Re: MANIPULATION LO822 (...The Prince, etc.)
GAWNE, SEAN (gawnesm@songs.sce.com)
Tue, 18 Apr 95 10:43:26 PST
Before I'm too badly misunderstood, let me assure you I think highly
of the book from an intellectual standpoint. I also respect some of
Karl Marx's positions in Communist Manifesto, though I disagree with
many of his principles as well. And I must agree with the comment
about "The Prince" vs "12 O'clock High" -- I can only dream of making
as much money as Dr. Hersey did for such work.
You're quite right that it would be good for people to read
Machiavelli, even though they might not agree with his "end justifies
the means" philosophy. For me, I feel it is very important to know
myself and my world as best I can. This is the key to keeping the
illusion of free will and choice. I think I can be responsible for my
actions and decisions if I have a very clear understanding of myself,
and my own values and vision, so that I am less susceptible to
manipulation by others, and less likely to chase someone else's
dreams, whether they are so charismatic as Tony Robbins or not. If I
do not know myself, and less importantly if I no little of others,
then it is more likely I have little control over what happens to me.
The reason I shied away from the opportunity was because these guys
very much reflected the values of "The Prince," that is, they knew
what was best for people and they were going to impose their vision on
everyone, no matter what that meant. I couldn't accept that. There was
also one other thing that really bothered me -- I was aware of several
devious, deceptive manipulations of other team members. I could only
assume that I was also being manipulated, or in time would be. Big
turn-off for me, so I went back to my training hack job.
Sean Gawne, gawnesm@songs.sce.com
--- Previous Msg Follows ---
Subject: Re: Manipulation LO800
Sean, Machiavelli expended a lot of useful energy thinking about how power is
attained and maintained...
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