the relativity of power

 Men are afraid that women will laugh at them; women are afraid that men will kill them
~Margaret Atwood

What is power? Do you think you have any? And how do you know?

The answer, I think, is relative. You may think you're harmless (like the mouse, pictured) but, if others are afraid of you, you have power. 

If you are physically big, you naturally have more physical power. If you are a male, you usually have more physical power than a female. That is why women are generally afraid of men.

But power is not just about might.

Power depends largely on how others perceive you, and is influenced by social context. That is why bosses have power over employees, teachers have power over students, therapists over patients, and cops over civilans. It is a kind of psychological leverage relative to the social roles played by two otherwise equal human beings. One of them always has the potential to control or hurt the other in some way. It is not reciprocal. 

Power can also exist in a reciprocal partnership of equals, like between two friends or lovers, or between two strangers on the road. They have entrusted each other to some degree with mutual safety. In an ideal world, they will seesaw merrily along, in a balance of power and mutuality. If one of them decides to break the law or trust joining them together, he has taken unilateral control. He runs off with all the power while his partner comes crashing down.

Power depends on your size, your station in life, and how others perceive you. It is about relationship, and it is relative. If you want to know if you have power, ask the people around you.