What gives one person power over another? In the wider animal kingdom (of which, let us not forget, we are a part), there is a huge diversity of strengths and weaknesses. The lion, for example, is much stronger than the gazelle... but the gazelle is much faster. these strengths and weaknesses are evenly distributed so that no one species reigns supreme... well, except humans but maybe that's part of the human illusion. All creature have at least some advantages to protect them from predators but they also have vulnerabilities to give the predators a chance.

So where do we fit into this? It seems that evolution has singled us out to develop the power to wipe out a whole species... should we choose to do so (and we have chosen to do so many times and continue to exploit other animals to extinction). The only predator we need fear is.... well....us.

On the face of it, this seems like something of an anomaly. Nature has been so careful to ensure that there is an even distribution of advantage / disadvantage. Are we a mistake? Did evolution fuck up?

Personally, I don't think so. The fact that the lion is not as fast as the gazelle is not a conscious decision on the lion's part. You don't see gazelles working out, muttering "That mangy freakin' cat has picked on me for the last time!"

Evolution is on a journey and we are a part of that journey. I very much doubt that we are the destination, as many would like to believe but we are a significant turning point. We have been given all the aces... and a conscious sense of right and wrong. Instead of having a disadvantage that gives potential prey a chance, we have a conscious desire to give them a chance. But, just as it took time to evolve the anatomy of who we are, it is taking time to evolve the spirit of who we are.

So, coming back to the initial question: what gives one person power over another? It is the other person's acknowledgment of that power. It is the other person's consent to that power. Well, OK... perhaps the fact that the power-monger may also have an army with guns trained on the other person might reinforce that acknowledgment and consent but, essentially, it is still a matter of consent. Why does the army consent to support the one who alludes to power. After all, they have the guns... why are they submitting to the will of another?

Without the acknowledgment and consent of his Kingdom, a King is just a bloke in a silly hat.

It's part of our illusion. It's a Game and the Game is an important part of our spiritual evolution. But it is only a temporary part of the process of becoming who we are. A starter motor is not a real engine. It cannot propel the car forward. It is, in effect, the illusion of an engine. A temporary little game in which the starter motor pretends to be the engine to motivate the pistons into action. Once the engine has kicked in, the starter motor is no longer required.

Power and finance are illusions. They are not evil and they are not the enemy. They are the temporary little Game to motivate us into becoming who we are. Just as an engine is just a heap of metal when it's at rest and becomes an engine only when in motion, we become who we are when we no longer need the illusions.

The Change of Consciousness that is so widely discussed on this network is just that: it is the change from the whine of the starter motor to the roar of the engine. We are coming into being. It's time to let go of the illusions.

You think money is real? Can you eat it? Is it even any good for wiping your ass? It has only the value that is assigned to it. But what we have created in the pursuit of financial wealth is of real value. Money is an illusion but the technology and advancements we have created are here and they are at our disposal.

Now we are going through a temporary period of chaos. Politics worldwide is being exposed as a corrupt sham. Economies are crumbling and the pursuit of financial wealth through technological advancement is threatening the planet and maybe the BP oil leak is the signal for Change. This, too, is part of the process of letting go. Why do teenagers become so intolerable to parents and parents such a pain in the ass to teenagers? Because it's getting close to the time to leave home. It's supposed to happen.

The political corruption, the collapse of the economy, the pollution and so on are all supposed to happen. It's part of our process of letting go.

Let's waste no more energy bemoaning the chaos that is actually a vital stage in our evolution and focus on letting go of these illusions. It's time to say goodbye to Mom and Dad and step out into a wonderful world that is truly ours.