Chapter five begins talking about the word power, similar to the previous book that we read. I noticed that the first thing to pop into my head when i heard the word power was wealth. An older person with a nice suit on driving around in a nice car, and having a lot of money of course. The word power has a negative connotation to it when you think about it, but then as i kept reading the chapter i realized everyone has power, and if used correctly could make the world a better place. The power of influence.
The most interesting part i found in the chapter was the study in the 1990's that they did on monkeys. It said that "neuroscientests were studying the brain activity of monkeys, particularly in the part of the brain's frontal love associated with distinct actions, such as reaching or eating. They saw specific neurons firing for specific activities. But then they noticed something they didn't expect at all: The very same neurons were fired when a monkey was simply watching another monkey perform the action" (119). They are called "mirror neurons" and it is pretty amazing to think about. This means that by simply observing another person do something you can experience what they are experiencing. Humans have the ability to empathize, and this also brings the power of influence. I never really thought about it but my mom was right when she told me to set a good example for my brother because he looks up to me and i influence him. Therefore, when used in a postive way, this power can really do some good for our world. I never saw the word power in this light and it is very interesting. I know there are people that i look up to who influence me like my mom and dad. Their influence and actions have helped shape me into what i am today, and not just them, my friends as well. "We can be certain that our actions, and perhaps our mental states, register in others. We change anyone observing us. That's power" (120). Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment