Artful Prudence

On Man’s Ignorance

March 23, 2021 by Artful Prudence Leave a Comment

“There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, especially if you’re ungrateful. It is in their absence that you finally acknowledge the weight of their presence. Yet, in their presence, you fail to concede and honour those who have done you well and good, not necessarily out of spite or scorn but out of a lack of attentiveness and mindful consideration. Gratitude is acknowledgement and if you are not capable of acknowledging what is worthy of your appreciation, you fail to notice what is favourable to you and of benefit. Acknowledgement is fair-minded and respectable, it is the mark of a decent person and is an act of altruism that is both charitable and noble. A person who is not capable of gratitude tends to be conceited and vain, he believes he is not entitled to pay recognition to those who have done him good and instead engages in pompous and snobbish behaviour that is contemptible and obnoxious. Such people are pessimists by nature, they get a kick out of undermining other people, it satisfies their diffidence and insecurity while making them feel on top of things. In reality, it is a game of self-deception which they are playing with themselves and any act of acknowledgement or appreciation on their part is depicted as weak or dangerous. Their pessimism has instilled in it a kind of disdain for everything around them, they swiftly identify all that is flawed and pay little notice to what is right and good.

You see, their criticality and aversion to the good in others correspond to their inner fault-finding, judgemental and disparaging nature; they engage in the same behaviour with themselves. One could say that their self-importance is grounded in weakness, not strength. For, if it was found upon strength, they would possess a capacity for recognition and acknowledgement. A sense of self-importance that is grounded in strength is not overly self-critical or condemning of other people in a pedantic fashion – such attitudes are the result of unstable characters that are unhinged by false impressions, bitterness and resentment. Self-importance that is grounded in strength is well balanced and adjusted, it is not dismissive of its weakness nor arrogant of its goodness. The wise man is the one who is not blinded by ignorance, his awareness is clear and his prejudice does not warp his vision or deceive his judgement. Wisdom, then, is conscious of itself and reflective, it is evaluative but enlightened.

On the other hand, when weakness and unawareness intersect, there is a cataclysm that may never be unwrapped. For, the very consequence of catastrophe, in this frame, is also the antagonist that obscures one’s acknowledgement of it. This is the intricate conundrum that often dooms people for life – one which the sensible person always guards himself against. A well-balanced person who is capable of an adequate degree of mindfulness can come to disentangle himself from such a problem, but it too requires a renunciation of hubris and wilful blindness. By and large, the average man lacks proper mindfulness because he goes through life moving in circles in a careless and unreasonable manner, his indiscriminate judgement does not compel him to give consideration or muse on those things which are making him miserable and enslaved.

So, instead of taking a step back and arranging what ought to be mapped out and repaired, he falls further into the terrible matrix and pretends to himself that everything is as should be and that there is nothing more that he can do that will be beneficial and of value to his cause; even worse is when a man has not identified his divine cause and he simply drifts from one domain to another with striking indecisiveness and uncertainty, waiting for death to take him. Drifting aimlessly from one realm to another is never going to lead you to the right place, it will only mislead you and leave you craving more of what you have already discovered. You know where the right place is and it isn’t the place you want to admit it is because doing so makes you feel insufficient of your current position.

However, being honest with yourself and then opposing that part of you that deliberately runs away from what needs to be mended is crucial for your dissociation from an interminable trick you are deceiving yourself with. And think about it, accepting this truth, in the long haul, will be far less ruinous and painful than persisting in folly indefinitely. The wise are not devoid of errors, they simply have a clear outlook on how best to capitalize on them after they have been made and then use them to their advantage. Everyone will make a fool of himself every now and then, mistakes will be made and these are inevitable because they are indispensable to growth and heroism. What is important here, though, is the attitude with which you face them. If you are able to discern them for what they truly are; carriers of wisdom, you will derive from them the utmost benefit, and they will build up your experience so that you will not replicate them once more in the future. If you repeat an error, that means you have not thoroughly understood its basic lesson and further inquiry and attention should be directed towards this inaccuracy, to properly avert its manifestation.

If you keep repeating the same mistakes, you are not moving forward, you are merely reproducing the same misjudgements. Those omissions, until they are identified and reversed, will hinder your progress. It is your job to single out inaccuracies and straighten them out with good reason and care. Don’t be ignorant and presume that omissions will resolve themselves, they will not. Omissions are there to signal and compel refinement and correction, they give you the opportunity to appraise your conduct and then do evaluate closely how they could be turned upside down and be of value and complementary with your good points. Rid yourself of an unduly self-sabotaging attitude towards failure and omission, such an attitude is neither productive nor illuminating. It is not a definite failing to stumble upon failure, the real failure happens when you fail to notice its underlying motive and you beat yourself up over your actions. Guilt and sabotage are unnecessary, they stimulate ample negative emotion and conceal from you the opportunity to observe an omission in its face. Self-reproach builds up anger and resentment and amidst such intense emotions, rational reasoning is not practicable. Good reason is only practicable when it is not impeded with passions of weakness and annoyance, such sensations leave no unobstructed space for a person to think things through properly and without emotional bigotry.

