‘Power is merely a means to an end. The ends must also be virtuous,’ I read in Jonathan Holslag’s work. He speaks primarily about (geo)politics, of course, though he also made the leap to everyone’s individual responsibility.
The word “power”…I have a love-hate relationship with it.
It evokes resistance. As if it’s something dirty, something to fear. That’s perhaps mainly, or at least partly, because of those in power who sometimes wield it for purposes I find hard to comprehend.
But on the other hand, it also attracts me. Because power is, of course, a lever toward something.
And that’s why this sentence stuck with me.
If you have power, you can use it to serve a purpose. And if your purpose is virtuous, then power is certainly not a bad thing.
And I mean power in the broadest sense and widest range of meanings.
Parental power to help your child grow up safe, attached, firmly rooted.
Power in interpersonal relationships that is alternately exercised by one then the other. So that when all goes well, each contributes to collective and individual growth.
Power to lead a company or team, so that both the economy and solidarity flourish.
Power to serve a greater purpose – political, social, cultural – and thus contribute to a better world.
In short: this sentence reconciles my internal war and brings peace to the tension surrounding the word power.
I better understand why some power repels me: when it serves dubious ends.
But I choose to focus on its positive sides. As an opportunity to strive for virtuous, world-improving goals.
Or as Plato already said:
“The measure of a man is what he does with power.“
Love,
Maaike
Love in action 
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