Page 16 - PowerE-L05-C

Lesson 4

Power

What is power? The philosopher Saint augustin

says, “Conquer yourself and the world lies at your
feet.” You are powerful when you are able to take

hold of your life and set it in the direction you please,
though you swim against the tide. Power isn’t so

much as having the charisma to have the world at
your beck and call as having the control over yourself. A person who controls

his life rather than letting life control him has the ultimate power. He asks, “How

are you treating life?”, and not “How is life treating you?”. Life sucks, but you
have the power when you are happy in spite of it. Gaining power is a matter of
personal choice. For instance, when you get up in the morning, you have the

choice either to be happy or sad. In the midst of a tragic existence, a powerful

person makes the best of it. He becomes more virtuous because experiences
make him better, not bitter. He becomes stronger, more resilient and more

compassionate to his fellow sufferers. As you live your life, you will face some
obstacles. However, by taking risks and making choices you can gain more

experiences in life. No one can give you strength or power except yourself.

Comprehension

1. Do you agree with the writer? Why or why not?
2. What is the main idea of this paragraph?
3. According to the paragraph, what is the relationship between being
powerful and controlling life?

Questions

1. Do you want to be more powerful? Why or why not?
2. What efforts do you make to be a stronger person?
3. What do you think is the ultimate power in life?
4. Why do you think people want to be stronger?

Vocabulary & Expressions

tide : the regular rising and lowering of the level of the sea
be at one’s beck and call : to always be ready to do what someone wants
ultimate : better, bigger, worse, etc. than all other objects of the same kind
in the midst of : in the middle of a period, situation or event
virtuous : behaving in a very honest and moral way
resilient : to recover quickly from an illness, difficulty and change, etc.
compassionate : feeling sympathy for people who are suffering

14