"Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. (Matthew 25: 14-18)

From the beginning the Master recognized differences between the three servants.

"Each according to his ability," we are told.

Each was given resources and opportunity matching his ability. The Greek is dunamis derived from dunamai. The most common English translation is "power."

A substantial part of Plato's dialogue Theaetatus (and some other dialogues) is committed to understanding the meaning of dunamai. Writing nearly 400 years before Jesus, in the dialogues dunamai is the outcome of action and a state of becoming.

According to Plato ability, power, talent, skill - even living itself - is meaningless without present action. Stasis is death. To live is to change.