Discover Top Posts Tagged with #keep your head

Amsterdam (2022)

Directed by David O. Russell

Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki

#Amsterdam #David O. Russell #Emmanuel Lubezki #John David Washington #Margot Robbie #Christian Bale #Robert De Niro #Jay Cassidy #Daniel Pemberton #20th Century Studios #Regency Enterprises #New Regency #DreamCrew #Keep Your Head #Corazon Hayagriva #comedy thriller #Movies Frames #movie in pictures #movie in frames #movie frames #movie #movies #film frames #film #films #cinematography #filmography #filmmaking #2022

Stir up waters to catch fish (and don't take it personally)

Angry people usually end up looking ridiculous, for their response seems out of proportion to what occasioned it. They have taken things too seriously, exaggerating the hurt or insult that has been done to them. They are so sensitive to slight that it becomes comical how much they take personally. More comical still is their belief that their outbursts signify power. The truth is the opposite: Petulance is not power, it is a sign of helplessness. People may temporarily be cowed by your tantrums, but in the end they lose respect for you. They also realize they can easily undermine a person with so little self control.

The answer, however, is not to repress our angry or emotional responses. For repression drains us of energy and pushes us into strange behavior Instead we have to change our perspective: We have to realize that nothing in the social realm, and in the game of power, is personal.

Everyone is caught up in a chain of events that long predates the present moment. Our anger often stems from problems in our childhood, from the problems of our parents which stem from their own childhood, on and on. Our anger also has roots in the many interactions with others, the accumulated disappointments and heartaches that we have suffered. An individual will often appear as the instigator of our anger but it is much more complicated, goes far beyond what that individual did to us. If a person explodes with anger at you (and it seems out of proportion to what you did to them), you must remind yourself that it is not exclusively directed at you - do not be so vain. The cause is much larger, goes way back in time, involves dozens of prior hurts, and is actually not worth the bother to understand. Instead of seeing it as a personal grudge, look at the emotional outburst as a disguised power move, an attempt to control or punish you cloaked in the form of hurt feelings and anger.

This shift of perspective will let you play the game of power with more clarity and energy. Instead of overreacting, and becoming ensured in people's emotions, you will turn their loss of control to your advantage: You keep your head while they are losing theirs.

- 'The 48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene