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