Wow, that's... so not how I think about such stuff. I can feel powerful when I fly, for example, or when I make progress on a brain hack. I have an instinctive revulsion for equating "powerful" with "power over other people".

At least if the illusion of power were to be handed out, then it's comforting to think that empathy would then be harmed only in those who can't do damage with their broken brains.