Today, we live in a world that revolves and worships the idea of a "structure". We thrive on structures, we thrive on plans, we thrive on knowing things before they even happen. In a way, this is good. It allows us to build serenity. Society today has forsaken the beauty of imagination and succumbed to the stoic rule of law, leaving us to the monotony and unimaginative way of modern life.
So, it's to no surprise that one of the laws of power involves shaking things up a bit. Spontaneity, imagination, originality, capriciousness. These are all things that welcome power in a person. How do you think did Bobby Fischer beat Boris Spassky for the World Chess Championship? Certainly not by subscribing to a single strategy, because Spassky was an anticipator; he bases his strategy on his opponent's. Fischer understood this, and knew then on that the way to beat Spassky was to be spontaneous. How can a reactive opponent beat you when there's nothing to react upon?
But one must be careful. As Aristotle will lecture us about the virtue of the mean, anything in excess will always be wrong. Become too spontaneous and you may be mistaken to be indecisive or worse, mentally ill. That's what we get for living in a society bereft of imagination, after all. In lieu of things we do not understand, we turn to the expert positivists to provide an immediate answer.
The point is this: People today have a need to understand things. In a way, that's the only thing they worry about. Somehow, we have all come to this illusion of positivism (that everything has a purpose). People today need to KNOW, otherwise they panic. And when they panic, it's people like Bobby Fischer who suddenly shine, because they know that there are certain things that just need to be DONE.
It's a lot like what the Joker mentions to Harvey Dent in the hospital. "Introduce a little Anarchy". In a way, the Joker is an embodiment of the 17th law of power. Because of his volatile nature, his unpredictability, and his lack of a true "nature", the Batman could never anticipate the Joker's next move, because the Batman was someone who deduced someone's nature or purpose first, then acted. Meanwhile, the Joker simply wanted to see the world burn.
"See, this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object."
Leiron Conrad T. Martija
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34 comments:
I agree with this. People who are just unpredictable always seem--to me, at least--as if they are capable of so many things. Their ability to not stick to a uniform course of action makes a spectator just want to anticipate what they'll do next.
"People today have a need to understand things. In a way, that's the only thing they worry about. Somehow, we have all come to this illusion of positivism (that everything has a purpose). People today need to KNOW, otherwise they panic." -- I agree with this, too. In today's society, people can never settle for things being the way they are "just because," but they really want to get at the bottom of things as they're happening. If there is no explanation set before their very understanding, they sometimes have a tendency to make their own meanings out of things.
Still, Law 17 asserts that one must "cultivate an air of unpredictability." One must always keep others at the edge of their seats. In this sense, maybe it is safe to say that the mysterious, creative and innovative have no problem in achieving or abiding by this law. :P
-- Kiara Lagrisola, Hi 18 O
This is high up on my list of laws that kick ass. :D Being unpredictable keeps everyone around you on edge, even fearful of what you may be capable of. They become cautious--who'd want to mess with someone they can tell what he or she is going to do or how he or she is going to react? They can't prepare for whatever you have up your sleeve. Merely sticking to convention, being rigid and playing it safe will probably get you through for a while, but it is in being unpredictable, spontaneous and innovative (just enough to keep people on their toes around you) that one is able to stay and enjoy power in the long run.
Patty Geollegue
HI18-N
Very good law. The element of surprise is a very potent weapon to use especially against foes who think they already have a good measure of what you are capable of. Just be sure that when you change things, you don't lose control or become disorganized. That will lessen the power of your surprise attack.
Alfonso S. Laviña
II AB MEC
HI 18 Section O
I agree too. Routines make life boring and very predictable. Unpredictability is the 'spice' of life. The law gives us the importance of always cooking up new (and unique) ideas to keep our life interesting.
As for a leader, being unpredictable is one of the best assets that a leader can have. Even if we have good strategy (in war, or attacking your enemy or something), our enemies will plan ahead and think of a better strategy to combat us (like Patricia said).
Miguel Rojas
Hi18O
I like the association of Leiron of this law and the Joker. Funny but true. If you do not allow your opponents to know your next move, you will have them unprepared, which will greatly aid you in the battle.
Like a plank floating on a river, if the water flows steady, everyone knows it will flow with it. But if the currents is fierce and unsteady, anything can happen.
Dexter Tanengsy, Hi18 - N
You know that feeling when you're in a carnival haunted house? You're kinda hesitant because it's dark and you don't know what's going to happen. Like if a ghost or monster will pop out in the next corner... I hate that feeling! I don't like haunted houses cause I have no control over what is going on and I don'tknow what to expect. And if i do get scared and want to leave, i can't just run out of the place. I think this is the exact feeling you instill in people when you master the the 17th law. Except that this feeling doesn't go away after you leave the haunted house, it lasts for a much much longer time.
Katrina L. Abello
HI18 - O
its really funny to keep someone guessing, its also a great feeling to lure ur enemy in for the kill.
