Power refers to the ability to influence people, decisions, or societal developments.
Power is neither inherently good nor bad. Its impact depends on how it arises, what it is used for, and whether it is collectively controlled or permanently concentrated.
TEIKEI does not fundamentally view power as something negative.
Every form of shaping requires the ability to make decisions and take responsibility.
The crucial question, however, is:
Does influence arise through domination and control, or through trust, competence, and voluntary collaboration?
This question leads to the distinction between power and strength.
Power accompanies nearly every form of human coexistence.
Parents have power over their children.
Teachers possess power through knowledge.
Companies hold economic power.
States possess political power.
Money can also confer power.
Power itself is therefore not a problem.
It becomes problematic when it detaches from responsibility and primarily serves to maintain its own position.
The more power is concentrated, the greater the fear of losing it often becomes.
This fear frequently gives rise to control, competition, and mistrust.
From TEIKEI’s perspective, power is not simply abolished.
Instead, it should increasingly be complemented or replaced by other qualities.
These include responsibility, transparency, trust, cooperation, and care.
This changes the way decisions are made.
They rely less on coercion and increasingly on relationships.
That is why TEIKEI consciously distinguishes between power and strength.
Power can be imposed on others.
Strength arises from within.
Power can generate obedience.
Strength invites participation.
Power can separate people.
Strength connects people through shared responsibility.
Cooperative economics therefore does not mean powerlessness.
It means that the ability to shape things increasingly arises from shared responsibility rather than domination.
“We do not change the world by fighting against the existing system. We change it by living, in our daily lives, the qualities from which the system we desire should emerge.”
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Author: Felix Schröder, with the help of AI (ChatGPT)
Creation: written by Felix Schröder › formatted in Markdown by ChatGPT › published by Felix Schröder › layout adjusted by Claude
Created: 2026-06-27 · Last updated: 2026-10-10 · Questions or feedback? support@teikei.us