The things that make people feel powerful can vary widely, but we've all had that moment where we feel that surge of power. For some of us, the power goes to our heads. Others are capable of using it for good (or for awesome).
We all feel that power at some point, but it's what gets us there that Reddit user RedDanubeWaltz wanted to know about when they asked:
What was the most power you ever had?
And yeah, the answers are sometimes ridiculous, sometimes adorable, and pretty solidly entertaining. Enjoy the power trip, guys!
Festival Jesus
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You know the last night of a music festival when everything's gone a bit weird and a large group of people will follow a random person around the site? I was Festival Jesus for half an hour. It was like Simon Says with 100s of people
Itty Bitty Kitty Committee
I used to volunteer at a rescue center for cats. I quickly became the favorite of the cat army. My army of kittens was the cutest army you will ever see.
The In-Flight Emergency
I'm a RN, and once on a flight another passenger had a health emergency. When they did the "Are there any doctors or nurses or paramedics on board?" Overhead page, it was just me. I had to decide by myself what was going on and how the person was doing, and what I needed to do.
It was a large, close to full flight, and I had to decide if it was safe for us to continue onwards to our destination or if the plane needed to make an emergency stop (we were still like 2 hours away) and potentially make 100+ people miss connecting flights.
I was working in an ICU at the time and frequently was part of our code team/medical emergency team, and at various points was responsible for leading code blues (where a Patient stops breathing or their heart stops beating) until an MD arrived. Part of working in an ICU as a nurse means that sometimes your patients will life or die based off of how well you do your job, but the plane thing felt much harder to me because I was by myself, and because my decisions affected so many other people.
The passenger was fine. They just hadn't had anything to eat or drink for like 18 hours before the flight because they were afraid of getting sick on the plane and had passed out. They were easy to arouse, vitals were okay, etc. I just asked them to have a paramedic crew meet us at the gate at our regular destination, and grab the potentially sick person first to check them out and do their triage before they let the rest of us disembark.
I got a thank you letter in the mail from the airlines with some free miles I could redeem for a short plane trip somewhere, and I think the person was okay; I never heard anything, but my best guess what that they were probably fine after having some food and a few glasses of water.
- seulless
The Applause Instigator
One time I started clapping after a song at church and then the entire worship center of like 600 people started clapping.
- Alec-M2
$10k
I don't think it counts the way you mean it, but a member of my family won the lottery years ago and he gave me $10k US dollars. Here in a third world country (Uruguay) it was a lot. We bought a house with that.
The Dog Whisperer
I brought treats to the dog park once. I was the dog whisperer for a little bit there.
A Man Of Peace
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I had a loaf of bread on the beach once. Every little crumb I threw swarmed an army of hundreds of birds to that location. I could have used my powers for evil, but I am a man of peace.
- R483
George
Our college had a closed Facebook group where just our class would post stuff about campus life, etc. There was a guy in my major, George, who posted incessantly in that group. He was the most insufferable person to be near in classes - constantly talking about South Park and gaming apps he liked and begging people to join them.
One day George made a post that said something to the effect of "[Our school] is so messed up because there's more girls than dudes. Fat girls think they're better than everyone else when in real life, no one likes a chubby chick."
Mind you, George is a VERY heavy dude and VERY single.
I responded to the post. I wrote:
"George, posting as a 'chubby chick' myself, don't worry - you're easily heavier than any girl in our class, but the reason no one wants to date you is because you post things like this."
He didn't respond.
The next day I walked into class and George was sitting there, facing the door. I made direct eye contact with him. He looked at me, then promptly at the floor. He didn't talk to anyone in that class for the rest of the semester.
I felt ultrapowerful.
No Contact
Maintaining no contact with my toxic ex-husband during our divorce. Communicating in any form was the way he would take control back. So silence for me was power. And taking the high road gave me a sort of power in a different way. Having the ability to expose or destroy him but taking the high road by not doing that.
The Crowd Went ... Mild
Standing at the lighting console at a Guns n Roses show my friends were opening up for. The opening band wasn't announced. When the sound guy told me he was ready and kill the lights whenever I felt like it I realized how much power I had in that moment.
I took a deep breath and killed the lights. The crowd went wild!
As I brought them back up on my friends the crowd went... mild. All in all it was a blast and I would love to do it again.
Fail Us All!
Group project in middle school where I was doing all of the work. I came to a crossroads due to frustration. I could either turn it in and let the other 3 get full credit for my work, or I could fail us all.
I failed us all then made up for it in extra credit.
- Alefur
You Can't Handle The Suit
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When I was a Team 2 trainer at Chuck E Cheese's. Basically I was in charge of showing the new hires the ropes about the basics of the job like working the prize counter, cleaning tables, running orders, and the best part the - darn mouse suit.
