At the end of the day, lessons taught in school, values learned from our parents and teachings the church aims to deliver all point to one thing: We are all unique. One is indeed powerful if he or she knows what sets him or her apart from everyone else.
It is important to note, however, that if that doesn’t work, it is important to “attack the most visible, most famous, most powerful person you can find.” Not only will it help others notice you, it will also make one remember you.
We must “understand: people feel superior to the person whose actions they can predict.” True enough, we must be unpredictable. This goes without one being notorious, but one must establish his or her true identity and keep others guessing. A certain mystery always helps!
“The mysterious makes your forces seem larger, your power more terrifying.” Popular TV shows nowadays are so successful because they keep audiences guessing. Similarly, one must “never appear overly greedy for attention, then for it signals insecurity, and insecurity drives power away.” Why do you think, at one point, Britney Spears lost her prowess?
Great leaders like Louis XVI of France spent extravagantly and everyone noticed. Similarly, President Erap had a reputation that kept people wanting more of him. These two individuals, however, have one thing in common: they did not reign for very long. Their uniqueness got them in the end, didn’t it?
Gianina R. Fortun
Section K
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17 comments:
the law reminded me of Walter Benjamin talking about the aura of a work of art degrading from mass reproduction. in the same way that a person's mystery operates on the basis of unpredictability, the aura is a work of art's effects which are manifold and varied. both aura and effect disarm the opponent by making them think, reconsider, allowing the natural course of doubt take place (it's almost like deceit).
attention and mystery often work together through appearance -- the facade or a person's Public face. in psychology, there's also this concept of a person's Shadow. the more defined a person's identity, the greater the shadow behind it. in the same way, the more a person catches attention for something particular, the more a person delineates his or her reputation -- the more a person is defined.
i agree that one must be able to handle attention -- this points to a leader's natural ability to handle pressure, to make decisions under public scrutiny, a leader's ability to decide and prioritize. And anticipate the consequences. the Mystery that the law talks about presents itself when we -- as audiences incapacitated as mere onlookers whenever those in Power exercise that power -- are set apart. we cannot relate to those in power because majority of us have never been Empowered.
I agree that Erap became predictable in the end but was his Jueteng scandal in character or not? he was known for being particularly uneducated (it was common knowledge that he didn't finish high school) but he also had the reputation as a Hero, an action star, a life saver. the jueteng act was both stupid and anti-hero so it depends. the vox populi regarding leaders is NEVER wholly homogenous. A leader's reputation is also a means of unifying one's supporters, his/her predictability (with regards to action, etc) also becomes consistency (for example: Obama's stance on Change and McCain's opposing stance AGAINST change).
kyra ballesteros
hi18-K
i can relate this to different terms like social climbing and the old saying if you can't beat 'em join 'em. In what the you said, attack the most visible and powerful etc.
As well as almost all the other laws, deceit is once again the key factor in the text. Deceit of unpredictability. It may be advantageous as the same time disadvantageous in a sense that you also tend to rely on yourself being unpredictable with no particular direction. You get too much into your self's strength and in turn makes it your weakness.
as a reply to raf's comment, it's just like epic heroes. their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. kinda sad, really.
anyhoo, i think the difficulty is finding ways of keeping the attention, keeping up the "mask of unpredictability". because everyone can be unpredictable sometimes. but it's really hard to always be 5 steps ahead of everyone else. it's a matter of predicting how everyone will react to what you're about to do. because in the end, if what you do doesn't elicit whatever reaction you expected, you're busted.
isabella ocampo hi18-k
Observance of this law would be a tedious task. Nevertheless, if one were to pull it off, he or she would definitely have an edge in whatever field they're in.
Keeping a constant air of mystery and unpredictability is hard! Especially if one were to situate himself 5 steps ahead (as mentioned in the previous comment) all the time. Strategies would have to be constantly formed, to make this task possible. Per person, the situation is indeed different and circumstantial, so in whatever field they're trying to succeed in, people must REALLY THINK of how they can stay ahead.
Erap didn't reign very long. This had something to do with his jueteng scandal, where he clearly didn't think ahead, causing his political downfall.
this law is definitely not for the meek types or for those who like holding the power behind the scenes more. personally, although this law is great for getting attention to the things that you want to succeed, it can also be a pain in the ass, don't you think?
Some people get so power hungry that their KSP attitude becomes a turn off. If you don't have the personality or achievements to go with your attention-seeking ways, you should just stop because it'll just be sad or irritating to watch.
monica ang, L
i like how you put emphasis on the mystery of one's identity. indeed, we need to maintain a certain air of unpredictability. while reading your blog, i remembered law17. being unpredictable is very advantageous because people will not know what to expect from you. in effect, they will be confused and unsure of how to attack you. being mysterious will make people think harder as to how they can beat you, and what your weaknesses are.
