"Power is good for one thing only: to increase our happiness and the happiness of others. Being peaceful and happy is the most important thing in our lives and yet most of the time we suffer, we run after our cravings, we look to the past or the future for our happiness."

Turning our conventional understanding of power on its head, world-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and national bestselling author Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how true power comes from within. What we seek, we already have. Whether we want it or not, power remains one of the central issues in all of our lives. Every day, each of us exercises power in many ways, and our every act subtly affects the world we live in. This struggle for control and authority permeates every aspect of our private and public lives, preventing us from attaining true happiness. The me-first mentality in our culture seeps unnoticed into our decisions and choices. Our bottom-line approach to getting ahead may be most visible in the business world, but the stress, fear, and anxiety it causes are being felt by people in all walks of life.

With colorful anecdotes, precise language, and concrete practices, Thich Nhat Hanh illustrates how the current understanding of power leads us on a never-ending search for external markers like job title or salary. The Art of Power boldly challenges our assumptions and teaches each of us how to access the true power that is within our grasp.

My Review:

I have to admit when I first picked up this book, I thought it would be in the same vein as the 40 Laws of Power, or something. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is actually a Buddhist book and that the power that is talked about in this book is the power that we get by living our true authentic selves.

Everyone wants power. We assign respect and power based on jobs among other things. Thích Nhất Hạnh says that true power comes from within and that we all can meet. Even the poorest among us has power. This was an interesting thing for me to read. As an American I had always felt that I could only keep power through my job or other accomplishments. When I was diagnosed with Bipolar in 2007 and I lost almost everything I fell into a pit of deep despair. I wish I had read this book back then then I would have known that even though I may have been poor and had almost nothing, inside of me i still had the power to choose how I felt and treated myself and other people. From this internal wellspring I could cultivate power and still respect myself.

Thích Nhất Hạnh says that once we truly respect ourselves and act accordingly that we have authentic power. Many people put down others because at some level they feel insecure and lack this authentic power so to make themselves feel better they put out false power. In the past when people had put me down I allowed them the control to how I feel. This was giving my power away. I can’t control other people but I can control how I react and refused to allow people to put me down.

Reading this book was eye-opening. I have tried to carry out some of the strategies outlined in this book and so far I have found that I really do feel better about myself and when I operate from a secure authentic powerful standpoint, I can be kinder and more compassionate. I urge everyone to read this book. If they do then maybe this world can be a good place both for the haves and haves-nots.