When you engage in emotional reasoning, you become a neurotic woman, tripping on delusions and attempting to heedlessly justify or condemn yourself on your mistakes and fallacies without careful consideration. The way you subvert such irrational reasoning is through scrutiny without condemnation towards yourself, you must closely observe without diving into impulsive conclusions. The sensible man does not rely on spontaneous impressions, he observes carefully but doesn’t identify with it nor undermine his behaviour, he gazes and contemplates his errors without imposing labels or making swift deductions in the heat of the moment. Instead, he stands back and lets the temporary cloud of emotion pass, so as to preserve his rationality and not squander it through submitting and entertaining an irrational thought or a negative emotion, allowing it to grow uncontrollable to the point of coercing him into rash behaviour.

So, in closing, a sensible nature stems from heightened awareness, attentive care, discretion and a lucid and wholly rational intellect. Furthermore, a sensible nature is not impulsively reactive to negative emotion, it is adequately detached and unwavering, it acknowledges but doesn’t submit. It stumbles but doesn’t despair, it accepts but doesn’t reproach. Thus, one’s sensible nature is preserved through mindful objectivity and a firm purpose grounded in wisdom and mastery.

The Superior Man

March 17, 2021 by Artful Prudence Leave a Comment

As culture has grown increasingly effeminate, men have simultaneously grown bemused with what their role entails in society and whether this role they are occupying in society is one that benefits their progress and is in line with what their inherent nature demands of them. In general, men have become weaker and as unfortunate as it is to say, it is not hard to discern its evidence in the ordinary world. The superior man in present-day society has come to be likened to a faint-hearted, compliant, submissive and gentle dimwit that is exclusively beneficial to the feminine imperative as a consequence of his exploitative nature. The feminine overtly calls for such a man because of his lack of masculinity, or shall I say ‘toxic masculinity’ [excuse that abysmal word] and also since his spineless design will allow her to use him to her advantage.

Thus, superiority in men has transformed into the very abandonment of masculine virtue and became the embodiment of repulsive feminine qualities which could, in reality, be perceived as vices that obscure man’s goodness and function. Man, by nature, are not easily swayed, they are not designed to be pushed around by a subservient member of the opposite sex, irrespective of what societal norms are employing to manipulate the reversal of gender roles. The gender role reversal is a calamity, not just for men but for women too – in doing so, you are diverting both polarities away from their intrinsic merit; spineless men and arrogant women. The intrinsic merit of man is of supreme importance and its digression is a failure to cultivate what is by nature good and significant and optimally beneficial to his province. And women? They have dirtied themselves with a corrupt agenda that supposedly empowers their better qualities, whatever those qualities are, because they lack the proper reason to consider the likely ramifications of a failing blueprint which leaves them smeared with the disfigurement of immoderate promiscuity and obscene behaviour.

Anyways, I shall digress from this topic and expand on the depiction of a superior man. If you consider for a moment the qualities that make men prosper, such as orderliness, structure, restraint, persistence, honour, assurance and fortitude, it is reasonable to discern that said elements are scarcely conceivable in men today, with the everlasting falsifications and illusions that permeate mediocrity. Most men are deficient in most of the elements and they will not do anything about it because the initial awareness of it never arises, they live in ignorance of virtue to accommodate the lesser members of society. Not to mention, men have become exceedingly irrational and emotional to the point of stirring abhorrence and contempt, which only makes them hate themselves all the more and enforce their confusion. This chronic frustration never gets the proper treatment for its deliverance because most men seek guidance from other people who are just as mindless as they are and so it goes.

For a man to come to himself, he must know that something is way out of line and then come to accept this verity without the slightest denial or justification, for both will hinder his progress and slip him back into the trap. Acceptance is harsh and painful, it is not effortless and easy to suddenly admit to your ignorance and weakness. It implies that you have wasted substantial time ignorantly waiting for things to happen or for your issues to resolve themselves and tomorrow never comes. This sudden realization is intolerable to most people, the fragile ego is shattered by a considerable dose of truth which exposes its weakness and incomprehension.

