Monday, November 24, 2008

Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

The U.S Pacific Fleet was once considered as the most powerful and most crucial part of the American defense in the Pacific during WW2. For some of you who aren’t familiar with this fleet, this was the one bombarded and attacked by the aircraft and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy on the dawn of December 7, 1941 at the shores of Pearl Harbor. As a result of the bombing, more than two thousand lives were taken, including civilians, and more than a thousand were injured.

The ironic and sad thing about this tragedy is that the event that took place in Pearl Harbor wasn’t the unpredictable thing that happened. The unpredictable thing happened in the White House when the president at that time, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, expressed “great relief” upon hearing the news that the Japanese had struck. He knew that there was an existing threat to their nation, even years before the attack happened, but he deliberately decided to ignore the warnings. He intentionally did so because he wanted to use this blow as a mean to use their power to take over the “enemy” (as discussed in numerous conspiracy theories).

I don’t know for you, but for me, I was surprised to have found out this other side of the story. Prior to this shocking revelation, I really thought that the Japanese were just plainly geniuses to have had pulled off a trick like this on one of the most powerful nations in the world (Thanks to the movie Pearl Harbor). But I guess they really didn’t make that much of a statement after all.

After reflecting on this event that took place more than sixty years ago, I can’t help but question myself on whether or not the event that took place on September 11, 2001 was a conspiracy as well. I have seen videos (thanks to Youtube) showing demolition bombs exploding before the towers plunged into the ground. I also can’t help but link the two. I mean, it both happened on American soil. The movie, Pearl Harbor, was released on 2001. It both involved planes. It resulted in a war which affected a lot of countries. And of course, their presidents (Bush? Oh yes HE can).

Now, just imagine if our own president decided to plot such scheme on our country. You may laugh at the idea of Rizal Park being hit by an airplane right now but hey, anything is possible. Besides, she is still the president, she has the power and she can also plot other schemes. We thought that EDSA 1 was enough but we already experienced 3 in less than two decades. Who knows when EDSA 4 will come into play?

As you can see, the unpredictable is really terrifying. You don’t know what to expect which makes you feel anxious and wary on what to do when placed in such situation. It’s like one’s fear of an earthquake. One fears it because one doesn’t know when it will strike.

Unpredictability may also cause harm which makes it even scarier. No matter how much you prepare for something important, a lot of things may happen. And if things don’t go your way, there’s a big chance that you might get too hurt that it would eventually affect your whole being. Therefore, you should never expect too much.

Expect the unexpected.

Tom Manahan
Hi 18 - K

33 comments:

Raf Sobrepena Hi-K said...

Politics will be politics and it will be dirty. PERIOD
But in the sense of unpredictability of your entry, i believe it is a sign of cunning motives that in itself proves to be a strength. Morals aside, what must be done has to be done. Just look at America now? Where do they stand? and... where do we, the Philippines, stand? hehe..

kristina said...

I completely agree with this law. Being unpredictable gives one an edge over the enemy. It's impossible to prepare for something unknown/unidentifiable. In appearing or being unpredictable, you not only have that advantage over the enemy, but you also instill in them a sense of fear and respect--power, in effect.

Kristina Tan
Hi 18K

Anonymous said...

i just wanted to point out the difference of this law's statement from keeping others in the dark, and THEn surprising them. Although these two things are similar, and in the end will probably give the same consequences, i prefer this law.

Why? Because although it would be cool to come out of nowhere and make a big terrifying impact on the unsuspecting people/enemies, by pretending to be weak, stupid, unimaginative or simply harmless for a long time, for the duration of this role playing, others are treating you badly or undeservedly.
At least by letting people know that there's something to fear from you, no one would be tempted to test any theories or tricks on you.
=)

*yikes, i hope that made sense

-monica ang, hi18 L

tightfit said...

keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability

i remember watching Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and agreeing when he said that Terrorists basically achieve power through Fear. and, that being the case, Bush -- through his influence on Media and his campaign against Terror (the War on Terror) -- has succeeded in becoming a convincing terrorist. I agree with the Law -- because if you are able to nurture an Uncertainty -- keep alive the possibility of complete and total annihilation at any given moment -- then you hold the power to control other people's reaction. In a state of panic in which Terrorists thrive, they can manipulate people who turn to their basest instincts to survive.

