Powerlessness
Not a lack of power, but feeling as though we have none. Some people have been indoctrinated to prefer a life with no agency, as it also brings no responsibility. At the other extreme, some folks have decided that they have more power than they actually do. Video games offer people a chance to experience […]
Not a lack of power, but feeling as though we have none. Some people have been indoctrinated to prefer a life with no agency, as it also brings no responsibility. At the other extreme, some folks have decided that they have more power than they actually do.
Video games offer people a chance to experience virtual power–an opportunity to feel a lack of powerlessness. Click the mouse, something happens–power is in your grasp. By giving players agency, the games allow users to feel something they might be avoiding in real life.
Everyone is on a spectrum. No one has absolute power, and no one is powerless. But our expectation and experience of power is always a choice.
Choosing the attitude of powerlessness is self-defeating as well as self-negating. The fact that the attitude can be chosen is in itself a form of power. We can find control over our attitude and our actions, gaining priceless power as we do.
No one can change everything, but everyone can change something. If you choose to live a life with impact, it’s in your control to do so.