When you wanna surprise someone, and you finally do it the way you wanted. That really feels good.
We all need to shake up things at one point, Yes I agree History has shown us. We need to understand things.
Luigi Ramirez Hi18-O
Being unpredictable is so much of a good tactic. No one can counter your moves if they can't know your routine. This is the case when the Japanese made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The Americans can just say, "Ouch! Never see that one coming!"
-Jedd Emille Chua
Hi 18 O
While I agree wholeheartedly about Law 17, I am pulled down to the ground by what I think is anxiety.
The thought of the unpredictable certainly is a great tool - advantageous and clever as it confuses and distracts others into trying to make sense of it. However, it is just as likely that people will learn. Although the concept of understanding the unexplainable is vague, I think people are at least able to connect dots enough to realize that you're using unpredictability as a weapon. And sometimes, in your attempt to be unpredictable and spontaneous, you fail to notice tiny details that might give you away.
The difficulty in defeating the unpredictable lies in the limited courses of actions you can take - either you do the opposite and plan/organize your way into snaring the spontaneous, or you give the unpredictable a taste of their own medicine and surprise them back.
Even Alfred kind of figured out that the Joker was simply being chaotic and spontaneous by nature.
Krizia Cureg
Hi18 O
This law is by far one that has the most impact. The problem with this law is that it cannot achieve its full potential in our world today.
Unpredictablility is a force that cannot be controlled therefore there is no use in taming it. Is there a use in controlling The Joker? No. So what does the world we live in do with unpedictablity? We kill it, why try to control something we can't control?
So my point is that, though the law is "oh so powerful",it doesn't matter in the now because society likes order. Anything that is out of the ordinary, we eliminate, so even though unpredictability can exist, it will never be able to grow to any dominating size.
That is why when you think of this law you get the picture of two docile creatures playing chess instead of a Joker killing babies, puppies and kittens with the whole world on their knees.
I must however counter this by saying that the existance of unpredictabilty is still important in our world. Think business; innovation which is so big nowadays is driven by being upredictable but again is limited to just being unpedictable in creating the idea. When something innovative pops up, it is necessary to revert back to order and structure to present it to the world, or else that creative "out there" idea will just linger and be useless.
Niko Falcon
H18- N
Being unpredictable is one of the essential factors in winning a battle. Through presenting to the enemy a mysterious, hard-to-decipher approach, it would then be hard for the enemy to defeat you and for you to easily defeat the clueless enemy.
Yet, realistically speaking, being unpredictable these days seem to be one difficult task.
In the modern world where the internet dominates practically everything, it is indeed very hard to become unpredictable to others. With the existence of blogs, people can easily decipher your intentions and plans. But still, it doesn't mean that it is not feasible to be unpredictable. Yes it is still possible to become unpredictable these days, no matter how difficult it may be.
Duey T. Guison
Hi18N
Unpredictability and surprise, a weapon and a factor. Using this can blow off the rhythm of the enemy. Next, you'll know their next move since the reactions are pretty much the same.
Take note of this though, the environment can be as unpredictable as your plans so better be careful. sometimes, luck(another unpredictable factor) is the thing that makes or breaks the win. so make sure expect the unexpected just to be sure.
Don Faylon
Hi18N
@Don. Expect the unexpected is definitely the way to go when applying this law. When you become unpredictable, you may even change the plans of everything and everyone else around you. It's how you adjust to these conditions while remaining unpredictable that determines the outcome of the battle. Being spontaneous doesn't automatically give you the edge.
I think this law complements the other law about concealing your intentions. Be unpredictable + conceal your intentions = hell for your enemy.
It's like the matador and the bull. The poor animal won't know where that flash of color will pop up next. Keep your enemy running in circles.
I agree with the others when they indicated that being unpredictable is a powerful tool to lure your enemy into your plans. But this also necessitate careful planning.
With you being unpredictable, no possible counter-attack could be created. I mean, think about it! If a speeding comet were to hit the earth, but you wouldn't know when, where, and how large the impact of it would be, then what counter-attack could you actually think of (aside from creating a shield around the earth, which isn't very plausible)?
-Pauline Purugganan
Hi18-N
Well, too much suspended terror can be hazardous too. I agree with Pauline on this one...
Being always in a constant state of worry, or fear can be a hurdle in achieving other goals. Being predictable brings about peace, stability, and development--one just has to remember to be flexible for sudden changes to "shake things up" once in a while to prevent stagnation.
Eric Andres
HI 18 Section N
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I would have to disagree on your point of how being spontaneousness would give away the its structure, because its only made manifest at said moment that paired with a fluxuating strategy based on experience and functionality create too much of a duality for structured minded opponent to have muCh success when shifting to spontaneousness contrived behavior
I would have to disagree on your point of how being spontaneousness would give away the its structure, because its only made manifest at said moment that paired with a fluxuating strategy based on experience and functionality create too much of a duality for structured minded opponent to have muCh success when shifting to spontaneousness contrived behavior
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