From The Jolly Contrarian
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| {{quote|{{Power versus strength quote}}
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| :— James P Carse, {{br|Finite and Infinite Games}} }}
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| There are many gems in [[James P. Carse]]’s masterwork (almost all of them missed by [[Simon Sinek]]’s threadbare cash-in, {{Br|The Infinite Game}}, by the way) but the distinction he draws between power and strength is fantastic.
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| Think of power as accumulated, finite resource; a ''historical'' acquisition that is depleted by use, the way a battery loses its charge or a hydro-dam runs out of water.
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| Strength is prospective: it regenerates energy rather than using it; is somehow anti-fragile, a muscle that grows the more you exercise it and give of it.
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| The personal sacrifices one makes in the name of a wider cause; the good deeds you do when no-one sees, without asking for return; the reputation you build for honest dealing: There is a good Maori word for this sense of strength: ''mana''.
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| It is also the time and effort expended to acquire skills, expertise, experience and resilience: the callouses you’ve grown, the toughened hide, the give in your frame, the system redundancies you have acquired. These confer ''strength'' not power.
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| {{sa}}
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| *[[Power structure]]
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Latest revision as of 10:31, 25 July 2023