“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on, it is going on when you don’t have strength.”
Napoleon Bonaparte

Courage is not about being ready or about having the utmost strength to persist, it is more about your readiness and strength of will to endure hardship and pain despite your lack of power. Thus, courage uncovers itself in its authentic colours when one is impoverished and undergoing adversity. It is easier to put on a fearless facade when things are going your way but it takes genuine grit to readily persist with bravery when things are taking a downward turn. The superior man knows courage but also fear. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the conquering of fear because courageous action wipes out the possibility for terror to repel you into its misleading and depressive ruse.

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
Socrates

A wise man has overcome his sense of arrogant pride and discovered for himself that wisdom begins the moment you acknowledge your shortage of it – putting aside your ego and arming yourself with good reason, so you can shatter limiting or perverted notions and beliefs and begin to perceive reality with clarity rather than obscurity. Furthermore, a life that lacks introspection and careful evaluation is not an honourable life because to contemplate is to gaze at that aspect of your character that necessitates transformation, which is simultaneously the aspect that you run away from.

The superior man, then, has endeavoured to cultivate and amplify his key strong points; orderliness, restraint, persistence, honour, assurance and fortitude. Orderliness signifies his efficiency, care and diligent effort to preserve equilibrium within his limitless confines and to execute and carry out his deeds with lawfulness and discipline. Furthermore, it is his capacity to remain composed and alleviate the unforeseen chaos of daily life and wrestle with it to his benefit. Restraint signifies his capacity to stray away from impulsiveness, indulgence and heedless pleasure which dampens his character, muddles his senses and spoils his progress. Persistence signifies his capacity to undergo the battles that face him with a firm determination that conflict will propel him forward and in the direction of his impetus. To persist is to pursue excellence and all its prosperous ramifications of virtue. Honour signifies his capacity to know all that is virtuous and beneficial to him, uncompromising integrity and upright moral principles. The former demonstrates his strength of character, the latter his vigorous commitment to his rectitude. With assurance comes great conviction and fortitude, the essential qualities that spring from a tough spirit and a resilient character. This is the very fabric of the superior man, for the man of purpose knows himself to be in harmony with his own essential goodness, ensuring his virtue and dignity is not diminished or suppressed through vice, debasement or dishonesty.

“It is easy to live for others, everybody does. I call on you to live for yourself.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is easier to undermine your integrity and live to please other people because you are less liable and more leisurely. Living for yourself requires resilience and a strong backbone to keep you upright. Furthermore, it entails a certain responsibility and accountability to endure the conflict that is thrown at you with conviction and bravery and to understand that discomfort is necessary for growth and expansion. Life is not about making the right decision, it is about throwing yourself in disorder and learning to resourcefully and diligently cope with it, irrespective of ‘negative’ outcomes. What you deem a negative failing will turn out to be an essential building block on your journey towards mastery and nobility. Too many people are hung up on the notion of ensuring they don’t take a bad step, avoiding or lessening the likelihood of failure at all costs. This is an unnecessary precaution, if your outlook is one of timidity and aversion, you will never be readily disposed to take risks. Risks are inevitable, exciting and rewarding so long as you are willing to pursue them with a sense of boldness and faith. Conversely, if you perceive them in a bad light, you will fail to acknowledge their importance and recompense and be entrapped in ignorant blindness.

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”
William Faulkner

Laws of Power: How to Adapt Yourself like Proteus

March 13, 2021 by Artful Prudence Leave a Comment

We live in a society where identity and image play a crucial and significant role where attention, status and desirability is concerned. To be part of such a society, in fact, is to have a superficial identity imposed on you that is hollow and grounded in distorted judgement, false preconceptions and appearance. I think we all know at least one person who is somewhat uncertain or unaware of his identity and role within society, and there is a sure reason for this.

Society deliberately muddles people in its indecency and filth because conformity and ignorance preserve mediocrity and to be average is to be ignorantly inferior to the potentially damaging influences you are subconsciously driven by. Furthermore, the unaware willingly submit to this identity and obediently comply with it as if their ‘identity’ is somehow beyond their control.

Identity is intangible, it is not something you can grasp in reality, it is rather something that is changeable in nature and indefinite since it has no defined boundaries in reality which it identifies with. If you understand that and not take your identity too seriously, perhaps you may be able to mould and shape it to your liking and reject the sheer dirt that contaminates the air of modern-day culture.

It is entirely possible to forge a new identity since there is no concrete identity, to begin with, and the way you do it is by taking good care in shaping an image that is beneficial to you and appeals to progress, one that is not boring and dull but sensible and enlightened and aligns with your value structure, which too must be refined to accommodate a newly formed character. Your character and image should not be in conflict, they must move in unison to avoid drastic mimicry that could be openly portrayed as dishonest or otherwise suspicious.

