True Power

The Latin philosopher Seneca said that the one who has power over himself is the strongest. What does it mean to have power over  one's self? It means something easy to understand but quite difficult to put into practice. You have power over yourself when, at a deep level, you know that you are behaving in the best possible way. The problem is that not always are you capable of reasoning properly, especially when you are carried away by a temporary emotion and don't take the time to think it over. You react instinctively instead of rationally. Whenever you were unable to control your reaction, you lacked that power because you allowed yourself to be bridled by an irrational force that misled you. Only later did you realize that your reaction was wrong. The negative feeling you experienced weakened your mental strength, preventing you from choosing a better behavior.