Two things about the billboard caught my attention. First, the woman, in her late 30s or early 40s, is a solitary figure whose image takes over the sign. Then, the caption is simple and bold: You Are Powerful.

The advertisement’s target audience is obvious. There is tremendous profit to be made by any company that successfully appeals to the more than 24 million unmarried women in the 20-44- year-old demographic. They make up 47 percent of all women in this age group (compared with only 19 percent that were unmarried in 1968). It is no wonder savvy marketers are targeting these women, since more than 71 percent of them are employed –– with significant disposable income and independent spending decisions.

The advertisement’s psychological appeal is equally obvious. Of course there is the gender thing. You’ve seen the T-shirt with the slogan: Live, love, laugh, shop. Married or unmarried, that’s us. The advertisement also appeals to our emotional need to be "in control." I was recently pleased to see myself described in a college newspaper article as a "strong, independent woman." The writer and editor of that newspaper are college-aged women; aside from, perhaps, projecting their own aspirations, the desire for independence is the passionate quest of adolescents and young adults.

Those young journalists would be surprised to learn the degree of my dependence on those to whom I am bound in the deepest bonds of love and respect. I often confer with my loved ones because they offer unvarnished reactions and level-headed advice –– first and foremost my husband, but also my son, daughter and mother. I also confer frequently with colleagues whose expertise I value.

While it is true that I have strong opinions and the temerity to speak my mind, I have lived long enough to discover my limitations; to learn that those I love, as well as those I work with, have needs that I can’t meet and problems that I can’t fix. Most dramatically, I have watched the ravages of illness eat away at the vitality of people who were once very strong; in health crises, none of us has the power to reverse the damage or prevent death. I have seen seemingly invincible power brokers and those solidly entrenched in the power structures brought down overnight.

When I am not on the road, I work daily in Washington, D.C., a city populated by a few powerful persons and a huge throng of those who are straining with all their might to become powerful. That by itself, I suppose, doesn’t make it any different than a thousand other cities. But what quickly becomes apparent in the world’s remaining superpower nation is that power is always fleeting and often is an illusion. Events can quickly erase power once viewed as rock solid.

The true picture, as I have come to see it, is one of human frailty and dependency. But these are not, as might be thought at first glance, reasons for discouragement or despair. Instead, they are inescapable parts of our human existence and should be valued and appreciated because they force us to learn how to live lives of connectedness and cooperation. Our reward is that we find, albeit reluctantly, not lives of power and independence, but lives full of meaning, service and significance.