I am oppressed when I perceive I am oppressed. No one may intend to oppress me, but because I perceive I am oppressed, I am oppressed.
I am not oppressed if I do not perceive myself to be oppressed. One may intend to oppress me, but because I perceive I am not oppressed, I am not oppressed.
I empower myself. No one else can empower me, because I was BORN powerful and only I control that power, even if I choose to control it by perceiving I no longer have it.
Now, imprisonment is another thing. Prisons are built everywhere, often invisible to the naked eye. Prisons are built with fear as easily as with brick and mortar.
Healing Rites of Passage 