We are all actors on a stage playing these different roles in life and pretending to ourselves that these different parts define our inherent character and self. There is an element of theatricality to the game of life, it is as if a drama is unfolding in front of us and we are playing a role in it which is not exactly serious but imparts an all too convincing impression that it is wholly serious and if we fail to adjust accordingly, there is a hefty price to be paid. The recognition that maybe, just maybe, the game is not as serious as you think it is and you have been taking it more serious than you need to, could be liberating and a kind of breakthrough that ignites a flame.

“The man who intends to make his fortune in this ancient capital of the world [Rome] must be a chameleon susceptible of reflecting the colours of the atmosphere that surrounds him—a Proteus apt to assume every form, every shape. He must be supple, flexible, insinuating, close, inscrutable, often base, sometimes sincere, sometimes perfidious, always concealing a part of his knowledge, indulging in but one tone of voice, patient, a perfect master of his own countenance, as cold as ice when any other man would be all fire; and if unfortunately he is not religious at heart—a very common occurrence for a soul possessing the above requisites—he must have religion in his mind, that is to say, on his face, on his lips, in his manners; he must suffer quietly, if he be an honest man, the necessity of knowing himself an arrant hypocrite. The man whose soul would loathe such a life should leave Rome and seek his fortune elsewhere. I do not know whether I am praising or excusing myself, but of all those qualities I possessed but one—namely, flexibility.”
Giacomo Casanova

In this excerpt, Casanova articulates how a man who has a substantial degree of control over his temperament and how it is perceived, behaves. The man who is inscrutable, formless and adequately detached to shape himself in accordance with the circumstance he finds himself in, he is neither identified with this shape nor the previous one, he continually and gracefully shifts from one form to another and blends in with the spirit of the time, as it were, to reject the notion of static and unchanging identity that is both plain and unexciting.

This passage contains many parallels with the nature of the flatterer which I happen to have written about in the previous essay, and how they maintain a sense of octopus-like changeability, circumstantially attuned to the situation and temperament of the other person, appearing as sources of pleasure which hypnotize and emotionally manipulate the other person into delusion and confusion. What Casanova is getting at is quite comparable in nature, the idea of having a flexible character is extremely beneficial in the social game, which also includes the game of appearances.

To further elaborate on flexibility, this sense of adaptability gives you the opportunity to stand back a little, putting your negative emotions aside, and play a spirited game with your apparent nature. Since flexibility allows you to assume any shape, your apparent identity becomes inscrutable, giving you the freedom to forge multiple identities should you desire. However, the key takeaway here is that your inherent character should only be uncovered to those who have earned it and are worthy of your friendship and loyalty.

The social game demands a sense of formlessness that is desirable and appealing, providing you the ability to understand other people’s character and needs without necessarily revealing your own. Formlessness is not necessarily duplicity, an element of care is indispensable here and unavoidable. For, if you seem contradictory and hypocritical to the point of rousing immoderate doubt and suspicion, you will seem duplicitous and openly cunning. A more subtle approach is called for here, adequate restraint from excess words, vague or indirect approaches, subdued behaviour that is ambiguous and so on.

Subtlety is likened to indirection, people are generally direct with words and that is why you must restrain with words and remain concise. Indirection through behaviour is effective to demonstrate this element of formlessness, gesture and style also play a significant role in the way people perceive you, not to mention the people you associate with, which too contribute to the image and so-called identity.

The connection between power and acting was initially understood by Julius Caesar and he likely was one of the earliest public figures to grasp the link between the two. Caesar possessed a dramatic effect that was simultaneously enticing and revering, he knew how to control an audience because he had the ability to manipulate the image he conveys to them to his liking – he incorporated suspense, surprise and striking feats that made him appear as if his presence transcends ordinariness and seems larger than life. Caesar accumulated renown through his roleplaying ability and overall talent.

“Know how to be all things to all men. A discreet Proteus—a scholar among scholars, a saint among saints. That is the art of winning over everyone, for like attracts like. Take note of temperaments and adapt yourself to that of each person you meet—follow the lead of the serious and jovial in turn, changing your mood discreetly. ”
Baltasar Gracian

The discreet Proteus is the shapeshifter, the man who assumes all forms and employs discretion to grasp different temperaments, shaping himself accordingly. If there is only one quality you should develop to improve your social affairs and image, it would be to cultivate this capacity for changeability. No definite identity could be foisted on someone whose form is in constant flux and whose character is inscrutable to the public eye – you cannot lay a finger on a fluid and formless shape that gracefully flows from one domain to another, just like water. Learn to dance with circumstance and nonchalantly adapt to it as Proteus does.

