Aria da Capo & What Makes a Man Powerful?

Two Kinds of Power Early

Growing up in suburban Miami there were times when I was "liking...the world on an honest basis." For example, I loved being at the end of our block at dusk, looking out over the expanse of Biscayne Bay. As the sun was beginning to set, the boats in the distance headed home, and the water lapped against the bay wall in a steady rhythm, I didn't know it but I was affected by reality's opposites—rest and motion, near and far—and I was excited and composed.

But also as a child I saw that my mother and father could sometimes seem bitter with each other, and rather than try to understand what they felt I was political. I exploited my parents' disagreements to get things for myself.

Once, when my father was very worried about money, I convinced my mother I needed a particular item of clothing that was expensive. I knew our buying it would make him angry, but I didn't give a damn as long as I got my way. My going for this kind of power would have continued and ruined my life, if I had not had the good fortune to study Aesthetic Realism and hear the criticism that enabled me to change.

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