Community Chat

[suzyQ3]

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@151949 wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

per Webster -- authority or power given to someone to do something.

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I think people are making way more of this word than it actually means. For instance - when  I passed my state boards I was empowered to be a registered nurse. When you get married you are empowered to be a wife - have a baby , you are empowered to be a mother. When an employee gets a promotion to a job like a foreman he is empowered to supervise the work of those employees under him. 

Saying or thinking you are empowered to determine your destiny is pretty naive IMO. There are many factors that are not in your control that work toward or against  your destiny. Illness - economic conditions - weather - politics -- many things can change your direction or completely derail your destiny and are totally out of your control.

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@151949, you might be surprised that I agree with you to some extent here. I do think that the "empowerment" as we know it today has joined the list of buzzwords, which tends to drain a word or phrase of its original impact.

[ROMARY]

Walk tall.  Look proud and strong.  Sometimes looking a certain way will bring us power.  Practice in front of a mirror.

(Gee, it's taking forever to type.   Could be that the college kids are back home for a few days.  Lots of their cars out front.  It happens.  Too many folks surfing around all at the same time. )

[SilleeMee]

To me the word appears to have become an association with other words, some that have nothing to do with one another.

[blackhole99]

If you have never had anyone one you could rely on or was on your own from an early age ,you know you must be self reliant or you will fail. I think that alone will empower most people in that situation, unless they indeed don't mind failing. When I hear someone say they were victimized and just didn't know what to do, I think they must have been very protected all their life.

[stevieb]

I know what it means to me but I have to tell you, it's beginning to be one of those buzz words that will soon stand for just about anything anybody wants it to stand for. I also have to say that its over-use is beginning to rankle.

[chrystaltree]

I think you are "empowered" when you have control of a situation and have the ability to effect the outcome.  

[MyShadowLove]

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stevieb wrote:

I know what it means to me but I have to tell you, it's beginning to be one of those buzz words that will soon stand for just about anything anybody wants it to stand for. I also have to say that its over-use is beginning to rankle.

@stevieb...I agree!...I was empowered to head out for a long walk this morning in 20 degree weather if that...which further empowered me to sip down two mugs of coffee...which continued to further empower me to face anything that comes my way today...so, therefore, I am feeling so totally over-empowered that I don't quite know what to do with all of this empowerment!...lol

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[stevieb]

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@MyShadowLove wrote:

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@stevieb wrote:

I know what it means to me but I have to tell you, it's beginning to be one of those buzz words that will soon stand for just about anything anybody wants it to stand for. I also have to say that its over-use is beginning to rankle.

@stevieb...I agree!...I was empowered to head out for a long walk this morning in 20 degree weather if that...which further empowered me to sip down two mugs of coffee...which continued to further empower me to face anything that comes my way today...so, therefore, I am feeling so totally over-empowered that I don't quite know what to do with all of this empowerment!...lol

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@MyShadowLove Ahhhhh... caffeine empowerment! One of the best kinds!

I get it... I was watching one of the daytime talk shows a while back and it seemed like every other word out of their mouths was some version of 'empowered'... Wow, I thought, get a grip ! It's an important concept, but increasingly, it seems the only way some folks know how to embrace it is in a somewhat combative sense...