This law is applicable even in our local Philippine setting -- the Rice Crisis, for example. I heard that there was no such thing but Filipinos everywhere were stocking up on rice. everyone was buying, selling, etc. There was chaos. The ability to shape that chaos -- at this juncture, it was PGMA's hand -- means being able to dominate people without the use of force, torture.

but this sort of power is in volatile -- you can control what people are afraid of, maybe even how they act but when Fear evolves into something else -- something like desperation or despair, hopelessness -- then this sort of Power is useless because the Terrorist has rendered society unproductive.

- kyra ballesteros hi18K

D said...

Sometimes terror can be a good thing. Beating the enemy even before confrontation is an indispensable skill for politics and warfare.

But I would like to point out the possibility that fear can backfire. Fear can anger a foe, interpreting your signals as "threatening".

Instead, some use deception - offering themselves as bait to lure their rivals in. Ie: drunken master, the Chinese story of a fort defended by a few shouting soldiers against a massive army, Napoleon and Alexander I's cavalry in seemingly "disrupted formation"

D said...

^dyl Valerio btw
Hi18L

Unknown said...

"You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you should look out for because you never know when they're going to do something incredibly...stupid" - Capt. Jack Sparrow


The unknown instills fear. Keeping things secret sort of makes the "enemy" construct his own fears. I find the example of Jack interesting since it has something to do with my law - reputation.

Unpredictability could go too far too, like marching an army with elephants across the alps to take an enemy from behind. Hannibal is still one of my heroes though XD

Denis Flores
Hi 18k

Anonymous said...

In response to your opinions of fear: Someone once said that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather, the judgement of something else is more important than fear.

The thing about being scared is that people become so panic-stricken that they often neglect the importance of making the right kind of judgement. When faced with a frightening situation, they often become submissive to the situation, with only their safety in mind. So in order to combat fear, the human race needs to understand that staying scared at something is only good when it lasts for a short period of time. They need to be able to come up with something that will help them overcome the things/situations that terrifies them. Because it is only by facing their fears that they are able to move forward and fulfill their lives’ meaning.

Chua Rojas, Serica
HI 18 - L

Krizia Javate said...

No spontaneity translates to no fun! If you don't believe me, let the man, Jamie Foxx convince you. Regular isn't in this dude's vocabulary as he says in his song "Unpredictable." Take it from THE MAN!

but really now haha!
This law speaks the truth.
Monotony makes you familiar. and because of this, every move you make, every word you speak becomes as familiar as the most common nursery rhyme. Instead of being afloat in that air of mystery, you remain typical, lame and just far too easy for those against you. Suffice to say, MONOTONY IS FOR THE WEAK.
if you want your enemies on their tippy toes, it's about time you get creative.

Krizia Javate
Hi18-K

D said...

^ "Instead of being afloat in that air of mystery, you remain typical, lame and just far too easy for those against you."

But wouldn't this be easier also for your followers who see a stalwart leader standing for a single cause? When one is too unpredictable or hard to understand, his rivals may see him more of a threat.

IE: Hitler. He wages war on different political entities quite haphazardly, and failed to communicate well with his comrades, thus making his generals lose trust in him.

Dylan Valerio
Hi18L

Krizia Javate said...

Yup, i agree with the consistency part when it comes to your allies. But i was trying to point out that unpredictability comes in handy against those against you. :)
If it were up to me, i'd like to strike my enemies with a BANG! (LOL!)
Surprising them while they're unaware and unarmed, i think, would be the best kind of plan. Deception & complication would be how I'd choose to do it.

Anonymous said...

This happens to be my law as well. It's particularly effective because resolutions against an opponent take a certain degree of commitment and investment--and if you're not sure what to focus all your strength on because of the unpredictability of your enemy's reaction, then you either end up hitting-and-missing--trying to defend yourself in every way possible with half-baked force--or delaying and not doing anything.

Peep Warren
Hi18-L

sambau said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sambau said...

Unpredictability makes life fun for you, but can make life a living hell for your enemies. Definitely being unpredictable will make you extremely fearsome. I mean, the thing people are most afraid of is the most unpredictable thing: death.

Sam Bautista
Hi18-K

Anonymous said...

Though unpredictability does indeed cause fear, I believe that it initally causes anxiety, which then results in fear. As young people especially, spontaneity is a fact of life. We thrive for those just-planned road trips. In an ironic way, we EXPECT them. What is a teen's life without a surprise party thrown by her barkada, or the pop quiz your teachers throw at you as you enter the classroom.

