When you have POWER

"A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise."

Me: Are you coming tomorrow for my piano recitals?
You: Yes, sure. Be there sharp. Promise.
Me: Okay, tata for now! :)



The next day..............(phone rings)
You: Hey are you up? I'm sorry to break this to you but I cannot go.
Me: WHAT??!! How come?
You: My mom asked me to stay in for a while because we will be having respectable guests this evening. I'm really sorry.
Me: You promised?
You: I know, but I have no choice. Sorry

YOU are the prince, and ME, I'm just a nobody.

In this conversation, as you can imagine, if you have other things to attend to, there's no way a promise can be intact. Once you've made a decision, that's it. For someone as royal as a prince, this trick should not be hard at all. Generating power means to have a prevailing pronouncement above anything. Promises are not guarantees - it is just a simple word which can be broken even by the highest official.

Does this mean we cannot trust our leaders? At some point, yes. Having so much power in their hands, a hasty "NO" can be said in a blink of an eye. Sad to say, a mad of word is not trendy nowadays. From simple piano recitals to extravagant gathering in a palace, it is very easy to refuse so long as you have POWER over the others, so long as you CONTROL your decisions.

Eating with style

"Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better."

In eating a meal, do you rush in consuming its tasty flavours? Hmm, you shouldn't be. That can lead you to either: (1) Obesity or (2) Inability to enjoy. For the first, eating fast results to food intake which makes it go down to your belly tremendously swift. The second outcom, the one I find more interesting, pertains to a person not having the luxury of tasting the juices in an unspecified time. Setting no limits you can experiment on how to eat the food or which on to gobble first. It may sound corny but all of us have the uniqueness in terms of eating habits.



The faster you consume, the lesser you appreciate the object. The slower you do, other factors come into being such as the creaminiess of the yogurt, the ripeness of a mango, the sweet and sour cuisine, and many others. In this way, you become more aware of the beauty behind food, preparations, and cooking. By thinking of all this together, you get to enjoy and see things more appealing. It doesn not mean that you do this all the time even if you are very much busy with work or school. What I stress on in this matter is the importance of taking a breath, stopping for a while, and consuming the benefits out of something in a manner wherein you're not pressured with time.

Conditioning oneself

"Before all else, be armed."

Putting everything at place, one should learn to be armed at all times. Even if it seems like nothing unlikely may happen, those insticts cannot disrupt the cycle of life. As a matter of fact, no matter how smooth the wind blows, it is not an assurance of peace and order. A stormy weather may still come, even at the most unexpected time.


For the sake of security and safety, learn to take over of the situation by being able to predict. Prediction means not being sure but at least, you've considered foreseeing what the future may bring. In a class for example, it is better to have read the readings even though the professor did not require you to because by doing such, you already brought yourself into a great advantage. Unlike your classmates who might be surprised with what the teacher speaks of, you have "foreseen" what is supposed to be happening. In this respect, you are armed with knowledge, and therefore, POWER.

There are many orientations present on earth that this may well be applied. What is important is that these events do not become as threatening as feared by starting with your own self. The idea is to be alert, packed with everything you can make use of. For in the end, you won't find yourself asking - "why did I fail?", or "why has it knocked me this hard?".

Strike hardest

"If an inquiry has to be done to a man it should be so sever that his vengence need not be feared."

This is very much applicable in wary. If you'll damage a country's threshold, better do it at your best because if not, you may lose in the end. During the times of the world wars, we have seen countries be defeated or be at the top of everything else.

For instance, if Country A has the advantage of being the first to hit with nuclear weapons, the opponent may be weakened that moment but surely it will transform into something stronger. You see, having to suffer enough may lead to perfection on how to deal with events, in this case - war. In the event Country B survived the first hit, it can penetrate its society and be armed for the next explosion.

So, word of advice for the countries who wished to be on top, they should be the first and at the same time, be sure that vengeance would never be an option for the weaker one. In moments of glory, there comes an end if the machineries used are not strong enough. Better be safe and sure than just hit and hit.

Security in fear

"The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved."

If you were to choose between being loved or feared, what would it be? This question has been common among democratic and authoritarian countries. It may not be seen instantly but it's embedded into society. Being loved means being free. Being feared means having dominant power over another person.

Silly as it may sound but the latter might hold rationality. If you're feared, you most likely are less to be hurt because people see you as invincible. On the other hand, others may love you but nothing might be certain and permanent. Love, as we know it, transforms in may forms. It is also measurable by some. In other instances, the one who you think loved you the most might be also the one who can hurt and break you.

But, is that set-up fulfilling? Will it be ALWAYS justifiable? And will it give you infinite happiness? A leader or a prince, as Machiavelli situate it, may be at the upper hand if he is feared. But isn't it in authoritarian countries, those who were feared were the ones who were hated? And people will always have the urge to revolt and overthrow the leader once they realized they can do so? Being feared may give guarantees but they are pointed to a direction not enjoyable by men.


Oops, but the argument a while ago was - being loved is not permanent since love might transform into something else. Therefore, in answering the question posted earlier, it is better to think of what will make a person happy - having guarantees or being immersed in a risky condition? Being feared or being loved?

Worthless letters

"And that Prince who bases his power entirely on... words, finding himself completely without other preparations, comes to ruin;"



As we always hear from others - words must be backed up by actions. If I may give a typical situation, a student who depends on just words may not be able to finish what he started. Sure saying things are powerful, but it remains useless if not put into reality. Like a prince who depends on marvelous plans, it must be made to be executed. There shall also stand other possibilities and alternatives.

It must be guaranteed that once the plan has been made, there will be further adjustments because nothing may be permanent. We will know the strongest team if we knew its leader with feasible plans. Same as the power to integrate ideas having push factors such as materials needed, cooperation between individuals and unity.

I say that in reality, we cannot be boxed into pure words, for the thoughts we came to know should be visible in practice, or supported by other forces. When the time comes and we have to be prepared for a banquet, a calamity, a game or a decision, we need all the resources we can get.

Battle of Man and Beast

"You must, therefore know that there are two means of fighting: one according to the laws, the other with force; the first way is proper to man, the second to beasts; but because the first, in many cases, is not sufficient, it becomes necessary to have recourse to the second."

Power is viewed in many angles with different lenses. One, it might be seen as the ablility to make a person do something he'd rather not do. Second, it can be in terms of personal capabilities such as material and non-material. Third, it could pertain to written laws for with it comes the principal rights and protection of every individual.

In reviewing the quoted lines from Niccolo Machiavelli, the first and the latter ones should be taken into further understanding. Having power means having greatness over the other. And if the only way to achieve power is in a form of a battle - one can use the natural laws down to the constitutional rights OR simply, force. We see mankind as rational and orderly so it is already pinned that we have the laws to be protected. However, as Machiavelli puts it, we may need force in order to achieve the goal we want. In this repsect, we turned to be beasts - equipped with fangs and spears to hurt, at the same time, gain from each other's weakness.

A question might pop up - isn't it laws were made to refrain mankind from violent acts? Why then, does this have to be a cycle again? When I read the quotation, it seems futile. Not because it isn't true but because it is. In fighting, we already have the written dictum, but it still is never enough. If that is so, why create an endless set of rules for us to follow? If from the start, they are not enough? Whether you like or not, force becomes more powerful than ordered laws. This might be a quirk of fate.