Flash 3: On Influence.

One of the prevailing themes that has surfaced through my four-year course as a communication student is the theme of influence. It was instilled in me that beyond merely communicating to create understanding, we also communicate to exert influence. All around us we are influencing and being influenced. Today, I thought to contribute my two cents into this thing called influence. I hope you are edified as you read along.

Influence, as defined by the dictionary, is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself. In this sense, sociologists tell us that everyone, without exception, possesses influence. While the scope and magnitude of our influence may differ from person to person, yet its undeniable existence remains a constant reality. 

This reality presents both positive and negative implications. In a world where evil abounds, the predominant narratives is that we are powerless to effect change. However, this is not true. One of the tools at our disposal to enact positive change is the power of personal influence. There are numerous occurrences transpiring around the world that we are continually lamenting over such as poor governance, injustices, corruption, failing systems and weak economies. Additionally, there's the minor problems that unfold around us in our daily lives. Well, what if we intentionally harnessed our influence, no matter how modest, to embody and instigate the change that we wish to see? The remarkable thing about influence is its dynamic nature, meaning that it keeps evolving over time. That's not all. Influence also carries a ripple effect whereby one person may influence three people who in turn influence twenty more, and eventually, we're influencing millions! We see this employed for success in marketing, politics and religion. What a profound concept!

On the flip side, heedlessness and irresponsibility in wielding our influence can lead society astray. Consider the countless young individuals worldwide who perish daily due to drug overdose and abuse, all because of negative influence from their social circles. Ponder the families disintegrating daily because one or both partners misused their influence to perpetrate harm rather than good, inflicting pain not only on the family but also community. Contemplate the patients that suffer while some die daily due to their inability to acquire medication. Why? Because certain individuals have exploited their influence within the healthcare system to create scarcity out of greed. On and on, the list is endless of people, and the environment around them suffering because of individuals who wield their influence negatively.

Lastly, reflect on your own self. Think about the influence that you wield within the circle that God has allocated to you. Have you been casual and lackadaisical regarding the power resident within you to transform the lives of those around you? Have you been prudent and diligent in cultivating an environment around you that fosters truth, light and advancement? Or have you been using your influence to propagate darkness, falsehoods and malevolence within society? When you are called to account, what will you declare your influence was employed for?  

As always, I look forward to your thoughts. Tschuss!

Shilako Abutaka.