I agree with Tom that we do not need another EDSA, because really, once you've had a couple, the impact and appeal it has to get its message across dwindles with each new revolution.

@ the law, I wonder if it really is best for a leader to keep his subjects "in suspended in terror." In a way it depicts a picture of a cold, heartless leader. However, keeping his enemies in suspended terror is, I belive an overall smart move. It's like how a coach has a playbook and he goes over his plays because his strategies must be dynamic. They must adapt to the situations at hand and he must also have an air of unpredicatbility. Once the other team catches wind of his plans, his play is deemed useless and completely uneffective.


Regina A. Yulo
Hi 18 L

Anonymous said...

I think that the whole point that a leader would try to instill terror among his followers is because fear can generate a sense of obedience, that you are more likely to obey/abide because you never know the outcome of doing something else.

The perfect example of that would be the adjective "God-fearing", literally fear of God. That fear usually stems from the fact that we never know what God can do. Not to mention the after life, will you end up in heaven or hell?

Fear of the unknown can be handled differently by a variety of people. I agree with what Serica said, think "are you a man or a mouse?" Some people will rise to the occasion and confront their fear while others would back down and stay down. Depends also on how they act on their decision given a situation, some people might be bold enough to face their fear but act so stupidly about it that they end up being the "loser" in the situation. Others will conform/abide/obey because sometimes that's the wisest thing to do.

Just because you obey does not mean you are totally submitting yourself, it could also mean that you're just buying time thinking of the best way to overcome that terror.

Gloria Gail Lim, hi18-K

Anonymous said...

unpredictability is just like being in the dark. you don't know what will happen, you don't know what to expect. in the dark you are vulnerable. when faced with something unpredictable, you become vulnerable because you don't know how to prepare for it.

an example of something unpredictable is Mystique, a character from X-Men. she is truly a scary mutant because you just don't know what to expect from her. she can transform into anyone she likes to and this just makes her stronger.

someone who is unpredictable is at a great advantage because he or she can take charge and control the situation. it's like that person "calls the shots." in addition, he or she can evoke fear from people because they don't know what to expect.

-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K

chiocebrero said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
chiocebrero said...

Great leaders have used the element of surprise to instill terror on their opponents. I do think that the Pearl Harbor incident--even if the post claims that the White House wasn't too surprised about the incident--still shook the lives of the citizens of the United States. Conspiracy or no conspiracy, the surprise attack and the impact of being caught off-guard justified the next step in American's plan to win the second World War: which, ironically, involved the use of another devastating surprise--the Hiroshima bombing incident.

While Japan did expect the United States to retaliate, they were not expecting the possibility of nuclear bombing. And we all know what happened after the Hiroshima incident.

By definition, you cannot expect the unexpected. You can only prepare for the things that you cannot foresee. I think a better advice regarding this law would be to remain skeptical, vigilant, and above all--prepared for what may or may not happen.


Chio Cebrero
Hi 18 L

Anonymous said...

i agree that an air of unpredictability will keep the enemy vulnerable because he will not be able set up a perfect defense against your attacks and also perfect attacks against your defenses.

this law can be applied to games such as counter-strike, dota, etc. because being mysterious and unpredictable is a key ingredient to winning these kinds of war games :)

John Kristoffer M. Gomez
hi18 - section L

Sean said...

I agree with this law. What gets to people is not the event happening itself but the suspense of not knowing when it is coming.

Sean Co
Hi 18K

Sean said...

I agree with this law. What gets to people is not the event happening itself but the suspense of not knowing when it is coming.

Sean Co
Hi 18K

Anonymous said...

Wow, I was surprised to find out about that as well. I really thought the Japanese were those strong forces who can take over a very supposedly organizeda army. Their way of ignoring the warnings is a big sign of arrogance and I think isn't effective at all. As you've said, expect the unexpected. More so, do something about it when you see signs of the unexpected. There's no risk in this, one could try doing discreetly.

Czarina Kathryne Masagca
Hi18-L

Anonymous said...

Krizia made an outstanding point. Why would you plot something that is all too familiar to your foe? By being predictable, you will lose the combat. Your enemy would instantly know what you're up to and before you know it, they would've already plotted something that would top your presupposed scheme.

I say stop being nonsensical and think of something new, something ingenious! Win that battle!

Monica Copuyoc
Hi18- L

jaimelizada said...

