HOW
REAL
Power
TO GET
At face value, he seems to have it all: a beautiful wife, a penthouse, a thriving
business, respect – the lot! And yet, the protagonist in Power — the US crime
drama-thriller — James ‘Ghost’ St Patrick can’t help but see his control slowly
slip through his fingers one decision at a time.
F
ans of the show have
followed the dramatic
and sometimes shocking
plot lines that lay bare the
internal power struggle that
St Patrick wrestles with; he
is both James, the ambitious,
successful
businessman,
and ‘Ghost’, a drug kingpin
catering to Manhattan’s elite.
This Jekyll and Hyde mash-
up always leaves him on the
verge of losing everything,
even his relationships.
‘The man who has everything’
in this case seems to lack
the one thing he wants the
most: the power to draw a
line between his old life and
the new one he wants to
build. How can someone so
powerful be so weak?
When we remove all the
drama, twists and turns that
drew 1.68 million viewers
to tune in to the Season
4 premier, the drive of St
Patrick and perhaps the
reason for his inability to
change is revealed: money
and his loyalty to Tommy
Egan, his former cellmate
and business partner. When
all is said and done, the
source, or rather the drive, of
Ghost’s power is as illusive as
his nickname.
It’s easy to be glued to the TV
and stare at St Patrick’s life,
dissecting his flaws as though
he were a fish in a tank. Would
the flaw be as easy to pinpoint
if you were the fish and
someone else was peering
into your little tank?
WHAT’S YOUR SOURCE OF
POWER?
A drink or two, or three, or
four…to make you feel like
you can do anything? Are
compliments and attention
the boost that fuels your self-
esteem? Or do you prefer the
buzz of being high so you can
escape reality? Is your power
behind a computer screen
where you can be anyone but
yourself? What drives you?
Pride, ambition, revenge, love,
hurt, loneliness, happiness,
faith, desperation, or fear?
We are all driven by
something. If, like Ghost,
it is based on things that
are uncertain, fleeting, or
unstable, how can one ever
hope to build anything that
will last? It’s like trying to
build a house on sand; when
the storm comes, there’s no
chance it will stand.
SO HOW THEN DO YOU
GET REAL POWER?
The ability or capacity to
do something or act in a
particular way — that is
the definition of power, and
you already have that; it’s
God-given; you have it for
free! REAL power, however,
is understanding that your
happiness cannot depend on
something you may lose. It
may not sound like much, but
if St Patrick understood this,
maybe he would finally find
the strength to put Ghost to
rest and just be James; maybe
he wouldn’t feel the need
to go back and change the
beginning, but use the power
he has to start where he is and
change the ending to his story.
If you, or someone you know,
finds yourself stuck in a
double life or are struggling
to make a change, the Day of
Power may be just what you
are looking for. See if you
too could benefit from it. See
the back for the address and
event date and time.
This Sunday • 10am
POWER:
the ability or
capacity to do
something or act
in a particular
way – that, you
already have. It’s
God-given. You
already have it...
but what is its
source?
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