Last night I had a conversation about positioning. ( no not like that, that type of positioning that involves having an ulterior motive, an angle)
I wondered if we go through life trying to maintain, uphold, or create a position.. a position that most notably always seems to mean having the upper hand over someone else.
At work, in business, in love
Situations are often manipulated in ways which would could probably have done well to be left alone.
My question is.. can we operate at work, in business, in love without either one?
Without games, large or small - or affiliations to Machiavellian principles..and if so.. why don't we?
Sure positioning and manipulation are different things, yet both involve, A.I.. artificial interference..
Of these two online definitions to manipulate definitely appears more sinister but..
Is it a fantasy to expect things to be any different?
Positioning
To present participle of po·si·tion (Verb)1. Put or arrange (someone or something) in a particular place or way.
Manipulate
1. To move, arrange, operate, or control by the hands or by mechanical means, especially in a skillful manner: She manipulated the lights to get just the effect she wanted.
2. To influence or manage shrewdly or deviously: He manipulated public opinion in his favor.
3. To tamper with or falsify for personal gain: tried to manipulate stock prices.
I actually rather prefer not knowing the rules of the game for if I did...I may be inclined to play!! (and if I played.. I would be a serious player methinks) plus from what I see, it appears to be a game where are there are no 'winners'
(I will resist the urge to say .. only losers!)
However, like most things in life there is another way to look at things
There's healthy manipulation and positioning, and unhealthy manipulation and positioning
The true art - is knowing which is which, and undeniable mastery of the correct application/s..and those in posession of such a skill/'gift' or 'craft'.. appear to be few and far between
tip - keep it straight -keep it true.. anything else invites confusion and stressx
I really like this post. The idea of keeping things true is a very good premise. In repsonse to your question "can we operate without either?" I think it is somewhat feasable but doing this may put us in a small group. When you assess the state of how things are, the intrinsic values that are so appealing seems to be vanishing.
ReplyDeleteYes @Everald- I agree with you..and as a result the world can be a very lonely place..when assessing the 'state of how things are' - it's pretty dire, yet remaining true to yourself, hard as it may be, still seems like the best option
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