It is at the root of all our societal strife.
Feeling powerless is one of the worst, if not the worst, feelings we can experience in our lives. Feeling unable to have any control over our lives strikes directly at the heart of our survival instincts. If we have no control over our circumstances we will be unable to protect ourselves, or those we love, from harm. Feeling powerless inspires a genuine and visceral sense of panic.
The number of different shades, tones, genres, and flavors of possible feelings of powerlessness is near infinite. Every situation we encounter from personal to professional to political to societal has countless different layers, components, and aspects some of which we may have some control over and many we do not. Sometimes we can feel in full command. Other times we feel completely at the mercy of outside forces. It is a permanent and perpetual part of life.
We feel powerless if we cannot achieve or obtain something we want. We feel powerless if we are unable to stop something from being taken away from us. We feel powerless if the goals and plans we have set for ourselves are blocked or dismantled. We feel powerless if someone does not feel about us the way we would like them to. We feel powerless when our lives are impacted by something completely unforeseen.