The Nature of the Flatterer and Friendship

March 12, 2021 by Artful Prudence Leave a Comment

“The ultimate dishonesty is the false appearance of honesty.”
Plato

Pleasure – The Flatterer’s Realm

Plato states that an elevated level of love for oneself is commonly excused, yet he also argues that it gives rise to an important and solemn fault [not to allude to the host of secondary faults]. A person who is infatuated with himself cannot make a neutral judgement of himself, it is simply not possible since that degree of desire for himself dirties and muddles his good sense and throws neutrality out the window. Where the flatterer is concerned, this element of self-love and desire is employed, inspiring in everyone self-deception and unawareness, so the good and bad are no longer noticeable and thus unfit to acknowledge and set right.

The flatterer camouflages himself in friendly and pleasurable facades, the underlying motive behind it has no concrete account except that he has discerned that a true friendship does not shut out pleasure. Thus, the realm of the flatterer is pleasure and that is what he uses to lure people into his trap. The striking quality that makes the flatterer both elusive and enthralling is his pliable nature and his ability to mirror one’s attitudes, interests and desires. After all, one of the initial elements that bring people together to form a friendship is similarity and like-mindedness, so to speak, the mutual bond that is reflected between two individuals.

The flatterer, knowing this, adapts himself according to the other person, giving the appearance of resemblance through this mirroring effect. The flatterer, then, mimics the behaviour of someone he wants to lure into his trap, and when he does, he makes the other person liable to his praise and flattery; this is a well-known facet of cunning that irresistibly and perfectly plays to people’s conceit and self-love, their lack of conscious awareness with regards to this overt flattery and its potential force is generally overlooked by the people who are targets of flattery. The flatterer has understood that where pleasure and vanity overlap, there is vulnerability, at least for most people it is thus.

Without exception, the dawn of friendship is where reciprocal nature and character align between two people, the relationship that is generated through this similitude and affinity makes for a profound bond that is for the benefit of both people since they both value the other’s presence and temperament. Where there is similarity, there is liking and where there is liking, there are enjoyment and affection. On the other hand, the flatterer mimics this liking to win people over, not out of genuine correspondence, but by his versatile and changeable nature and ability to discern one’s character and modify himself accordingly. In other words, he makes himself an object of pleasure and desire through the renunciation of reliability and authenticity.

The Changeable Nature of the Flatterer

We tend to hold a certain conviction towards people who readily and happily express favour or liking and only express distaste when they are pressured by exterior forces. If you know a person has previously expressed praise or approval towards you, you are more willing to allow and admit his criticism and prejudice, so long as kindliness was a precondition. Thus, it is generally the decent, fair and pleasant person who grants the flatterer and lets him into his life without heedful caution, eventually becoming a victim of his flattery. Covert flattery is a dangerous gamble; serious, under the table admiration can wreck a real friendship if not attended to with care since its intrinsic nature is identical to that of friendship. Plato states, ‘The ultimate dishonesty is the false appearance of honesty.’ The flatterer is capable of exercising false sincerity to disarm his target and build an apparently transparent relationship with his target, not through genuine bonding, but through forgery. The flatterer knows that most people value honesty and sincerity and if he can simulate that honesty to preserve his changeable nature, that will be his course of action to enter a person’s spirit.

Similarity emotionally draws people in and when someone has entrusted the other person with a secret, the other person is more disposed to reveal a secret of his own. Once this mutual revelation has taken place, a relationship has shaped itself and with it comes a fear of betrayal. Since both parties have mutually made themselves vulnerable, or at least seeming to have, only the sincere person will feel dread and fear towards their relationship. On the other hand, the flatterer circumvents this vulnerability through the use of false sincerity, he conveys to the other person the appearance of honesty to get him to open up and reveal himself. But the flatterer does not openly put himself out there, he may give the impression that he is taking a vulnerable position or making a confession during a dialogue, yet this is imitation and not frankness.

Through the flatterer’s powers of imitation, he penetrates your deeds, actions, habits and necessities. For this reason, the flatterer is a source of pleasure that people find captivation and hard to discern, more so because his aura clouds their judgement and the veil that he wears hypnotizes them. When one’s judgement is clouded, said person is directed by a warped perception that is misleading and grounded in deception. To compound it, when you add the pleasure connected with his presence, you are invariably put under his spell if you lack the caution and awareness to make out such a state of affairs and then to know how to act to avoid hanging out with said characters.

In general, one could say that the flatterer has compromised his ego to preserve a formless and changeable nature that is not outwardly grounded in a mode of conduct that is constant and consistent. Although the flatterer’s duplicity does no good to anyone, it certainly deludes people into thinking they are something greater or lesser than what they actually are; often it is the former, where the flatterer is concerned. This does not exclude defects, the flatterer also imitates one’s flaws in an attempt to make the other person feel better about himself, even though his attempt in doing so makes the other person less inclined to resolve the issue at hand and engenders counterproductivity. The flatterer is a source of comfort, even when that comfort is not what is needed for your progress, he will nevertheless be there to console you and make you feel as if things are fine through mirroring, even when they’re not and his flattery is clearly having an adverse effect on your judgement.

This is how the flatterer wins people to his side, he simply appeals to their image by reflecting it back to them. Reputation is an important aspect for the flatterer, their character is such that preserving a good reputation is absolutely necessary. When an elusive flatterer has won people to his side through his proficient mimicry and imitation, sustaining a good reputation becomes easy, but only so long as his flattery does not generate doubt and suspicion among the victims. Once there is a shudder of doubt starting to permeate the air, the flatterer’s reputation is at risk.

A Flatterer is Not Fit for Friendship

Because the flatterer shapes and adapts himself in relation to someone else, honesty and distinction are not his agents, intricacy and duplicity are his real agents; the flatterer is continually fluttering from one domain to another and his form is determined by the vessel that admits him. [People, in general, naturally derive many of their qualities from the attitudes and styles of other people.] When Dionysius had a weakened vision, the flatterers among him would seemingly give the impression of collision and ‘accidentally’ let their plates fall during meal times.

You see, flatterers adapt to circumstance and dance with its rhythm, but their metamorphosis is not difficult to discern, the way you do it is by giving the impression that you too are changeable, denouncing a way of life you have formerly praised or recommended and by unexpectedly involving yourself in activities and behaviour you earlier abhorred. This will make it crystal clear that the flatterer has no sense of permanence and steadfastness – his likes and aversions are not triggered by congenital sensation since he acts like a mirror, where the reflections he lets in stem from the external world. Furthermore, he is disposed towards the damaging aspects of a person; the fact he emulates contemptible conduct tells you that he keeps away from a reputation that is reproving of it and in addition, it is those people who endeavour for development that are doubted of being upset and resentful of their friends’ faults.

It is important that you do not fail to notice a specific ploy the flatterer employs when he is emulating other people; if he does not emulate some of the good qualities of the person he is trying to flatter, he confirms that justice is on the side of the other person, not himself. A flatterer is not a friend you can share an honest relationship with, genuine friends are not opponents and there is no underlying bitterness or jealousy between them and whether one is more or less successful than the other, composure and poise prevail.

Thus, if you want to do away with the flatterer, you must be exceptionally cautious and vigilant, given that he is interwoven with the threads of friendship and similarity, that you do not abandon virtue with vice and admit the door to menace by gratifying pleasantry. In closing, Sophocles says the following about friendship; “He was born for mutual love, not mutual hatred.” A genuine friend does not emulate your every minute detail or eagerly commend all you do, but supports and upholds only the finest things that approximate goodness.

An Archaic Guide on Listening

March 5, 2021 by Artful Prudence Leave a Comment

“Admiration is the opposite of contempt, and it is, of course, a sign of a more reasonable and equable nature; all the same, it too needs quite a lot of caution, and perhaps even more.”
Plutarch

Introduction

Epictetus contends that there is an expertise in conversing by which the talker benefits himself, as well as the listeners. Without such expertise, the speaker would harm, yet even when the speaker possesses such ability, a reasonable portion of his listeners are wronged. Listening is a requisite ability if the listener is to profit, in much the same way ability is requisite when you are examining a work of art that was constructed by an able carver. Consequently, the efficacy of the discourse is hinged on the competence of the listener to discern and reap benefits from what is being said.

Open-minded listening necessitates quietness, absent of derogatory and unsettling intrusions. Furthermore, it calls for ridding yourself of envy of a speaker’s prowess and disdain towards his shortcomings. You should be discerning and countering to brilliance to your merit and when blunders are noted, contemplating on how you could improve or surpass them. Accordingly, we should be focused on both reasoning and subject matter for the good of our intellect. The art of listening, as well, demands a degree of discretion; inquiry should not be employed as a means to deflect, digress or wittingly put forward a question the speaker is inept to respond. For, a discourse relies on a combined effort between the speaker and listener, thus even declarations of honour and acclaim should acknowledge the speaker’s characteristics. Moreover, the listener should react decently to apposite individual judgement, unaccompanied by ignorance or remonstrance. On the one hand, to stand up to said criticism shamelessly and dismiss it is the quality of an inconsiderate pest; on the other, to hurry into the consolatory weapons of your friends unveils delicacy and fragility with no control or firmness. The responses and backlash of the listener are expressions of his ethical nature.

