Power To The People

In his classic book, Power vs. Force, author David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D., discusses power and how to gain it. The Egyptian Pharaoh had force but Moses had power; the Romans had force, but Jesus had power; the British Empire was so vast, the sun never set on it, but by the end of his Salt March, Gandhi brought that empire down. How does power defeat force, and how can we tap into that source?

In his new book, The Square and the Tower, historian Niall Ferguson posits that throughout history, the power of networks have always defeated the force of the hierarchies represented by popes, presidents, generals and corporate CEOs. A dictator is in absolute control until one day the soldiers refuse to shoot the protestors. What’s good for General Motors is good for America, until one day, Americans decide they want electric cars.

Human evolution is the story of the pendulum swinging between power and force, networks and hierarchy, potential energy morphing into kinetic energy, and back.

— Sina.