Power, Practice, and Peace


 
This is a blog within a blog related to aspects of power, spiritual practice, and peace, both individually and collectively. I'll be keeping a list of published posts here to make them easy to find.

Introducing Power, Practice, and Peace

A brief summary of what this blog within a blog is all about.

The Power of the Powerless

A post-election reflection on grief and its silver lining.

The Fundamental Nature of Power

Using the scientific definition of power and the example of a high-powered lawn machine, this post explores the pros and cons of wielding power and why we choose to do so.

The Human Desire for Power

We humans have lost track of what is enough. Having lost track of what is enough, our usual inclination is to want more and more, to want to be more and more.

The Seductive and Addictive Nature of Power

In The Fundamental Nature of Power I spoke of power being inherently dangerous and potentially violent. Here I further reflect on its negative potential.

Unconditioned Peace

I've had much to say so far about power, but I've only hinted at practice and peace. I think it's time then that I dust off and revise a post from way back in 2011 and call it into service in this current series. No, our individual state of mind is not the be all and end all of peace. That said, there is little chance of peace in the outer world when we lack peace in the inner world.

Power, Nature, and Human Relationships

Can we discern natural values that might assist us in navigating power dynamics?

No Justice, No Peace

You've heard it said. You have a sense that you know what it means. But how deeply have you thought about it?

When Silence is Violence

Can violence be perpetrated simply by saying and doing nothing?

The Voice With the Greatest Power

Recalling when Elie Wiesel was invited to go to Gaza.

All the Power You Need

What sort of power does it take to walk a spiritual path?

Our Zen Bullshit Detector

Do you believe that seated meditation has its own built-in bullshit detector?

Zen Masters and Flying Monkeys

Or, more generally speaking, narcissists and their enablers.

Looking at Power Through a Cultural Lens

The cultural context for power. 

Looking at Power Through an Integral Lens

Using Wilber's Integral Theory to understand power.

Power and the Three Poisons

Power in the context of the three poisons of attachment, aversion, and delusion. Buddhism, Integral Theory, QAnon, politics…, this post has it all!

The Power and Privilege to Withdraw

Many of us have the power and privilege to fade into the woodwork during difficult times. But should we?

Power and Intimacy

Refrain from doing unto others what you would not want done unto you. The converse of the Golden Rule

Our Civic Superpowers

Don’t lose yourself, and don’t lose your values.

Power in Small Groups

Do you feel like something’s wrong but you just can’t put your finger on it?

A Parable of Two Power Structures

A little corporate tale that just might have something more to say.

Tools of the Powerful

The darkness has been gathering for quite some time.

The Karma of a Nation

The karma of our nation pits some of our highest strivings and ideals against some of our most entitled, greedy, violent, abusive, and self-interested urges. How will it ultimately play out? Will past harm and the harm still being inflicted on people of color ever be fully acknowledged and addressed? Will the moral injury inflicted on those impugned by whiteness ever truly heal without a complete reckoning of what our nation has done?

Power, Privilege, and Protest

Does a peaceful protest depend entirely on the intentions and actions of the protesters?

Mom and Apple Pie and Political Tribalism

Sports are an American institution. Are they part of our undoing?

The Power of Cruelty

Cruelty is not accidental.

The Power of Memory

The strength of our memories of a more enlightened nation will determine how quickly we rebound from this "dark age."

The Power of Authenticity in Allyship and Activism

Lessons learned on the streets of Ferguson during the Black Lives Matter protests.

The Power of Accordance with the Way

If not wielded in accord with the Way, even great power will eventually come to naught. When action accords with the Way, great power is unleashed.



Images

Power, Practice, and Peace banner courtesy of the author


Copyright 2024 and 2025 by Mark Robert Frank

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