A new listener can be at the helm of failure; either through bashfulness which stops him from inquiry and in turn, results in unease and uncertainty when complete inevitability subsequently provokes him to put a question; or by putting on airs and simulating understanding when he is actually unknowing and is simply substantiating his incomprehension. The listener should, therefore, attempt to pivot on the speech, recurrently grappling with his ignorance; listen to comprehend, not to make a response. In contrast, the listener shouldn’t at once credit everything as gospel – the mind is for setting alight, not for thoughtless stuffing. To sum up, the basis for genuine living is genuine listening.

The Ears are the Handle of Virtue

In the same way women throw away their reticence with their clothes, so do youthful people abandon their childhood robe. In doing so, they renounce both bashfulness and carefulness, soon depriving themselves of appropriate clothing and spilling over with hedonism. The transition from childhood to adulthood forms a new leader; this is where you take on the godly authority of reason and rationality, for only the sensible and well reasoned earn the acclaim of liberty – they live as they desire since they desire only what is essential. On the other hand, inferiority fosters disobedience and unreasonable deeds; there is little liberty in indecisiveness and hesitancy.

It is philosophy that infuses young men with the brave, masculine, ideal and disciplined harmony and disposition that truthfully arises from rationality. On condition that no flattery and defeatism has polluted the youthful man, the ears are the handle of virtue. For, a young man who refused all orders and never savoured well-reasoned dialogue continues to be unproductive and sterile of goodness, with the likelihood of growing spoiled and unnatural towards failing and wrongdoing. When you grant such proclivities to wander without restriction down their natural course [since their essence is not self-control through the use of good argumentation to eliminate or redirect them], there is no untamed savage which wouldn’t reveal itself to be domesticated in contrast with man.

Two Ears, One Tongue

It is discernible that for the majority of people, their approach towards listening is turned upside down, as it were; they work on their speaking skills previous to learning to listen, assuming that speaking takes mindful inquiry and consideration and virtue will accumulate even with an inattentive attitude towards listening. As Plutarch says, “Nature gave each of us two ears, but one tongue, because we should listen more than we speak.” For a young man, quietness is an embellishment, more so if he has the capacity to listen without growing exasperated and abruptly retorting the speaker, even when the remarks are decidedly undesirable, he tolerates them and holds back his tongue until the speaker finishes. Furthermore, to politely and briefly stand by following his final remarks to discern whether the speaker wishes to mention any additional words, improve, or shed light on something. In contrast, to castigate in vengeance, intervene during his talk and neither listen nor be listened is disgraceful and despicable.

People’s Conceit and Envy

He who possesses the ability to attentively listen in a composed and deferential manner is responsive and retentive of beneficial comments. Simultaneously, the futile and counterfeit is clear and perceptible to him since he is directing himself at the truth rather than winning the disagreement. If you wish to inculcate utility, focus more on reducing the affectation of others since people are commonly brimming with the nonsense of conceitedness and thus are unreceptive listeners. There is nothing more unappetizing to the envious than other people reasoning competently, for their envy compels them to hear all that is good as dreadful, displeasing and undesirable. Jealousy is annoyance towards other people’s prosperity, status or attractiveness; it is other people’s success that displeases the envious person, begrudging what is to his benefit. Consequently, just as light is lawful for those with the faculty of sight, so is discourse for those with the faculty of perceptive listening, if they are disposed to open-mindedness.

Know How to Praise

The perceptive listener should put an end to the incongruity and antagonism between the need for command and the need for status and eminence and as a worthier substitute, attentively listen to the talker courteously and gallantly. Moreover, you must know when to commend the speaker; if he demonstrates proficient ability, you should approvingly express admiration and cheer for his purpose in making known what he understands well, and in making use of the reasoning that he personally regards as persuasive to attempt to convince other people. When a man achieves prosperity, you ought to recognize that it is by no mere fortune or arbitrary triumph, but merited by conscientiousness, diligence and careful learning; such victory is worthy of our adulation and desire and we should strive to breed it within our life.

Contemplation and Inquiry

Shortcomings are easier to discern in others than in yourself; careless calculation, empty expression, vulgar speech and exhilarating or flavourless pleasure in searching for praise are plainer to see in others than ourselves when speaking. Thus, you should shift your careful examination from the orator to yourself and inquire whether you are making the very same errors without foreknowledge. Moreover, when you are confronted with people’s omissions, you need not resist reciting to yourself Plato’s phrase, “Am I really sure that I’m not like that too?” – In the same way you perceive your eyes mirrored in your neighbours, where conversing is affected, it too is assured that your idiosyncrasies are mirror images of others. Consequently, you should put an end to hurriedly dashing into disdain of others and instead cultivate care and alertness when speaking.

