I've covered before the only limited truth of the assertion of powerlessness over people, places, and things.
(In case you missed it: we all affect each other and situations for good or for ill, voluntarily or involuntarily, with or without their consent; we clearly exert power over things, for instance, eating an apple, throwing a brick, or building a city. People hurt, help, charm, manipulate, direct, and trigger other people the whole time. People clearly have a very high degree of power over people, places, and things.)
What's interesting, however, is the attractiveness of this clearly false or at least limited proposition. Why it is so appealing? Essentially it casts me as the innocent victim, with the source of all ills outside of myself: people, places, and things.
Clearly, the power one can exert over people, places, and things, although unarguable in its existence, is somewhat circumscribed. There are indeed some things over which I am powerless, the GDP of Mozambique, for instance, or the colour of wasps. I cannot change the inherent nature of people, places, and things, and, whilst force is sometimes possible, most exercise of power requires me to work with the nature of people, places, or things and sometimes, in the case of people, with their consent or at least submission.
To the extent that I am not powerless over people, places, and things, however, to that precise extent I must recognise my power and therefore my responsibility.