Looking through history, it becomes clear that the essence of power boils down to three statements.

First: Violence is the infancy of power.
When you're 7 and don't want to eat, your parents pull you over and slap your butt.
In that moment, you understand a truth: in the face of an absolute physical disparity, all willfulness comes at the cost of pain. At this moment, power is violence.
Throughout history, wars between nations, rulers' military suppression, and family discipline are all based on this simplest and most brutal logic: whoever can make the other suffer, can make them obey.
The cruelty of violent power lies in its directness, leaving no room for doubt or compromise.
But it is also the most fragile form of power, because once violence disappears, obedience stops immediately.
Second: Resource monopoly is the mature form of power.
When you're 18 and want to study art, your parents say, "You can study liberal arts, but we won't provide living expenses."
Standing at the university gate with only 300 yuan in your pocket, you suddenly understand what "economic base determines superstructure" means.
At this point, power becomes resource monopoly.
In modern society, whoever controls the resources controls the choice.
The boss holds your salary, the platform controls your traffic, the bank holds your loans. We suddenly realize that in the adult world, "starvation" is more effective than "beatings."
Resource power is smarter than violent power; it doesn't need to show muscles every day, just let you know who holds the switch.
But its weakness is also obvious: once you find alternative sources of resources, power begins to loosen.
Third: Ideology is the ultimate form of power.
You're 30, financially independent, single, and don't want to go home for the New Year to meet your parents.
Your parents haven't hit you, nor have they cut off your financial support, but they quietly say, "The neighbors keep asking me if there's something wrong with you."
The string of "filial piety," "normalcy," and "what others think" in your mind is suddenly pulled.
Power has completed its ultimate evolution: ideology.
At this point, power no longer comes from external coercion but from your internal self-censorship. They make you your own jailer.
The invisible ropes of filial piety culture, social expectations, moral coercion, and collectivism are stronger than any chains.
Because the person who makes you feel guilty when you go against your own will is yourself.
The trinity of power structures
Throughout human history, the most stable power structure has always been the combination of kings, merchants, and priests:
King(Violence Deterrence):"Disobedience will be punished"
Merchant(Resource Control):"Obey and you'll get benefits"
Priest(Ideology):"Obedience is right, good, noble"
Modern states have perfectly inherited this model: the military and police provide violence guarantees, the economic system controls resource distribution, and education and media shape shared values.
Violence makes you physically obedient, resources limit your choices, and ideology makes you internally aligned.
Understanding the essence of power is not to become a winner in the power game, but to at least know what game you're playing in an unavoidable game.
After all, the most terrifying control is when you're being controlled but still think you're free.