When you have turned away from the talk, you can extract something you think the speaker managed unsuccessfully or incompetently and attempt to deliberate on it by putting yourself in his position, as it were, and treating the errors through considering mistakes, rectifying a flaw, and conveying an abstraction in a different manner. Conversely, you can also take an original stance on the subject matter and engage as such.

Stimulating Desirability

February 26, 2021 by Artful Prudence Leave a Comment

Desirability is an appearance, its origin is more about the perception that is indirectly communicated to people [that other women find you desirable] than it is about your words and gesture. (…)

Preamble

There is a great deal of nostalgic and tender balderdash when it comes to desire which could be perceived as passionate or poignant. However, much of desire has to do with conceit and avarice and your desire for someone else continually entails communal factors and deliberations that you may not immediately be conscious of. People are drawn by the desirable; those who are appealing to others. When you are aware of this reality, you want to own them for yourself. Knowing this underlying truism about human nature, you may be prone to attempt to complain and pontificate about their egocentrism. Refrain from such behaviour, it will only make you look bitter and envious of their egotism. Instead, exploit it to your benefit and cultivate an aura of desirability around your name.

Forging a Triangle

Realistically, desirability is a game of appearances more than anything else, imparting the illusion that other people find you desirable, which in turn makes you more attractive to the woman you are trying to invite. A successful method to produce this impression is by fabricating what is called a ‘triangle’; introduce a supplementary woman between you and the woman you are trying to attract and ingeniously get your main woman conscious of how the supplementary woman is craving for your attention – To complete the triangle, you can encircle yourself around other women who find you desirable, uncovering certain affairs you’ve had to indirectly rouse desirability; you do not need to be wholly revealing or absolutely genuine about everything. Often, too much genuity deadens the seduction – say less than necessary and leave enough empty spaces for women to fantasize about you.

Convey the Right Message

If you are inept of appearing desirable from the beginning, you will be enslaved, one way or another, by women’s impulses and then be disowned by her indifference. Many a time, a woman will disown you because her alternative man intimates more popularity and value, in other words, signifying more desirability in the face of others and her friends. Furthermore, her partiality is largely influenced by her hypergamous nature; desirability, social proof, appearance, manner and wealth. Women, undeniably, gravitate towards those men who women want to sleep with and men want to emulate, deserting those men who lack affluence and attractiveness. Women, in particular, will yearn for the man who is desired by various women, especially if she respects the women who desire said man; this will induce her desire all the more. It would also be advantageous to amuse a woman with a mysterious narration of the various women who find you desirable as well as the propositions they put forward to you. This will convey to the woman that you are a favoured and preferred man with women and a strong man of integrity. Furthermore, it will reassure her that she could enjoy the same privilege the other women are benefiting from.

Desire is an Appearance

Desirability is an appearance, its origin is more about the perception that is indirectly communicated to people [that other women find you desirable] than it is about your words and gesture. Therefore, women’s interest in you could be intensified through this subtle projection of desirability. Ultimately, desire is derivative and ambitious; the former owing to your liking for what others like and the latter owing to your craving to have other peoples’ goods for yourself. Therefore, if you use these platitudes of human nature to your advantage, you can reverse engineer the effect by cajoling people to contend for your attention by conveying the impression I expounded earlier. Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe remarks on Girard’s prominent dissection of this hypothesis; “The basic hypothesis upon which rests Girard’s famous analysis [is that] every desire is the desire of the other (and not immediately desire of an object), every structure of desire is triangular (including the other—mediator or model—whose desire desire imitates), every desire is thus from its inception tapped by hatred and rivalry; in short, the origin of desire is mimesis—mimeticism—and no desire is ever forged which does not desire forthwith the death or disappearance of the model or exemplary character which gave rise to it.” In general, Girard’s ‘mimetic’ desire transpires when a person wants something because it is wanted by another person, who could be represented as the contender.

In Closing

People’s ambitious cravings are not only galvanized with these applications, their conceit and pride, both of which are chief weaknesses, are lined up and put to use. Knowing that someone is more gifted or wealthy is bearable but to discern that your opponent is more attractive than you is intolerable. When their conceit is endangered, you can influence people to do what you wish; it is your province to determine the degree of uprightness and vileness underlying your deeds. Remember: deceit is not immoral, it is non-discriminatory. Thus, it is how you make use of it that matters; there is nothing unethical about talking an obese patient into growing strong and bettering his poor health.