(Updated 3-19-08)
Many Thanks to my friend Bob le Boeuf in upstate New York for this material. This is his condensation of Chapter 8 of the very popular book Power Vs. Force by David R. Hawkins M.D., PhD.
This chapter defines the difference between power and force. As we move from an animalistic, ego and survival based experience of life into the Flowering of the Heart (Awareness-enlightenment) we move from a fear (force) based perception of reality into a love (power) based experience of all-that-is. That experience is unconditional and all pervasive… and permanent! The receiving of Oneness Deeksha is what can get you there.
Chapter 8 The Source Of Power
Power vs Force: Power arises from meaning. It has to do with principle. It is associated with that which supports the significance of life itself. It is the part of human nature that we call noble – in contrast to force, which appeals to that which we call crass. Power appeals to what uplifts, dignifies, and ennobles. Force must always be justified, whereas power requires no justification. Power originates from the mind, whereas force is rooted in the material world. — Page 151
Force is a movement – it goes from here to there (or tries to) against opposition. Force automatically creates counter-force. Power, on the other hand, is still. It’s like a standing field that doesn’t move. Gravity itself, for instance, doesn’t move against anything. Its power moves all objects within its field, but the gravity field itself does not move.
Force is incomplete and therefore has to be fed energy constantly. Power is total and complete in itself and requires nothing from outside. Because force has an insatiable appetite, it constantly consumes. Power, in contrast, energizes, gives forth, supplies, and supports. Power gives life and energy. Force takes these away. Power is associated with compassion and makes us feel positively about ourselves. Force is associated with judgment and makes us feel poorly about ourselves.
Force always creates counterforce; its effect is to polarize rather than to unify. Polarization leads to conflict which produces a win/lose dichotomy; and because somebody always loses, enemies are created. Constantly faced with enemies, force requires constant defense. Defensiveness is always costly, whether in your personal life or international affairs. –Pages 132-3
Force has transient goals; when those goals are reached, the emptiness of meaninglessness remains. When life loses meaning, we first go into depression; when life becomes sufficiently meaningless, we leave it altogether through disease or suicide.
Power, on the other hand, motivates us endlessly. If our lives are dedicated, for instance, to enhancing the welfare of everyone we contact, our lives can never lose meaning. If the purpose of our life, on the other hand, is financial success, what happens after it’s been attained? This is one of the primary causes of depression in middle-aged men and women. The disillusionment of emptiness comes from failing to align one’s life with the principles from which power originates.
People such as great musicians and composers who have been dedicated to the creation of beauty, which incorporates and expresses enormous power, frequently have productive careers until a ripe old age. Alignment with beauty is associated with longevity and vigor – because beauty is a function of creativity, such longevity is common in all creative occupations. –Pages 134-5
Force can bring satisfaction, but only power brings joy. Victory over others brings us satisfaction, but victory over ourselves brings us joy. –Page 136
The Source of Power: The sources of power are inarguable and are not subject to proof. The self-evident isn’t arguable. For example, the fact that the constructive is preferable to the destructive is self-evident and not subject to proof. Ultimately, the only thing we can say about a source of power is that it just “is.” True power, then, emanates from consciousness itself; what we see is a visible manifestation of the invisible. –Page 133
The sources of power are invisible and intangible. The fallacy of the doctrine that sensory experience is the only source of knowledge, is clear from its essential premise. To say that nothing is real unless it’s measurable is already an abstract position. This proposition itself is not tangible, visible, or measurable; the argument of tangibility is itself created from the intangible. –Page 135
Love, compassion, and forgiveness, which may be mistakenly thought of as submissive by some, are, in fact, profoundly empowering. Revenge, being judgmental and condemnation, on the other hand, inevitably make you go weak. In the long run, the weak cannot prevail against the strong. That which is weak falls of its own accord. –Page 140
Some weak patterns tend to imitate (in form only) more powerful patterns. These we’ll call imitators. The demagogue or the zealot tries to sell us imitators as the real thing, for example, false patriotism. Demagogues, to this end, always put forth a great deal of rhetoric… those who proceed from power need say very little. –Page 141