Do you ever wonder why Christianity, or religion in particular, creates an aura of power?
Law #37 answers this question. It states that striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power—everyone responds to them.
Diane de Poitier, wife of King Henri II of France knew perfectly well this law. In order to maintain her grandeur as the queen, she took the symbol of a goddess very much close to her own name, Diana, the Roman Goddess of hunting. By doing so, she was able to establish a very close relationship with the King because every time the king would hunt, which is his favorite past time, he would remember Diana who would guide him in his hunting and, eventually, to his own queen Diane, who took the symbol of Diana as her own. More than that, choosing the symbol of the roman goddess, Queen Dianne also associated herself to chastity and purity, which are some dominant characteristics of Diana. So every time the people would see the queen, what they will picture in mind is not the queen herself but the image of Diana, the faithful, the pure goddess. Therefore in the end, because of the symbol she associated with herself, Queen Diane was able to gain attention and respect, not just from the people but more than that to the King Henri II himself, thus her more power than before.
So now, why does religion create aura of power? From what we have learned from Queen Diane, the most probable answer is that, religion uses and has a lot of symbolisms. Christianity has the cross, Islam has the crescent, Buddhism has the Buddha and many more.
Every time we see the cross for example (which we will always see not just in churches but to many other places especially that we are here in the Philippines), we will be reminded that God id watching you, that Christianity is there, that Christianity is omnipresent, therefore Christianity is powerful.
To maintain your aura of power, take your own symbol and rule!
Mike Orlino
2 BS ECE
Hi 18 O
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King Louis XIV of France also identified himself with a god, a Greek god, Apollo. He felt he was "a divine presence on earth, and in being so, assumed absolute power over church and and state in the course of his 72-year reign during the seventeenth century...The image of Apollo became his royal insignia" * Maybe, that's why no one dared to overthrow him. He projected himself as a powerful "god".
Looking at the example given, isn't it pretentious to be something or someone you are not, just to gain power? I think that if one presents himself/herself as someone he or she is not, the respect garnered by that person is just as fake as what he or she projects himself/herself to be. Yes, Queen Diane may have succeeded in gaining respect from the people but that respect is a false respect because the image she projected to the people was, in fact, false.
I believe that to be a leader, one should be honest of his or her weaknesses; then people in the end will see that you are genuine. If you can be honest with little things then you can be honest with big things. :D
Kira Gochuico
HI 18 N
*Lazzari, Margaret, and Dona Schlesier. EXPLORING ART: A Global, Thematic Approach. USA: Thomson Learning Inc., 2002. p. 328
I want to follow up on what was said about the cross being a symbol that God is watching us. I think it is very true and I have an anecdote to prove it. My friend has an altar right outside her room. She told me that whenever she gets home late she sees it and is reminded to be good. She feels like God is watching her and feels guilty if she drinks that night.
Katrina L. Abello
HI18-O
Religion is powerful indeed! It does create an aura of power. The symbols of the different religions powers its members where ever they are.
Take your own symbol and rule and spread the word!
Luigi Ramirez Hi18-O
Creating symbols for yourself will create a new image of you; and so does the persona you show to the people. If some of today's major religions have been able to influence people through their symbolisms, why can't a leader?
-Janine Cindy Santiago HI18 N
relating this to the discussions in class, we could also see this pattern with Egyptian pharaohs. most of them infused names of ancient gods within their names.
i agree to the earlier comment that this is an effective scare-factor and can lead a person to have power a notch higher than other people in authority. it also proves that if you identify yourself with powers greater than you, then you are inheriting their invincibility also.
Marie Dacquel
HI 18 - O
We are in the world of symbols. From pharoahs in our class, to statues, obelisks, and finally, the cross. We see these symbols as spectacular, something great, something marvelous, something powerful. We often carry one of them even to our pockets and deemed it as "lucky charm". Finally, symbols are what we see as who we are or what we think of as powerful. Like the church has the cross, the nation has the flag, La Salle has the archer, and finally, Ateneo has the eagle.
