Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Law 46: Never Appear Too Perfect

I personally love the sarcasm of this law. Never appear too perfect, as if it were something we’re actually accustomed to, as if it were a sin! Speaking of sins, Envy and Pride are what I consider the deadliest of the 7. This perfect duo will eat a human being up and destroy him from within.

The perfect way to rule is simply to seem imperfect. Simple? Not really, since it is a person’s nature to bask his self in fame, glory and success. But what could perfection seem to do to a person? People can never be satisfied with themselves. That’s why seeing other people reach the top, whether naturally or by sheer luck, makes the Green Demon in them grow. Why do you think Blair Waldorf is struggling with her status as Queen Bee in the show Gossip Girl? Girls just HAVE to be a part of her clique, or rather, dethrone her.

Take for example Sir Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth’s favorite, who was considered “perfect” in all aspects. Anyone can gain money and power, but superior intelligence, good looks and charm was what he had from the beginning. Because of this supremacy and power he attained from being himself, people from the opposition never stopped trying to bring him down. Eventually, Raleigh was accused of treason, facing imprisonment and then execution. Where did he go wrong? He was a master of almost all trades from the sciences to poetry to business and just plain all-around charm. This “perfection” made him think he gained friends, when in fact, he actually made silent enemies. Being naïve to this caused his downfall, as he became vulnerable to the evil lurking around him, more commonly known as Envy.

So, how should powerful people deal with this? For one, do not to make the inferior feel like charity like what the famous playwright Joe Orton did to his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. Orton decided to put up a gallery for Halliwell to help him, but this only caused Halliwell to feel worse. From what started as a loving relationship turned into a competitive one. Orton was bludgeoned to death by Halliwell due to extreme inferiority and pressure.

Second, like the great banker Cosimo de’ Medici, don’t flaunt wealth or power. He reflected this through his home, keeping it plain and simple on the outside, but grand and luxurious on the inside. He understood from the beginning how envy works in a democratic society, so he made a play of appearances. It’s not about suffocating greatness. Instead, play with how one appears to the people.

Third, make your position of power seem like a burden. George Washington made this strategy evident by first, refusing the position of Commander-In-Chief of the American army. Second, by resisting presidency. This made him more popular than ever. How can people envy you when they themselves have given you that power? The last and the most extreme strategy of all is to actually flaunt what one has, as long as he/she is in an unimpeachable place of power, like Michelangelo. He had a god-like talent in art and his enemy wanted to bring him down. Instead, he took on every challenge his competitor had for him, and succeeded. Since talent can’t actually be revoked, his competitor drowned in envy.

We can’t help but adore those celebrities we see on the red carpet. But we’re also twice as glad to hear about the downfalls and flaws of great people, as it gives us a reassurance that these people aren’t gods. We’re all just human beings, after all.

We all know that nobody’s perfect, though, so why become envious? Does the play of appearance mean living a lie? Is living the truth, being naturally great, a sin?

Jam Yusun
Hi18-O

36 comments:

Andrea Jalandoni said...

shamefully, i watch gossip girl too. but only when i'm sick! Blair and Chuck are masters of power, its fun to watch them.

Jam Yusun said...

Hahaha cooool maam, you watch GG too! :) I just thought the show's a good example since all of the characters seem to be "perfect." I love the blair-chuck tandem, very powerful indeed!

janine cindy santiago said...

Striving to be perfect is just a waste of time trying to become someone you're not. Gossip Girls is a good example of how to play perfection.

-Janine Cindy Santiago HI18 N

mike orlino said...

i really agree with this law. i think, a good leader is someone who knew his/her boundary. they know what their limitations and weakness are. however, a great leader, for me, is someone who recognized that he/she is weak and try to improve on those aspects.

mike orlino
hi 18 O

think politics said...

i agree that it's not always good to let others see that you are totally perfect because this will lead them into envying you. as it is said, they would have the desire of possessing your advantages too - which can lead to your own obliteration. an effective way to acquire power is to make others feel that you are equal with them, but discreetly attack them.

Marie Dacquel
HI18 - O

Jedd Emille Chua said...

I think like the Gossip Girl, pretending to be perfect can cause disaster. It is next to pride. Note that if someone prentends to be perfect, it will just take a few minutes to disprove that, and forever to prove that.
-Jedd Emille Chua
Hi 18 O

Pia Maske said...

