Power, Influence, and Punctuation

What kind of power do I have? What kind of power do you have? Power that has the ability to influence. I think that Paul Watzlawick (1990) says it quite nicely, so I won’t try to offer my own analogy.

“Toward the end of 1988 a bizarre incident was reported in the local section of the Italian daily La Nzione. A psychotic woman who had been temporarily admitted to the general hospital of the city of Grosseto was to be transferred to a psychiatric clinic in her native Naples. As the Red Cross attendants came to take her to the waiting ambulance, she began to decompensate rapidly. She became abusive and belligerent began to depersonalize, claiming that she was somebody else, and had to be restrained. About an hour later, on the freeway outside of Rome, police intercepted the ambulance and directed it back to Grosseto as it had meanwhile been discovered that the woman in question was not the “real” patient but rather a visitor who had come to the hospital to see a friend who had undergone surgery. …”to be sane in insane places” (in this case within the frame of an administrative mistake) can create a situation in which any manifestation of sanity becomes further “proof” of insanity.” (p. 145)

Wow. Poor woman. How often does this happen today? Maybe we’re not sending someone to a psychiatric hospital, but how often does something similar occur? When someone is confiding in us and they say, “She’s crazy” or “He’s off his rocker.”  My eyes and thoughts have been intercepted by person A’s punctuation of person B. After person B’s actions have been punctuated, I only observe things that further proves what person A has told me.

How is that fair? How is that just? How does that offer grace?

These are my thoughts and questions:

I believe that we are a fallen world, a fallen humanity. It is impossible for us to maintain perfection or normalcy because of our fallen, sinful nature. Therefore, I am an imperfect person with the power and influence to punctuate another person’s imperfections. How can I keep this in mind when interacting/punctuating people?

How can I punctuate people in such a way that helps bring forth Life?

When I was working on my Master’s degree a Doctoral student did something wonderful with a client. The client was trying to convince the therapist that she had a particular diagnosis, that she was really ill. After much back and forth, the therapist said he would like to give her a new diagnosis. He said, “I diagnose you as Terminally Human.”

With the power that I have, with the influence that I have, how am I offering people grace?

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Wonderful grace, all sufficient for me, for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious Name of Jesus.
Praise His Name!