If the new hire was pretty chill and actually listened then I would go in the suit and they would just follow me out there; ya know watch and learn. Now, if they were being a little brat and not paying attention...they got to experience the horrors of that suit!!!
Rowdy kids, smelly nasty suit, being out there for 20 hot minutes taking photos and high fives in this monstrosity of apparel. So yeah...made me feel kinda powerful sometimes. Also, a few of the new hires quit after the suit happened. lol.
Get Your Grind On
Fooling around with my now-boyfriend and was grinding on him pretty intensely. In that moment I knew he was mine. So to prove it, I suddenly hopped off of him and laughed at how he begged me to come back and cursed me for leaving.
Until I Say
Crossing guard in elementary school. You will not go to class until I say it's safe!
- jx84
Hey!
I was a senior in high school while I was an assistant to one of my favorite teachers in her 6th grade P.E. class.
The kids were being loud and wouldn't listen to the teacher. I had a headache and was getting tired of their shit. I shouted "Hey!". I was an 18 year old guy with a deep voice so this made half the kids jump and they all went completely silent.
I never felt more powerful as I told them to listen.
A Microphone
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I once played a concert to over 1,000 people. It amazing what control you have over people just because you have a microphone.
Nothing To Be Alarmed About
My dad and uncle are firefighters, in fact my uncle is the chief of the local firecompany. A perk of this is we can use the smaller field trucks to fill our pool every spring if it's too low. I am not a member, but I was riding along with a senior driver (as in he's old and only drives the rigs) to help fill the truck at a local water tower in a development. A worried older lady comes out and asks me if there is a problem, and quite calm and sternly I said "Ma'am, everything is under control. Nothing to be alarmed about" and she was satisfied. 16 year old me felt pretty powerful in that moment.
- Bulletoverload
The Fire Drill
I worked nights at a tiny college library as a circulation assistant while I myself was in college (not the college I worked at.) One day before she left, my boss told me they were going to have a fire drill that evening and apparently whoever is in the library is the one who has to check all the rooms on that floor of the building and make sure they're clear, make sure the fire doors to both stairwells closed, then radio the head of security that information. As I was usually alone in the evenings, that fell to me.
It was only maybe 4 classrooms, 2 bathrooms, and the library, but I felt a rush of responsibility. I, the lowly circulation assistant, would be the one to ensure the safety of those on the third floor of the 1000 building. I started asking a bunch of stupid questions, like what if there's an individual in a wheelchair and the elevator isn't working because of the fire? "They won't turn the elevators off for a drill, they can use those to go downstairs." Etc. My boss answered all of my overly-worried questions.
I spent the whole night nervous in anticipation, I did NOT want to screw it up by somehow missing the blaring fire alarm. I'm also super non-confrontational so I was anxious about having to chase people out of the library because the students were notorious about not giving a damn and would just keep working or doing whatever rather than responding to the drill.
I knew security would sweep the building afterward to make sure it was empty and I'd be the one on the hook. Finally it happens; the alarm goes off just as the sun is going down. I hop up and grab the walkie talkie, lock the door to the circ desk, and make my rounds. I have to get stern with a girl who refused to leave her table, and I had to help the girl in the tech lab chase everyone off the computers. I check the classrooms, shout into the bathrooms, then finally it's time - I radio the head of security and say, "This is the library, building 300 is clear!" as I'm going downstairs to exit myself.
Only problem is... it's building 1000. There is no 300 building. I messed up. I hear someone else on the radio say "Did she say the 300 building?" and someone else replied, "She probably meant the 1000 building." Then I had to stand outside burning with embarrassment that I screwed up until they cleared the building and we could go back.
Once inside, I realized I'd left my keys hooked to my purse and couldn't unlock the door to the circ desk, so I had to hop over the counter using a chair to unlock it from the inside. Also I was supposed to have locked the library after everyone had exited (for drills only) to secure the computers etc. I hadn't done that, obviously, since I didn't have my keys.
Clearly I'm not meant to have any power.
Power and Justification
I had both the power and justification to fire someone once... turns out it's not something enjoyable at all.
Eventually I helped him update his resume and obtain a job elsewhere that would better fit his personality, then I myself applied for a different role where I wouldn't ever have to face that situation again.
Mr. Ed
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When I was doing Rocky Horror we had a big tenth anniversary show. 1000 people showed up to a cinema with only 900 seats! I started handing out rice, but was running out fast.
"I'll only be giving rice to those singing the theme song from Mr Ed" I announced.
A few people started singing "A horse is a horse of course of course"and I handed them rice. More people started singing and I handed them rice. The singing grew and crept and grew. Soon all 1000 people were singing the theme song from Mr Ed.
That day I truly was a god!
- dedokta
Clear Roads, Powerful Cars
Had to deliver cars from one dealership to another. The thing is, we did it after an event that ended at 3am. Clear roads, powerful brand new cars... man we probably left skid marks behind from the gas pedals being hit so hard.