Man, by nature, is equipped with power that enables him to think, produce and find means to make adequate utilization of the ideas or things he comes up with. When we see man, he appears only a torso, a creature with head, arms, and legs. For that matter, animals, too, possess the same parts of the body, yet, man is entirely different from them in type and quality. There is some kind of special drive that makes him perform in accordance with directives of the inner mental force. The mind activates the latent capacity to come into existence to assist the man to apply it to his day-to-day planned activities. Thus, that capacity or the power is what is referred to as potential resource or wealth to create a possibility for the man to harness the desired fruits of his activities. The potential power endows man with special creative capacity unlike other creatures.
What is required is how to make the potential come out . Not all people are determined to bring out the inherent potential power. Due to some unexplainable circumstances, some people are like a flower that is born in the forest and dies in the forest, without ever releasing its beauty or fragrance for the joy of those around it. As members of the world community, we are entrusted with a big task of bringing out our creative abilities to the world. The potential, I think, is not intended for the benefit of only one person but also for humanity at large to its farthest extent. There are several keys to how we can bring forth our potential power. Before figuring out the quantity and characteristics of our potential, we need to come to grips with the law that governs it.
Apparently, and at the same time to be specific, we need to know that potential is something that is yet to happen. We are expected to release our creative power, the potential. out of the package. First of all, we need to imagine what we intend to produce or create. The power of potential makes our imagination become real; it is like giving it blood and flesh and thus it becomes a living entity just like we want it to be. All things we imagine and get them realized emanate from the source each one of us possesses. No matter how many the realized imaginations are, the source remains to be one person. No wonder why we witness a medley of inventions with their unique characteristics impacting the world. The potential of one person becomes the means for the creation of one type of invention and with the same impetus do those of the others. The conglomeration of the potential power’s outcomes, upgrades the standard of human ingenuity to efficiently tackle the problems that the world faces at sundry times. It is utterly impossible to overcome the global or national crisis single handedly. Thus, the world, at present, is undergoing a combined test, in an effort to find medical solutions to contain the outbreak of coronavirus. The results of the potential in an individual springing form the same source, which is the person, is combined with that of other results, perform miracles. Further, if each outcome were to be analyzed, its characteristic refers back to the original person it came from.
The knowledge attained must definitely be attributed to the potential package, the person. It reflects the inner most of the person, which its source. Yet, although each outcome of the potential has its own uniqueness, when it is combined with other outcomes, it becomes a new constituent to tremendously affect the situation which it is called into play for the required transformation. The interplay of the results of human potential power indicates the interdependence of human all skills to confront any challenge and to come up with some kind of lasting solution to problems. Primarily, the outcomes of the potential of each person are analyzed, later synthesized with the viable results for a higher purpose of meeting the broader human needs. It is rather naivety to conclude that any new or old invention is the sole property of a single individual or a country; a part of each element can be traced back to the owner, yet, the totality cannot be attributed to only one person. For further investigation, the new conglomeration results can bring forth the knowledge that had not been previously envisioned.
The results or outcomes are not limited to only mechanical ones. Music, arts and philosophy, all of which spring out of the gradually synthesized knowledge need not be overlooked. This is how civilization gradually attains its relative full growth to enable mankind to achieve its dreams for the betterment of life. The achievement is never absolute for development is ever dynamic, that has power and force that produces motion; it does not stop in one place, neither is it dropped down from the sky. There should be a human being behind it, the owner of the power of the potential. The potential powers of all things are related to their sources. The results or the knowledge attained from their sources have either equal or less than their potential. For instance, plants have only as much potential as the soil they come from. The strengths or the weaknesses depend on the integrity of the person who owns the potential. The outcome cannot be more advanced than the potential power it emanates from. For illustration purpose, the strength of a table depends on the type of the wood the carpenter uses to make it. Poor quality wood cannot yield good quality table or chair. Thus, the quality of any product depends on the raw material we use to make it. The potential of anything is related to the source it originated from.
Every living being has the potential with which it achieves its objectives. The plan to make or produce anything is primarily the strong desire of its creator. Thus, the issue related to the product is known only by asking the producer himself. For instance, if I happen to visit a certain laboratory and if you ask me what the plan of the product I saw is, I can tell you just a little bit about it; yet, you can get the facts and valid information only from the producer himself. Similarly, the capacity of the product to achieve its objective is found in the product itself. Any producer cannot advise you to dry your clothes with a machine that is produced only for laundering. If I complain to the dealer that the machine does not dry my clothes, the dealer tells me that the machine is made for washing, not for drying. And he can say, but if you use it for washing, the machine accomplishes its duty well without doubt, but do not order it to dry your clothes because it cannot do that. It is only the producer who can decide the objectives of the product and its purpose.
Nobody else can exhibit the potential power except the owner himself. The activities that the product can perform in the future will be evaluated by the services the producer expects from it. Potential power is exhibited by the trust the producer has in the product and its success. A manufacturer does not expect 100 kg load capacity from a truck made for 50kg load capacity, and does not advertise it in that manner either.
It is wrong to conclude that because there is a certain potential power in a certain product, that potential power is always exhibited in that product. Most of us have tools that we use them in our homes. These tools have more potential than we are able to use. Perhaps you may use your oven for baking bread but not for roasting chicken. The reason is that you may not know how to roast chicken using the oven. God has endowed men and women with variety of skills, yet, they may not know how to apply them in life.
Therefore, since we do not have principles of how to freely use our skill, we fail to apply the God-given potential in our life.
When you buy something, with the acquaintance you have developed with seller, you have some kind of limited guaranty. Akin to this, if you decide to purchase a car, you need to search which a dealer has a better and durable car. Then, you look for a person who is able to make your purchase legal. To make the best use of our natural talents for any purposeful and fruitful activities, we need to tap the dynamo, which is our potential power.
The Ethiopian Herald May 15/2020
By Joseph Soboka
