Photo by Duncan Shaffer on Unsplash

In times of social unrest—like what many are feeling and witnessing again in Minneapolis—there is often a quieter crisis unfolding beneath the headlines. It is not just about policy, policing, or protest. It is about authority—who holds it, how it is enforced, and what happens when people are asked to distrust their own perception of reality.

This line is not about fiction alone. It is a psychological truth about power.

When an authority—political, institutional, cultural, or even relational—asks you to deny what you have seen, felt, or known in your body, it is not asking for safety or unity.

It is asking for submission.

True safety does not require amnesia.

It does not require you to abandon your moral compass.

It does not require you to override your nervous system’s signals of concern, grief, or anger.

When people are told:

•“You didn’t really see that.”

•“You’re overreacting.”

•“Just trust us—we know better.”

…what is being challenged is not just opinion. It is embodied knowing.

This is how dominance operates—not through force alone, but through epistemic control: controlling what counts as truth by disconnecting people from their lived experience.

And this is why the erosion of inner authority is so dangerous. A person who does not trust their own perception is easier to govern, easier to gaslight, and easier to divide.

Embodied authority is not loud.

It is not reactive.

It does not depend on winning arguments or being validated.

It is the deep, steady power that comes from being able to say:

“I know what I experienced. I can hold complexity. I do not need to collapse my discernment to belong.”

This kind of power lives in the body—not as instinct alone, but as integrated awareness.

When you are embodied:

•You can feel discomfort without panic.

•You can hold grief without needing a villain.

•You can question narratives without losing your humanity.

•You can disagree without dehumanizing.

This is the opposite of domination.

It is sovereignty.

We have been taught, subtly and explicitly, that education means memorizing the “right” answers. But true education is something much older and more demanding.

Education is:

•Learning how to think, not what to think

•Tolerating ambiguity without dissociating

•Examining power structures without becoming them

•Integrating emotion, logic, history, and ethics

Discernment requires nervous system capacity. When people are overwhelmed, frightened, or chronically dysregulated, complexity feels unbearable—and certainty becomes seductive.

This is why authoritarian systems thrive during chaos. Not because people are foolish, but because they are exhausted.

If you want to strengthen your inner authority—especially in times of social tension—start here:

1. Return to the Body Before the Opinion

Before reacting to news, commentary, or social media:

•Pause.

•Notice your breath.

•Feel your feet on the ground.

•Name what is happening in your body before deciding what you think.

Discernment begins with regulation.

2. Track Sensation, Not Just Emotion

Emotions can be amplified by narratives. Sensations are harder to manipulate.

Ask:

•Is my chest tight or open?

•Is my jaw clenched?

•Do I feel pulled forward, or pushed back?

Your body registers truth before language does.

3. Practice Holding Two Things at Once

Mature authority allows paradox:

•Harm can exist without collapsing into hatred.

•Accountability can exist without erasing dignity.

•Systems can fail while individuals still matter.

If a narrative demands total agreement or total rejection, pause.

4. Slow Down Information Consumption

Speed is the enemy of discernment.

Limit how much you take in at once.

Let information land.

Your nervous system needs time to integrate reality.

5. Educate Across Perspectives, Not Echo Chambers

Read primary sources.

Listen to voices that challenge you without dehumanizing others.

Ask: What am I being invited to ignore?

Truth does not fear scrutiny.

The most radical act in times of coercion is not just loud rebellion—it is presence.

A person who is embodied:

•Cannot be easily panicked

•Cannot be easily polarized

•Cannot be easily controlled

This is the kind of power Orwell understood and authoritarian systems fear most: the power of a person who trusts their eyes, ears, body, and conscience.

When you reclaim your embodied authority, you reclaim something no institution can grant or remove:

The ability to know what is right—without being told who to be afraid of.

And that is where real change begins.