Pondering Power

I've been thinking alot about the concepts of personal power (our ability or capacity to act) including:

• Autonomy (self-directing freedom)

• Consent (the giving of permission)

and

• Personal Agency (the sense of having control over the choices that define our reality)

I've been pondering this in the context of helper-privilege and how we care for and respect vulnerable people (such as children, the mentally ill, trauma survivors, those grieving or suffering, minority groups and social/cultural outcasts). 

The more I think, the more I'm convinced those in a position of "helping" are often the first to REMOVE elements of the personal power held by those who have asked for or are in need of help. 

I wonder what would happen if helping people & helping organisations flipped this trend? 

What if we made a collective commitment to create social systems and structures where the removal of personal power is the LAST RESORT of effective helping? 

What if we had programs and processes where people's Autonomy, Consent & Personal Agency were actively protected and prioritised as an INTEGRAL component of what it means to help vulnerable people?

What if all people were consistently and persistently GIVEN personal power, regardless of their age, stage, mental or physical health, gender, race or social status - ESPECIALLY when they are in need of help? 

What would this look like?

Together in pondering,

K.