Imagine yourself as the painter, about to create the best masterpiece that’d re-define who you are, and painting it on a blank canvas. From mundane to extraordinary, you can create your very own magnum opus that commands attention, interest and desire. You have the power to establish a newer and a more superior YOU.
Akhenaten, an 18th dynasty pharaoh of Egypt, was one of the pioneers of identity re-creation. Since he wasn’t satisfied with his initial role as an “accidental” successor to the throne, Akhenaten attempted to be someone different – and making society change as well. First by changing his name from Amenhotep IV, Akhenaten had vowed allegiance to the Aten. From polytheism which society had foisted, Akhenaten centralized the people’s religion into monotheism. He also re-created Egyptian art, as he allowed for and supported a rather realistic type of sculpting – with his protruding belly and pear-shaped body.
Julius Caesar was a master in re-creating himself in almost every moment, such that he could be an actor and a director on the world stage, at the same time. He always played the leading man with gusto, and altered events according to his desires and to keep his audience at the edge of their seats. Amidst bad publicity, Caesar could play details around and emerge larger than life.
Just as the kings, you can command presence and respect from society. You can be whomever you want, whenever. Given the chance, what type of identity would you want to forge into your own and why? Do you believe that you’d be a better person if you were able to re-create yourself? Why or why not?
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
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36 comments:
people who re-create themselves are a lot more interesting than those who stay the same. Those who can pull off re-creating themselves once or even all the time are even cooler. People are attracted to them and more buzz starts up about them: why or how they made those changes in the first place, etc etc.
monica ang L
*pls comment on my Law - 47! =)
re-creating oneself is important because we change through time and so does the rest of the world. what may work today might not work tomorrow. we have to fit our identities with what the era dictates or else we could get left behind. amidst all this, we must still maintain our true and genuine selves.
i noticed how you used akhenaten as an example of re-creation and change. he brought a new set of beliefs, specifically monotheism. he wanted his people to worship only aten. BUT. we must bear in mind that not everyone readily and willingly accepted this. that is why monotheism lived for only 15-17 years. akhenaten introduced certain things that did not work well with the people. he did not allow images to be made, he disregarded certain areas of egypt, and he eventually made egypt unsafe.
with this law, i truly think that one must also take into consideration his or her people. in re-creating your own identity, it is important to not only think of personal gains and satisfaction, that there are a lot of people out there who can be affected with the re-creation of identity. after all, the people's welfare matters too right?
-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K
I don't get this one. What exactly does re-create mean in this sense? Monica's interpretation seems to be that changing yourself draws attention, which is why celebrities use it for publicity. Philip's seems to be that you should adapt in order to remain in control of the present and thus the future. Gliza sounds like she means that in recreating yourself you can lead the reform of society as well (or at least that's part of it), and that you should re-create yourself to make yourself seem better than you actually are. Is it any or all of those four, or something else?
I think that what Akhenaten and Julius Ceasar had in common was that they had to make people feel that they were being led by great people, or at least Akhenaten wanted to convince himself. So is the point that you need to make yourself up to be powerful in order to be powerful?
Dominique Du, L
I didn't understand this law that much but I think this is about being creative and original. To be superior in this competitive society, I think it is wise to be different from others. By changing ourselves, I think we can get the attention of many people.
Yu Chin Hong
Hi18-K
Re-create yourself. This is not as easy as it sounds because before you re-create yourself you have to know what society wants if your goal is acceptance, even harder if what you aim for is power. It is also not easy to create a new image and act it out if this image is unlike what you really are
martin jacinto
any individual is an important element in a society because society won't exist in the first place without any individuals. therefore, if an individual decides to re-create himself or herself, society may be affected as well. take into account the life story of president Marcos. he was detained in jail for a number of years because he was accused of killing someone. instead of deteriorating in jail, he re-created himself by studying LAW behind bars. yes, he was a law student inside a prison cell. at the end, he topped the BAR exam. because of that, he was pardoned. president Marcos is know to be one of the greatest presidents - from his brilliant ideas of improving the Philippine education system, agricultural system, infrastructure (south and north Luzon expressways), and a lot more. the Philippines was second to Japan during the early days of his regime. when he was re-elected for another presidential term, he failed to live up to the expectations of the Filipino people. he re-created himself for the worse. he engaged himself in graft and corruption, deception, and the like. it all led to his downfall.
then again, re-creating one's self can only lead to two things: for the better or for the worse. change is the only permanent thing in the planet after all.
Phil's right about Akhenaten... it's similar to one of the laws that talk about making gradual change (Law 45).
This is actually the more challenging part in my opinion, aside from making yourself anew, you have to make sure that those around you accept/coordinate with that change...