Whether it's PBB, American Idol or the national elections, any candidate should not strive to seem perfect. Let's face it: the public loves the poor boy, the former mangingisda, the underdog.

Ironic as it seems, we love the branded loser.

You're right in saying that in our minds, celebrities are perfect and untouchable, but we secretly revel in their downfalls (Paris goes to jail, Lohan gets arrested, Winehouse goes to rehab). Because we think they are too perfect, we want them out of their perfect status.

On the flip side, take Manny Villar's success story, for example. He was the poor boy who worked hard and earned a lot of money. When he ran for senator, he played his "rags to riches" background to his advantage, making the people ache for him -- in a good way. Because he showed the public that all the luxuries he has now was not available to him since birth, that he had to work hard (insert sad background music as he narrates his hardships when he walks miles and miles to get to school, wear old slippers and use partly-destroyed textbooks), we identified with him.

And now he is the Senate President, future President of the Republic of the Philippines (that is, if his campaign strategy works big time).

Pia Angela J. Maske
II AB-MA Political Science
Hi 18, Section O
Law 33: Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew

tashie_melevo said...

i was shocked to read ms. jalandoni's comment. lol. anyway, this agrees with trixie's law as well, the one where you have to act dumb even if you're not just to fool everyone. i agree with pia and jam, they made their point, we love seeing people who made themselves out of nothing, because they serve as inspirations.

Nastashja Melevo
II BSLM
HI18O

Jam Yusun said...

Exactly, Pia. It's just a play of appearances. One must learn how to attach their own image to the public, and therefore gaining the people's trust.

Although in some cases, once we've seen these "perfect" people go down, we actually tend to pity some of them. Hahaha

So it's all a battle of imagery. First impressions last, or do they?

Unknown said...

I can't relate to most of the comments about Gossip Girl. I've never seen it haha.

I'm guilty of reveling in celebrities' or other "perfect" people's downfalls. I guess it's good to see that they can be of our "level", too because it's just not fair haha it sounds so bitter. And I think it's because they give off a certain vibe of arrogance because nobody is perfect; there are just people who are tagged as such because they're looked up to, to their advantage.

- Bianca Michaela Bes, Hi 18-O

Dexter Tanengsy said...

People would think that being born close to perfect is a very admirable thing but I think otherwise. As this law warns, do not appear too perfect yet what can those people who roam the world with god-like abilities. Although some flaunt because they seek attention, there are those who are just being themselves but doing so still creates an air of envy. Bottomline, this law simply states that if you appear too perfect, people will unite against you so better yet go unnoticed, appear as normal as any commoner does.

Dexter Tanengsy, Hi18-N

MiRz Reyes said...

“The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake - you can't learn anything from being perfect.”
-Adam Osbourne

Never be afraid to show people you are imperfect. Just be right.
But don't show imperfection too often. Gossip girl? I agree with Ms. Santiago.

Power is never gained through perfection. It is showing people what is meant by being imperfect, by being just right. Commit your mistakes, and be true to yourself.

-Miriam R. Reyes
Hi 18-O

Eric Andres said...

As Pia Maske said, we DO love the underdogs.

I have tried this strategy as one of the leaders of my former org. It helped. Subordinates do like it better when they feel their leader is leading WITH them, not ABOVE them. Imperfection makes you seem more human; more down-to-earth.

I got rather curious though. I've been to the Medici's Palace in Florence, and it's quite HUGE. Haha. It's a huge three-story complex.. I'm not so sure if his home is 'simple.' Or am I mistaken about the home you're talking about? Hahahaha.

Eric Andres
Hi 18 Section N

katherine conde said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
katherine conde said...

If in Law #1, appearing to be better than others is dangerous, what more in this law when you appeared to be perfect? That makes it more dangerous.

People always have tendencies to bring other people down. Personally, I would consider crushing down a person who seems to be perfect (or close to perfect) more fascinating for it is more overwhelming [evil laugh].

Just like Bianca Bes, I too can’t relate to the GG example and comments. I’ve watched an episode (or two) and that was not of a big help, right?
Katherine Conde
Hi18 O

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