mooBlog 8-05-09: Modern Control Theory

Another year down. It’d be quite an understatement to say it went quickly. On my last birthday, I also posted a blog about what I had learnt, what my expectations were, and what I was looking forward to. This year, the same thing…

What have I learnt? I guess I’ve learnt a lot about control. It’s one of the most vital parts of any interaction between living things.

When I was living in Germany five years ago, I recognized the first signs of control issues in another human. My host father was a control-freak, albeit a rather nice person at heart. He had to have everything his way. He always had to have people waiting for him. It was so bad, that even at the dinner table he always had to be the last one to finish eating, so that people were always waiting for him to finish. It was his way of showing that he had the control over how long we sat together. One day, I challenged this. After the first helping, I got another plate of food. I ate quickly, and waited. I waited until he was almost finished, and then I got another plate. This is when it all turned weird. Every time I did this, he would also get another plate of food. After severely stuffing ourselves, he eventually conceded and I learnt my first lesson about control; control or be controlled. However, I didn’t realize the full extent of this lesson until much later.

At university, I studied a subject titled, ‘Control and Automation.’ Fundamentally, it was an electronics subject; however, the theories presented were a lot more versatile. I learnt that in order to obtain the desired results, one must consider the shape of the input conditions. The second stage is to understand the ways in which these conditions can be manipulated and added to in order to reduce noise, and get vital data out. The final step is to take all of this and use it to benefit the environment in which the signal must be used.

The aforementioned process, as I have also found out, applies people. I know people who can control other’s opinions. The world changes to benefit them, as people conform, so that they can get what they want. The benefit is there, but the environment is usually localized to the controller. These people have spent time learning, so that they understand what makes people do the things they do. Once this knowledge is gained, using this information easily transforms into the desired end result. Although these people sound somewhat selfish and manipulative in their desire to control their world, especially others, I am constantly in awe of their abilities. I wish to myself that I was that charismatic and that the things that I wanted were so easily obtained. I see so many of the things that I want in life slip away, like water into sand. The saddest part is that all it would take for me to get these things that I want so badly, would be to take the situation by the proverbially horns and tame it.

Recently I met a girl who I find completely intriguing and attractive. I thought I would have had a chance. I just have no way of controlling that situation. It’s not a fact of not knowing my attractive qualities. I recognize that I am not bad looking and that I am relatively intelligent. I know that I can articulate my words and that I’m interested in interesting and worldly topics. I have a moral stance that would rival most UN delegates. Nevertheless, without the skills to control others and their opinions, I am unable to easily portray myself as that person. I know I appear as somewhat reserved and quiet, because I don’t have the ability to make myself seem attractive to this girl.

I read ‘The Game’ by Neil Strauss. In some ways, the point that I’ve been making about control was validated by this. I read that it in order to get the things that you want, you need to understand the environment you’re in, and that doing that constitutes the majority of the process. Strauss’ knew that he was already a great person, but in order for people to recognize it, he had to firstly control their opinions of him. He totally transformed himself, giving him the power he had only dreamed of. I guess I am afraid of that. I can’t simply switch off all I know and tap into that charm, that amazing ability to influence.

I have great ambition. I have an optimistic hope for this world. What I want to achieve is attainable, but I think an array of control techniques must first be initialized before I can show the world what exactly that is. Moreover, I want to show the world what it is capable of achieving and I hope that one day I’ll have the balls to do it.