Jame Say
Hi18-K
@Monica: Re-creating oneself indeed makes a person more interesting, and a tad more different than how people first perceived him as. Yes, if you remain with just your normal old self (who didn't have a strong following at the very beginning), it's even more difficult to gain the approval of an ever greater number of people.
@Philip: I agree. This is quite similar to the law which states that one must become formless. A person must learn to be flexible and change himself depending on the situation, and not be left behind with the development of the rest of the world. Yes, I used Akhenaten and he did fail in the process but his attempt was one for the books. Though he's one of the most hated pharaohs in all of ancient Egypt, don't you believe that he still got some sort of recognition -- the worst type of recognition, though. The problem with Akhenaten is he re-created himself too quickly and he became extremely rash. His choices weren't well thought of, and he did not take into consideration the needs and desires of his people.
So probably it's safe to say that this law could work, as long as the intentions are for the benefit of the people and that the strategies have been well planned out and executed? :)
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Dominique: Re-create in this sense is simply not allowing yourself to settle for what has been handed down to you, either by fate or by nature. It's by essence, creating yourself into something or someone who you want to be. Yes, it's somewhat being able to adapt in order to remain in control. Or it could be completely changing whatever you have according to your will.
As for the part in which I seemed to have mentioned re-creating oneself that can lead to the reform of society, well that could easily become an end product of such change, right? Being a leader, you have the utmost responsibility to take into consideration your people because your choices would greatly affect them.
You don't necessarily have to make yourself up -- it's in being able to make yourself into something or someone you think would better suit up for your position as a supreme leader. The problem that most leaders have, probably, is the lack of research that would enable a win-win situation for the people and the leader.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Yu Chin: That's quite the point of this law, but by the this law a person is able to re-create himself to be different from what society forced upon him. It's by this law that one is able to realize that you can in fact deviate from what your predecessors have done. Take for example corrupt leaders, you can escape from that image and earn the greatest amount of respect from your people. It's in your decision that spells the success of your attempt.
Is it simply for your own benefit or are you considering its effects for most?
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@ Martin: I agree with you, for as I've said in one of the earlier comments your choices would heavily affect the society. It's hard to be a leader if no one likes you. Take for example George Bush. More than half of the American population were itching for him to leave the office because he was failing miserably in his position as president. He seemed to have adopted the image of Americans being fighters for having instigated the war in Iraq. In fairness to him, I guess he was just trying to solve the problem on terrorism and he wanted to be that President who would protect the Americans from attacks like what happened in 9-11. I suppose he wanted to be that strong and powerful hero, that'd lead the United States to victory. But what he lacked is the in-depth consideration to the Americans, and the lives of the U.S. Army stationed in Iraq.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Bea: I suppose there are times wherein power leads you to create irrational choices. At most, one must try to be consistent though ever-changing to withstand the developments of everyday living. It depends on your intentions, as I've said, that affects the outcome and the effect on your people.
Let's say Marcos was just trying to be a great leader, someone who could prove to the people that he's far from the man locked in prison because of some murder case. He re-created himself from that accused man, and proved to the world that he's much more that prisoner. He became the supreme general of the entire Philippines, and led the country to one of the highest feats in our economy. But then, tables turned as he decided to change his image to that of a dictator. His motives during that period were merely self-centered and that he did not take into consideration their effects on the Filipino people. Because of such, he was seen with great hatred and angst and was forced out of the Palace, and was exiled.
Indeed, change is the only permanent thing in the planet; thus, one must take a great amount of precaution before executing a plan and deciding to change the course of history -- not only for himself, but for his people.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Jame: Yes, a gradual change is needed for this law as one must carefully take into great consideration its after-effects not only to the leader but to his followers (and even his rivals). It is indeed challenging, and only a few have succeeded to practice it.
An example could be Barrack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States. Having been born of African descent, Barrack mustered his way to office -- erasing the racial prejudice that the majority of Americans have against the "blacks". His journey was not easy, for he had to go against a Clinton and a very powerful Republican. Obama, with his slogan for "Change", was able to victoriously win the Presidential race. He escaped the racial barriers that hindered the African-Americans to hold high powers in the American society. He re-created himself from the image of a Black American peasant to one of the most revered and sought-after Presidents of all time.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
Recreating yourself has both good and bad effects. Good in such a way that you'd be much happier being a new you, but bad in a sense that other people could be turned off with you.
Take a look at Madonna. Reinventing herself from the demure girl to the very daring performer she is today. A lot of people approved her change and this change made her more popular.
But some other changes are frowned upon. Britney's change from the very preppy "Hit Me Baby One More Time" girl-next-door to the skank that she was in "I'm a Slave For U," even befriending Hollywood's bad girls like Paris and Nicole. Nowadays, she is once again reinventing herself to a more mature and well-rounded performer, after being frowned upon by society during her shaved-head days.
