“Hope for the best, plan for the worse”
This paper is a reaction to the recently released action movie Bourne Ultimatum using the perspective of the Renaissance philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli. Specifically this delves into using some of the arguments and concepts forwarded in his famous work The Prince and The Art of War.
The Bourne Ultimatum is a movie about the main characters’ (Jason Bourne) journey of discovering his real identity after undergoing a program called Treadstone, clandestinely operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to remove the memories of cunning officers and convert them into assassins. It involved several collusions and deceptions among several persons and agencies.
The Prince
This book was published to implicitly appease the Medici’s particularly the reigning Lorenzo. It talked about the basic considerations to be remembered by every leader in order to succeed in running a peaceful and harmonious society. It can be applied not merely on the political or military realm but also to other sectors of the society.
According to Machiavelli, “it is better to trust in your power than in the goodwill of others”. If we will examine the movie thoroughly, Jason Bourne has sought to discover his very own personality. Upon embarking on this journey he has encountered several personalities all of whom were motivated by personal interest and protection of their concerns. Noah Vosen, the CIA Director is firm and staunch about his decision of aggressively pursuing the outlawed former agents just to protect himself and agency from the illegal program which they undertook even to the point of compromising the lives of other people. Pamela Landy was brought by the CIA to help capture Bourne but ended up cooperating with Bourne to discover his real identity. She also held Vosen liable of the ill and illegal operations which he conducted. Jason Bourne believed in his power and capabilities to discover and achieve his goal rather than to give his trust to others.
Machiavelli suggested to “imitate the fox and the lion”. The fox is shrewd and cunning and the lion is strong and brave. People should be able to adapt to different situations. Bravery and strength should be compensated with strategy and ability to hide real intentions so that plans will be pushed through without any interception or distraction. In every war and in every action like that undertaken by Bourne, deception is very important. A person should be able to blend with his environment and should be convincing enough to deceive his enemies.
Machiavelli also emphasized the importance of prudence. Prudence according to him is the ability of knowing the nature of difficulties and making that which is least harmful as good. This brings into consideration the rationality present in every individual. People always weigh the benefits and costs of every action or decision and obviously every rational being will choose the alternative where the benefits outweigh those of the disadvantages. Jason Bourne in every mission has made plans to strategize his moves. He has knowledge of every mission to and considers every difficulties that he will face and choose that which has the least harm.
The Art of War
This book was written as a practical proposition to the rulers of Florence as an alternative to the unreliable condottleri mercenario that an Italian City state is reliant upon. It was published to give hints and suggestions of how a troop should behave and act during times of war.
Machiavelli emphasized that “without doubt, ferocious and disordered men are much weaker than timid and ordered ones”. This means that organization in every endeavor is an important factor in its success. Strength is nothing if the people are disordered. Like Jason Bourne, although he did not work with several troops he was very ordered. He operated silently and performed his missions under keen observation and planning. Order chases fear in men and disorder lessens ferocity. This is the main reason why at the outset, planning should be given emphasis followed by a rigid implementation and assuming flexibility of the plan.
“To know in war how to recognize an opportunity and seize it is better than anything else”. When people engage in any form of war, the senses should not be limited to the salient but should be keen enough to see what is not visible. That means recognizing the opportunities available and seizing it for your full advantage. Jason Bourne recognized the opportunities provided by some particular personalities around like Nicky and Pamela Landy. These particular persons extended help for him to discover his real self.
Machiavelli also mentioned that, “in war, discipline can do more than fury”. Controlling ones emotion is very essential if he wants success. To be overcome by emotion means devastation. The journalist Ross was killed because he was not disciplined. He did not listen to the orders or advises of Bourne. He panicked and lost control of the situation. Lack of trust and the incomplete information between two persons is a contributing factor to the development of discipline which lacked in the event of Bourne and Ross’ encounter.
“The greatest remedy that is used against a plan of the enemy is to do voluntarily what he plans that you do by force”. Jason Bourne deceived the CIA operatives by doing the unexpected. He chose to be close with the enemy then using his superb dexterity was able to maneuver them. He was able to sneek into Vosen’s office and gets the classified documents in the very nose of the CIA operatives. Their plans were voluntarily done by Bourne to his benefit and the enemy’s expense.
The ideas, concepts and arguments of Niccolo Machiavelli are still very important and applicable at present. It can be used not only in the political realm but also in other sectors of the society. Aggressiveness should be possessed because this will materialize every plan that the person has in mind. The arguments forwarded in his The Art of War can now be taken not unto armed wars literally. Every struggle to live in this competitive world is a war. Having a background or initial knowledge of how to deal with such conditions is very helpful for pragmatic reasons and for yielding high odds of success. Ultimatum connotes challenge, a challenge for Jason Bourne to discover his real identity. This can be taken into a bigger perspective bringing ourselves part of the situation. We are all like Jason Bourne. We are all heading to finding what we really are. Most of us envision a future for ourselves but sometimes the vision is blurred by circumstances beyond our control. Control here is deemed important because being able to manipulate and use the available resources around is a key consideration in achieving success. I personally find Machiavelli an important person whom his arguments are useful to almost everyone not only to the leaders but to ordinary citizens alike. We are all in a war. We are all in a battle—to live, to relate with others, to discover who we are, and to plan for the future ahead. Grasping some hints from Machiavelli will be very useful. We should be able to imitate the fox and the lion. We should be able to deceive ourselves, this is important in times when we are on the verge of giving up. Deceiving ourselves is a mechanism where we can change our state of minds and direct it into our goal.
To end, I should say that we are all like Jason Bourne. We were born with a blank slate and gradually fill this with accumulated knowledge. At present we are still on the process of discovering our real identity, of what we will become in the future, of where is our destination. It is important that in pursuing this mission, we should be guided by some enlightening and encouraging thoughts—Machiavelli’s is a good material. Given that we possessed such knowledge it will be easy for us to hope for the best and plan for the worse.
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