SPIRITUALITY & WELLNESS

Lloyd Den Boer

The ordinary meaning of a common word is immediately clear to everyone . Yet , if we pause to examine that same word — say , a word like “ power ” — a kaleidoscope of meanings beyond the ordinary emerges . Admittedly , “ power ” is a complex word in a society like ours . In our sciences , technologies , and industries , “ power ” is a technical term with exact meanings like “ the amount of energy transferred or converted per unit of time .” In these areas of life , power can be measured precisely in units , like watts .

However , we are more than a society created through science and technology . We are also a democracy with the rule of law . Although we do not have crisp definitions and exact measurements for “ power ” in areas like government and politics , we know what it is . We recognize power in action when we see it , and when we speak of it , we mean something like the capacity to influence , or sometimes even control , the behaviour of others . That is the word ’ s direct , denotative meaning , of course . At the back of our minds , any word also has its less direct meanings , its connotations . For most of us , “ power ” connotes strength , sometimes even brute strength . As a society , we have mixed feelings about it . If words can fascinate , so can groups of words

that travel together . For example , take the expression “ flower power .” The two words rhyme , which is one reason why “ flower power ” sticks in our memories as tenaciously as chewing gum fastens to the soles of our shoes . However , the expression ’ s impact lies in more than its assonance — one technical term that English teachers use when pointing to the effect of words with similar sounds . “ Flower power ” is also an oxymoron , a term that refers to the effect of a combination of words with contradictory meanings . If power connotes a force so strong that it can shape the future , flowers connote beautiful things that fade almost as soon as they appear . How can such frailty be understood to have force ? And , as any English teacher will tell you , there is no point to an oxymoron if its contradictory words are not revealed to be true in some meaningful way .

If we want to resolve the contradictory meanings of “ flower power ,” one of the expression ’ s origin stories is a good place to start . In 1967 , as anti-war sentiment was rising among young people in the United States , a group of young anti-war activists protested the Vietnam War in

Washington , DC . As they approached the Pentagon ,

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