I guess there are a lot of ways why people re-create themselves. But for me, re-creating oneself is a way of adapting to the changes around us. It is also done because are not made perfect; we all have flaws and we are not infallible. With realizations and new knowledge or feedback, our re-creation rectifies or compensates for our past errors/mistakes.
the way i see it, this is about masking yourself or transforming yourself constantly. this is so as to prevent the enemy from knowing you from head to toe. this law is very effective, but is a hard thing to do. this is because it is very hard to re-create yourself constantly but still retaining your identity.
John Kristoffer M. Gomez
hi18 - section L
to gain respect, you should have an
image
that everyone, or at least most of the people,
respects
something that demands attention, in a good way. but, image can take you so far, you should always have the skills to back it up.
i agree with john's post, it could also be a tactic to avoid enemies from knowing where to strike.
JR Resma
Hi18 K
According to this law, we must be the master of ourselves and not let anyone direct who we are. The law is quite interesting, I do agree with that. It is true that no one should dictate what we'll become but we must face daily challenges responsibly and adapt constantly to change.
Re-creating is as good as refining-- making things rather perfect. But we do not need to aim for perfection for it sounds trying too hard, instead I think we must achieve just the right amount of satisfaction to both ourselves and to others around us. Like what they say, you can't have too much of everything for it will ruin you. Balance is the key if one wants to re-create him/herself. With this, I think we must persistently try to make things better and amend our faults. We then gain respect and trust which is vital in our daily interaction with others.
Constant re-creation of self is not as easy to achieve as it sounds. Because of expectations from society and the comfort in the familiar, most are only willing to do so in the face of a drastic event or circumstance.
But then again, sometimes re-creation is necessary in order for us to grow and become a better person. I agree with what one of the comments said, that often we re-create ourselves to make up for a past mistake .
Gwen Co
Hi16-C :)
I think re-creating yourself is a pre-requisite for leaving a mark in this world. Why be like the rest when you can stand out?
I like the example you made about Akhenaten. He wasn't like the other pharaohs of his time, he is one of the pharaohs I remember because of how different he was. How he was able to focus his attention on religion and gave importance to it during his rule is remarkable. Here is a person who is not afraid of change.
In life, we remember those who stand out, those who are able to impact change. Instead of being contented with your old boring self, why not try something new? Not only will you command more attention but you will be able to gain authority over people through their admiration and respect for you. For me, its a win-win situation.
Teri Marcelo
Hi 18-K
Re-creating one's self is definitely refreshing, but it must not be done radically so as not to lose one's identity. Re-creating one's self so as to adapt to a world where the only constant thing is change is good, but constant re-creation isn't.
When projecting an image worthy of respect and power, one must not forget his/her core values. Otherwise, I agree with the things you said :)
Bea San Pedro
yes i agree that George Bush is one good example of how this law is not that easy to carry out. Considering he was the president of the United States, a position of highest power, he still failed to gain the respect of his fellowmen as seen and heard from their booing and jeering as Bush stepped down from his office. Wrong choices may lead to loss of respect and power
Martin Jacinto
there is no guarantee that, having remade oneself, one is able to suit others' tastes -- it is simply a matte of pleasing oneself.
kyra ballestoros hi18k
@Anonymous:
In life, we'd continuously need to re-create ourselves depending on the situation -- be it not about gaining power or whatnot. We need to adapt to the different circumstances or else we'd be left behind and forgotten. For example would be stepping into college. What if we just allowed ourselves to exactly be the same as we were in high school? Remember your days of completely slacking off and just lazying around while smoking cigs? Remember the days wherein you'd whine to your teacher and nag her to give you some extra credit project or something? Well my dear, that just won't do in college. You can't get things your way by being like that. You have to adapt to the environment around you, and thus allow yourself to grow and develop -- to gain an even deeper personality and a positive response from the people around you.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Anonymous:
Nice. I can't help but agree. A lot of people who want to conceal the past re-create themselves into someone, who I guess, would be a lot better. It's somewhat an escape tactic to sway away from your past image that allowed for a bad reputation to transpire, right? Does that make you a coward from attempting to change yourself for the better, especially to hide from an awful past? I say not really. You're even more bold and courageous to actually try on a new person, a new you. It takes a lot of effort to push yourself into doing something new, especially if it involves your entire self. Indeed, it's not easy to change and you may just fail but would you rather stay the way you are, the wholly problematic and frowned upon, or risk the failure and move on into re-creating a new you.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Kris:
True. It is very hard to re-create your self while still having to retain your identity - while still retaining that person who was there at the very beginning. When you're in constant re-creation of your self, your enemy would continuously be in a dilemma on how to move about to attack you.
