Princely Thoughts

As I finished The Prince I began to think about how most of what I had read, I felt like I already knew.  When I say this, I don't mean to imply that Machiavelli wasted his time in writing down what was obvious, or that I am so smart that I could've written The Prince.  I believe that I was so acquainted with The Prince because of how pervasive Machiavellian thought is in everyday life.
One of the areas that Machiavellian thought is so apparent is in the political arena.  This is obviously the closest equivalent to the princely kingdoms that Machiavelli discussed.  If most voters read The Prince I don't think they would be as surprised when politicians do the things they do.  Actually, when I think about it, I bet that most politicians bet on the fact that most voters don't think along a Machiavellian vein.  If they did, it would most likely be a lot more difficult to pull the wool over their eyes.
The corporate world is another place that Machiavelli is a big player.  What is so apparent in business circles, though, is that the enemy is usually clearly defined.  Two corporations that sell the same thing are obvious enemies.  If you ask me, I'd rather know my enemy.
This blog seems to be a lot of random thoughts regarding The Prince.  If any of you are thinking about choosing this as a "best blog," you're crazy.  I guess I just don't have any strong reactions to it.  Hopefully next week I'll have something better to say.

The Prince

"Would I rather be feared or loved?  Um...Easy, both.  I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."

-Michael Scott (The Office)

This isn't exactly what Machiavelli had in mind when he wrote The Prince, but I thought I'd share it anyway.  I have to organize my thoughts a little more, then I'll finish this blog.

The Stoics and Control

Upon reflection of The Art of Living, I began to think about control.  The stoics believe that one should not worry or complain about what they cannot control.  This led me then to think deeply about what truly is and isn't within my control.  While there is a great deal many things out of my control, I realized how much actually is within my control that I wrongfully thought were not.  Once fully examined, a person will realize how little room there is for excuses.

For example, I must print a paper for class.  I go to the printer five minutes before class.  The printer is out of paper, and I do not get it printed and receive a lowered grade.

Now, in this simple scenario, I could not control the printer would be out of paper.  However, look at the number of things that were within my control that would have avoided this problem.  I could have gone earlier to print the paper, so I would've known if it was out of paper with enough time to fix it.  I could have called ahead to find out if there was paper.  I could have borrowed a friend's printer, one I knew had paper.

This is a simple example, but I find so many people make excuses for things that they actually could've avoided.  It comes from a problem of people being reactive rather than proactive.  This is where the stoics are truly coming from.  The stoic life doesn't consist of a world where you are acted upon but don't react.  It consists of a world where you are proactive so you don't have to react.

In my experience the most successful people are the people that do this the best.  They are one step ahead because they think one step ahead.  To lead a stoic life, one must truly be engaged.

A classic example of stoicism is a rainstorm.  You can't control the weather, so don't bother yourself about it.  You can, however, bring an umbrella.  When thinking about this, I recall an article I read.  It described a sort of hurricane defense.  The proposed idea is that large tankers, full of water, would pump water of a certain temperature and chemical makeup strategically into the path of an oncoming tropical storm or hurricane.  The effect of the water would be a dissipated storm.  In essence, it would kill the hurricane before it hit land.  I also read an article where ski resorts are now learning how to release chemicals into the air above their slopes to produce snow.  Instead of producing fake snow, they are actually creating real snow!

Controlling the weather is kind of scary to think about, and I bring it up because I can't decide how Epictetus would view it.  On the one hand, man is taking a proactive step and taking something that was once out of his control and placing it under his control.  On the other hand, shouldn't we just learn to deal with it.  After all, we still have umbrellas.  If you have any opinions, I'd love to hear them.