-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K
I agree with the comment above that garnering undivided attention can be both a strength and a weakness. Consider Hollywood celebrities: their influence and prominence go beyond the roles that they play in movies--they have essentially become part of American culture and consciousness. This attention, of course, comes with consequences. Just as they are "celebrated" and famous icons, their personal lives are scrutinized to dangerous extremes.
Take Marilyn Monroe. Britney Spears. Paul McCartney. These celebrities have been victims of public scrutiny due to the attention that they get. Attention, is, as these celebrities might suggest, does not always put you in power.
Sometimes, being outside the limelight can be a good thing too, especially for a leader who's concerned about exposing his imperfections to the public. Good leaders calculate the attention that they need to get, rather than get the 100% of the public's attention to the point of exposing his or her flaws.
Chio Cebrero
Hi 18 L
I would like to think that attention should be courted at the right time, not exactly every waking moment. The problem about attention is that people tend to have two lives - the public and the private and take care of minimizing the discrepancy between the two. But once the public sees a discrepancy, it's going to be trouble for the one hounding attention.
Denis Flores
Hi 18K
I just have to point out an underlying observation. A lot of laws (among the 48), exude a common implication-- that of the impression of unpredictability.
Well, I kind of get why different angles are presented for almost a single message. It is indeed important not to lay everything on the table. Ascertain your destinctiveness but make sure you don't give everything away. That is the primary key in letting others know that you're the one in charge.
Monica Copuyoc
Hi18- L
I agree with DUDES. or AKA, Dennis Flores. He's a perfect example of what he says. by day he's dennis but by night he's THE DUDES. Ok on a more serious note, i also believe attention shouldn't be courted at all times. Indeed, people will get bored of you. There is such a thing as attention span, market saturation, call it whatever you like. The Britney Spears example is and excellent one. There are things such as Fads, Trends and what not to indicate what is in the people's attention.
To disagree with dudes, well you're right that if any discrepancy is seen between the attention hounder's private and public lives, it is indeed trouble for him. But being the attention hounder that he is, he could use that discrepancy to generate more interest and attention towards him. Right? that some Gorgias- inspired philosophy right there. :-)
Ayo Canlas
Hi 18 L
I agree with the attacking someone more powerful than you statement. This will keep people interested in you. This sounds very familiar in the Manny Pacquiao vs dela Hoya match where in Pacquiao is going against a veteran boxer and won and as a result gained greater fame. However, I do not believe that gaining attention is such a good idea. For me, this just creates an opportunity to be attacked by other people.
Sean Co
Hi 18K
Haha, I'm more of a backstage-functional person xD I'd rather be discreet than be at the forefront of attention. Especially in the examples you gave, it can be proven that just a few little mistakes can change the nature of your reputation, but not its greatness--from the world's most famous and well-favored celebrity, you can easily become the world's most infamous and hated one.
Peep Warren
Hi18-L
I agree that everybody in this world is unique, but I would like to add that not everybody is unpredictable. I think it is of benefit to be unpredictable. Unpredictability would follow changing oneself continuously. AS it was mentioned, if people think someone of superior than them when they are unpredictable, why not start being unpredictable? why not start changing? I think it is really wise to always be open minded and leave rooms for new ideas.
Yu Chin Hong
Hi18-K
I totally agree with you. In a world where we are always looking for something new, something different, something exclusive, having something no one else does is synonymous to having power.
I do however, agree with Yu Chin Hong as well, when he says that "it is of benefit to be unpredictable." It would be tremendously difficult to always be five steps ahead of everybody though. And i agree with Paolo Banaga when he said that if a person is able to accomplish this, then he/she would definitely have an edge over anyone in any field.
Elise Noelle Anne Lim
Hi18 Section L
I don't think Erap Estrada's reputation is the main reason why most of the masses like him, I think it's more because of his celebrity status (he was an action star). We've seen numerous reasons for him to step down of the office and yet people still want him to run again. Pop stars do not count for unpredictability because they are exposed too much. This is why I think most indie films and artists garner attention, because it's something different and certainly unpredictable. In order to court attention, I believe there should be balance.
Czarina Kathryne Masagca
Hi18-L
Being different determinately gives one a competitive advantage towards others. However, one must take into consideration whether he or she is different in a good way or in a bad way. Regardless of that fact, people do long for uniqueness, sort of the idea that no one else has the same thing. By achieveing this assures one of gaining power and success altogether.
Richard Hahn
L
This law reminds me of actors/actresses who do outrageous things to try and get back into the news after falling out of the limelight. The thing is, sure, while it does get you attention, it almost always is negative attention. But I guess as a person seeking power, any kind of attention is good attention, as it gets you in the minds of people and keeps you there.
I don't really agree with 'attacking the most powerful person'. I actually find it kinda dumb. I mean, why in the world would you want to make an enemy? Especially an enemy that is powerful? It doesn't make much sense.
Ria Rigoroso
Hi 18 - K
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