The Transformative Capacity of Soft Power; People need knowledge of their own power; how to access and nourish it

By Sister Chirya —

“This, my dear, is the greatest challenge to being alive. To witness injustice in the world and not allow it to consume our light.” –Thich Nhat Hanh

Earth can be either Paradise or Hell. Currently, the world is obsessed with “hard power” that controls, imprisons, abuses, colonizes, and much more. “Hard power” involves “the ability to use the ‘carrots and sticks’ of economic and military might to make others follow your will.” 

However, individuals and countries worldwide are reconsidering and adopting a fresh approach to explore an authentic inner power known as soft power, a non-violent, peaceful approach to living. On a global level, soft power refers to a nation’s ability to influence others through non-coercive means, such as culture, diplomacy, and persuasion, rather than through guns and missiles. 

For example, the five pillars of India’s soft power – dignity, dialogue, shared prosperity, regional and global security, and cultural and civilizational links are utilized to enhance its global influence.

Soft power comes from within the soul. “I am the sum total of the basic pure qualities of the soul – peace, love, joy, and all that is good within.” Being aware of my true identity as an eternal thinking soul separate from the body, and in this way being an instrument, detached yet loving, creates unlimited peace and happiness within. 

Soft power is the spiritual power that enables us to manage our emotions, focus, realign our values, empower our lives, and contribute to co-creating a better and brighter future world. 

Medical science has proven that our emotional state, worries, anxieties, pains, anger, or fears play a significant role in determining our well-being and use of power. No one can make us feel happy or hurt, powerless. It is our internal conversation about their behavior that determines how we feel. It is the quality of our consciousness, whether ‘hard’ or ‘soft’, that creates our right use of power, our nonviolent solutions and lasting peace.

We also need to communicate and rely on a relationship with a Higher Source. The foundation of soft power is understanding that “God is doing and making us do.” As God is all-powerful and imperishable, God is just a thought away and will never abandon me. 

“Dear God, my wisest Father, you often whisper to me, ‘Become a rose; do not remain a thorn. Spread the fragrance of the self.’ To be one thing inside and another thing outside, complain about myself and others, allow worry and doubt to rule my mind, to be fearful of people simply because they think differently, I fully see now these attitudes create Hell. Since I have created it for myself, I also have the capacity to change it, but I certainly need Your cooperation.” – *Anthony Strano*

(Resource: Book – In God’s Heart by Anthony Strano. To order, call (518) 589-5000 or visit your local Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Center.)

We need to check ourselves. How much love do I have for the Father? To what extent do I have divine virtues in me? By radiating a powerful vibration of soul consciousness through our physical features and personality, we draw others closer to the strong spiritual vibration of God. The way to develop and use Soft power is to be connected to God constantly, full of humility and serve in the remembrance of God with a lot of lightness, giving all the credit of  service to God.

(Chirya Risely, of Owego, can be reached via email at bkchirya@gmail.com or chirya.risely@peacevillageretreat.org. Sister Chirya has been a student and teacher with the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University for over 40 years and is published around the world, including Delhi.)