-Jedd Emille Chua
Hi 18 O
i think symbols have great influence and power over people because of the fact that, in general, everyone can associate and relate to symbols. if you are known as merely yourself, your reputation is limited to what people actually know of you, if you associate yourself with something as powerful as a god, your image among the people will actually transcend who you really are, giving you and aura of power.
Nico Mendiola Hi18 0
Speaking of cross...
It is a symbol found everywhere: in pre-Vedic civilization; in the Elamite world and Mesopotamian iconography; in the vast area of Aryan migrations and the culture to which they gave birth (Reis 1987: 165).
Through the years, it has been a living symbol of several civilizations and groups. It has been taken as a sign of their commonality and persistence of culture and of course power :)
The symbol makes each exist.
: Joanne ATienza N
I appreciate Jedd's comment in that it illustrates very well the omnipotence of symbols.
However, symbols are used to embody all the various characteristics of, for example, a person (it can also be a thing, concept, event, place,etc.) into one, single object/concept (not all symbols need to be tangible). Like names, symbols represent who you are, and they sum up all your characteristics in a way that makes remembering who you are easier. Also, in choosing a symbol, don't pick something just because it'll make others think of you more often or just because it's associated to something prominent. Pick something that'll truly capture who you are.
I also think that power should not just come from the mere appearance of a symbol. Look beyond/into the symbol, see what it really means, and then compare it to the person/thing that it is embodying. The power should come from there.
In addition, compelling spectacles can also take the form of distractions. Rome really loved to stage dramas and hold circuses in difficult times. HBO's Rome showcased this by showing public dramas that made fun of current dilemmas (to distract the Roman people from knowing what's really happening).
If one associates himself with a powerful figure, although two different beings, people would think that what the other one has, the other also possess. Thus it is important to know what image or reputatioon you would want to project. There is a vast number of power figures or symbols in our world's history. All we do need to do is decide then choose. This works perfectly when you want to mezmorize your enemies.
Dexter Tanengsy, hi18-N
Having a symbol or representation of your own is an evidence of being superior. Not only it reminds the people of your presence but also, it shows how powerful or great you are that your symbol is still being respected by the people.
The real challenge in this law is how to create/choose the right symbol to use, especially nowadays where gods and goddesses do not apply anymore.
Miriam R. Reyes
Hi18-O
Identifying yourself with a symbol can gain you power especially if that symbol already holds a certain kind of power. But a person can also destroy the true meaning of a symbol if used to gain power through all the wrong means. Just like Hitler and the Swastika symbol. Now when people see the Swastika, it strikes fear or it's considered evil. But Swastika really means "to be good" or it would represent good luck or power and strength and it was used as far back as 1000BCE. Basically this symbol had good connotations up until the advent of World War II.
- Bianca Michaela Bes, Hi 18-O
@ Kira: I do not think it is pretentious to identify yourself with a god. And it is not a tool for gaining power.
The rulers of old used to identify themselves with the gods in order to establish themselves as the righteous leaders of a society. Remember when Augustus Caesar commissioned Virgil to write the Aeneid? He did that to establish himself as righteous ruler of Rome by assuming that he is a descendant of the gods and of Romulus.
It is not a tool used to GAIN power. It is a tool used to ESTABLISH power.
I think this finds similarities with the Mandate of Heaven in China wherein the ruler is the ruler because he is descended from the gods.
More than simply establishing your power, I think the association to something greater--like gods, symbols, or more powerful people--tightens your hold on power because of the intimidation it brings to others.
We can see this very evidently in the Philippines. People associated with those in power (congressmen, senators, etc.) end up powerful too because of the political patronage they are perceived to receive. People end up intimidated of them, and they get what they want. Haha.
Eric Andres
HI 18 Section N
Creating spectacles make life interesting and kind of commanding. and spectacles affect our daily lives. like religion, festivals, and ceremonies, it dictates what to do. It Cool law I must say! :D
Don Faylon
Hi18N
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