Empower: its usages

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I was right this minute checking out what events there are to do today in and around the Boulder, Colorado, area. A theme has just occurred to me: notice with me, if you will, exactly what percentage of self-help seminars use the word “empower” when describing what it is that the seminar is about. Time to look this up in the Apple dictionary…

empower |emˈpou(-ə)r|verb [ trans. ]give (someone) the authority or power to do something : nobody was empowered to sign checks on her behalf.• enable (someone) to do (something) : cryptography will empower individuals to control their information.• [ trans. ] make (someone) stronger and more confident, esp. incontrolling their life and claiming their rights : movements to empower the poor.

Did it occur to anyone that letting someone else empower you is giving up your own power?

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2 thoughts on “Empower: its usages”

  2. I think the idea is to empower yourself – think of it as giving yourself permission to be who you are.

    In that context, you are letting someone show you that you have power, since those who need to be ’empowered’ don’t usually feel they have any at all.

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