I Paid My Bill-Why Am I Powerless

"I Paid My Bill-Why Am I Powerless" by Ian Fowler

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for believing that all people in South Africa should have the same freedoms. He never backed down from this belief and though in prison he kept searching for Gods answer and believing that there was an answer.

He was completely powerless over the forces that had imprisoned him.

Mandela had no physical way to over power the situation. He had to rely on his spiritual strength to continually propel him forward. To keep his belief alive. He had passion, like Martin Luther King Jr... he had a dream.

Men who have spent there lives in prison typically fail to return to society as a valuable member. After a certain time they return to a life of crime. It is what they know and have power over. Contrary to this prisoners who have had a reawakening with religion reenter society with a mission and are more likely to succeed. This is where Mandela was not an ordinary man. He was sent to prison for his belief and never relinquished his belief. Returning to society he continued to fight for equality, eventually becoming president of South Africa and ending Apartheid.

What is it that kept Nelson Mandela alive? What is it that transforms people in prison? Is it just religion?

The Dalai Lama in his book "Ethics for a new Millennium" tells us that it's hope. People travel from all over the world, coming to him looking for answers to pain and suffering both physical and spiritual.

As I read through his words I can feel a sense of powerlessness. He says "...I am an ordinary human being." This is not a critical statement about one of the greatest spiritual leaders of all time; it is merely his own recognition of his life and his powerlessness over those who feel helpless.

And in this there is great knowledge and wealth that can transform all people. Understanding how absolutely powerless we are is another important key to gaining greater power in the universe.

Like Mandela's 27 years in prison the Dalai Lama lives his life in exile. Forced out of his home land by the Chinese communist government in 1959 he has led a life full of wonder and achievement. As a "simple" Buddhist Monk, he could have simply devoted his life to quiet reflection and prayer in a universal crusade to free his people. Of course he does this, but he also makes it a point to work for the betterment of all people from every background, he doesn't exclude any one.

Their path to expanding the universe, to influencing people and propelling themselves and all those around them came through the understanding that to be powerful you must first be powerless.

What prisons have we locked ourselves in? What habits have we developed to cage ourselves? Have we moved so far away from our true selves that the necessity for security is our only vision? Have we become too fearful of the unknown that we just steer ourselves clear of any thing that doesn't speak to us directly about security?

If we examine our lives fearlessly we will find the specific areas that we need to focus our energies on. To transform every cell in our bodies from the spiritual level all the way through our physical, mental and emotional levels.

Booker T. Washington said "I've found that success is measured not by the position attained in life as by the obstacles with which you have to over come in obtaining that position."

In Romans 3:28 it says "I am justified and made upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds." Which as you know means that when something comes directly from faith, hope, and desire we will never be denied. The universe will never let us down. We will see that the obstacles in our lives are simply minor steps that we can traverse easily because of our hope, desire, and faith.

In our day in age it is nearly impossible to imagine that we should first release what it is that we hold as our greatest strength. We have no jailers confining us yet we live in prisons everyday. Fear anxiety, boredom, negative thoughts generated by our own feelings of inadequacy.

In the comic strip Ziggy he says... "Security is knowing what will happen tomorrow, boredom is knowing what will happen the next day." And yet this is where most of us sit waiting for God to answer our desperation, or worse not believing that there is a power greater than our selves in the universe.

Having failed before only brings us closer to success if we are willing to take inventory of our lives. Recognize our strengths and weaknesses and make changes.

We should never reinvent ourselves or change what is critical to our personal make up. Knowing yourself is fundamental to growth of any kind whether in business, family, self or spirit. You must start with the foundation.