was mine. They called me names, laughed at me, and took jabs at me. I felt like I had no choice but to give in to them. They got what they wanted and left. I was afraid to stand up to them. These kids had control over me and made me feel terrible and isolated. I imagine this is how kids that are bullied at school and online feel, too. Too often there are headlines where a teen has committed suicide due to bullying. Bullying uses powerful words in a negative way with sometimes powerful and terrible consequences. On the other hand, powerful words can inspire others to positive action like Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech given in 1963 in Washington D.C. This speech called for an end to racism with equality for everyone, and it gave much needed fuel to the Civil Right’s Movement. This speech continues to inspire people of all races