The title alone of this law was brilliant. Honestly, the first thing that came to mind was the United States. Conspiracy theories aside, we all know the Bush administration took advantage of this law to build such a huge base. That's how he won his re-election. That's how he passed countless of laws that were deemed unconstitutional. That's how he got away with things like torture and coercion. And that's pretty much how he got everyone to think the Iraq war was such a great idea. Bush took advantage of everyone's fear.

The problem is, once the fear has laid low, once reason starts kicking in, he suddenly lost all of his power. He lost all of his influence. And right now, he's arguably one of the least famous presidents of the United States.

Although this law is great, one thing is important to keep yourself in power. You must sustain that fear. Because once the fear is taken away, your power goes with it.

Jaime Lizada
Hi18 K

Anonymous said...

I agree about the title, it is great. Horror movies are effective because you KNOW something's going to happen and you keep waiting for it to come and you imagine the worst. Of course, this isn't the same as catching your opponent off guard- he IS on guard, constantly, but then again, because he is, you get to tire him out. When he brings his defenses up because he knows you're going to attack but doesn't know when, then you control the game, you attack whenever you want to, you even get time to survey his defenses to look for openings. Of course, in the case of the Iraq, claiming the had "weapons of mass destruction" got them attacked. Anyway, the idea is to gain control of the game by scaring your opponents and forcing them to keep their guard up without actually moving.
Du, L

Anonymous said...

Unpredictability can gain you a strong front in battle. By surprising your opponents with your war tactics, you are able to catch them unprepared and use their vulnerability to your advantage. You will be able to hit them at their weak spot and easily overcome their forces.

I'm not too keen on the terror aspect of this law. Won't fear and terror make an enemy overestimate his opponent and end up preparing for all things that may come and put up all types of defenses? For me, the air of fear can go two ways: one is what I previously mentioned and the other is that the fear will end up eating your opponent, causing an air of paranoia to take place (an atmosphere wherein no one is able to think straight).

In cultivating an air of unpredictability, I think it is important to play the role of the underdog so that people's expectations will be low and they would be ignorant of your increasing power.

Teri Marcelo
Hi 18-K

Anonymous said...

"Expect the unexpected"

That's one really powerful line! This law actually has a lot to offer. More often than not though, enemies of those who this law is applied on aren't scared of what is to come, because they don't expect it. But if they were familiar with unpredictable nature of their enemy's battle strategies, then they should be terrified. So in all battles, one must ALWAYS be prepared.

Paolo Banaga
Hi 18-L

Anonymous said...

@ sam,
I agree that death is the most unpredictable thing in life because we don't have control over it. What's worse is that we don't know when it will strike, and this fact just makes death even scarier. So let's just live our lives to the fullest, share our blessings with one another, and remember that until death arrives and no matter how unpredicatble it can be, we still have time to be happy.

Tom Manahan
Hi 18-K

Anonymous said...

@ chio

When you prepare for things that you don't foresee, isn't that the same as expecting the unexpected? I mean, if you do expect the unexpected, you wouldn't just sit and wait for that unexpected event to come. You would do something about it.

I'll give a simple situation. Here in our country, we have what we call a "tag-ulan" season. Now, even though we call it a season, it's not a given (even if we have Pag-asa) that it would rain everyday. Because of this, most people bring (prepare) their umbrellas because they know (expect) that at any moment (unexpected), the heavens can pour and bring chaos (terror) to everyone. Unfortunately for those who aren't prepared, they have to face the discomfort of being stranded somewhere, waiting for this unexpected terror to show mercy.

Tom Manahan
Hi 18-K

danaceline said...

This makes a lot of sense. Cultivating an air of unpredictability leaves the enemy with no idea what to prepare for. This goes along with the laws "Conceal your intentions" and "Always say less than necessary". When you keep your plans to yourself and work on your plan discreetly, your enemy will be caught ill-equipped. Then, it is important to be inconsistent with your moves; this is what'll make you unpredictable. So yeah, the best thing your enemy can do to protect himself is expect the unexpected.

Dana Cammayo
Hi18-L

Padmé said...

When one doesn't know when something will happen, people tend to be very afraid of what could happen. take for a example a terror professor who is famous for giving out surprise quizzes. When a student doesn't know when the professor would give them a test, he or she is forced to study so that he or she will have something to answer when the time comes. In a way, this law could be very beneficial to students academically :p


PC Magnaye
Hi18-K

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