I can't help but remember Lindsay Lohan's character in the Mean Girls. She was the home-schooled jungle freak who moved all the way from Africa to study at a regular High School in the US. Her character, at the very start, was simple and naive. She was clueless of what was happening and saw situations as if they were in the jungle. Then she met the Queen Bee, Regina George, the girl who made her life into a living hell but the person who also allowed her to adapt to the life in high school. Lindsay started the change by changing the way she did her hair and clothed herself. She altered the way she spoke. She pretended not to be good in math to snag Regina's ex-boyfriend. She aimed to crush her number one enemy, Regina, but in the process she was also crushing her actual personality. Being the biggest b*tch in high school, she lost even her very best friends. She became the one person she hated, without even knowing it.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
“Just as the kings, you can command presence and respect from society…” I think these are the two important points of this law – that to be powerful, one needs to gain respect from society, and also to have his presence felt. People have to know and respect you. Image is very important.
I think anyone can be a better person if they recreate themselves that way. I mean, a kid can just say, “I wanna be like Spiderman!” and act like Peter Parker and “save” people. If he manages to continue imitating Spiderman long enough, he would have already recreated himself to be the superhero. I also think that when one says they want to be a “better” person, “better” can mean anything. Better what? The word is somewhat subjective.
I see then that the goal of the powerful person is to find the best kind of person to be recreated to – that which will please mostly everybody.
Chris Macalinao
Hi18 – L
I think re-creating oneself is a vital tool in keeping power. Change is inevitable, and it is a force that can shake even the strongest of social structures. A person of power must be able to keep up with this change and learn to go with the times, despite what he may have been accustomed to believe, for the benefit of himself and his people. People want a leader who is flexible and who can lead them to a new frontier, not someone who is stuck in the past. Re-creating oneself allows for dynamism within and among social structures.
Alex Abreu
Hi18 - E
I think recreating oneself inspires people to live out their lives fully. There's so much to life than to just be caged in the same person with the same perceptions society attributed to you. And that's not fair. We all have the right to break from the status quo to reinvent ourselves in the best way we think that would make ourselves and our lives complete. Whether it is for the gain of power or not, we have to right to be who we want to be. This is what I think.
Lauren Yap
Hi16
The example of Akhenaten provides room for interesting debate, though. It's true that the changes he underwent might have been refreshing and revolutionary, but I'm not sure how much that mattered when the people preferred to keep their gods and their art. I think a balance has to be maintained between how you can change yourself for the better and how you can satisfy others who want you to keep the parts of your personality that were already okay to begin with.
Peep Warren
Hi18-L
I agree, starting anew is indeed a great way to attain power. In fact, in another perspective, this act of re-creating yourself renders you virtually unpredictable to your enemies. They'll never know what you'll do next.
Filbert Tan
Hi18-K
@Anonymous:
Let me ask you, would you personally want to re-create yourself given whatever situation you have at present? This makes me think about the people who go under the knife for cosmetic surgery. That's probably the reason why Vicki Belo's quite the millionaire nowadays because a lot of people constantly want something about them to be altered. It seems as if people think of re-creating something about them would help them gain more power, or at least more attention and respect. Who can blame them? Usually when you're able to alter a flaw, you get recognized in some sense -- if that's what you really want.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Anonymous:
A perfect image is probably inexistent because of the different wants and needs of people in society. I agree that in choosing an image to portray one must first look at how much it satisfies the most number of people including yourself. An image not appealing to yourself may very well be impossible to portray especially if you're planning to act this out for a very long time. A proper image would always meet the expectations of many.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
@Gwen:
Recreation of one's self IS necessary in this dynamic society that we live in. Staying the same when the world and the people around you change will not get you anywhere. Evolve or die. Change or get left behind. Yes mistakes are learning experiences which should lead to self realization. Past mistakes help us modify the image we portray.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
I don't think you have to completely recreate yourself. Re-creation requires re-orientation, therefore is not easy and may take a long time to fully establish. One must not forget the previous identity and he should maintain something that is distinctively his. This way, it's not hard to re-orient others and self. Constant re-creation reflects instability and therefore provides the wrong image. I agree that when one persons maintains a good, powerful image then there is no need for re-creation. This is better applied to those who have provided the wrong impression.
Czarina Kathryne Masagca
Hi18-L
@ Czarina- I agree that recreation requires re-orientation. Often, a person's orientations are what defines his or her character. Your choices, views and opinions are all dependent on who you are as a person and vice versa.
When you want to change yourself for the better, or just to keep people guessing, it is important that you do so with integrity and that you do not stray too far from your real self because people will notice that and will not take you seriously.
Regina A. Yulo
Hi 18 L
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