Neev - Week 12 - Connections
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| Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List is confident about his security |
Even Professor Robert Greene in his 48 Laws of Power highlighted that knowing powerful and truly useful people is one of the most important things you can do to become more successful and secure. One of the most iconic scenes from Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List is where Oskar Schindler is confronted by the commander of a Nazi extermination camp that he knows what Schindler is truly trying to do (save the Jewish prisoners through work), to which Schindler kicks his feet onto the commander’s desk, relaxes, puffs into his cigar, and says “I’m protected by powerful friends.” Schindler knows that even though he is doing something directly in opposition to the Nazi regime’s agenda and something that would get anybody, German or Jewish or not, killed, he is safe because of his connections.
I think that the most important factor is not in how powerful your friends are, but rather in how quickly and easily you make new connections. Life moves quickly—you never know when you or your friends will move on, or when you will be forced to build new connections. For instance, when you move to college, the connections you made in high school will be of little help—you’ll need to make new friends on your college campus. If you end up changing jobs, the connections you make at your first job won’t necessarily help you in your second job. Your friends won’t always be with you, so you need to be able to make new ones easily.
ReplyDeleteIn a similar way, it’s important to make friends who are powerful in the right areas. For example, if you have a friend who is a world-famous pastry chef, they can probably help you find a job in the restaurant industry—but they may not be able to help you get into college. For that, you would need to be friends with a college admissions officer. Your “powerful” friends may not be be very influential in other industries—which is why it’s important to be able to make new connections quickly.
Hey Neev! This is such an interesting take, and it’s interesting how you connected it to Schindler’s List! It really shows that having the right connections is extremely helpful in various situations and even life and death. Obviously, most of us aren’t in situations that extreme, but even in normal life, who you know can totally change your life. I’ve seen people offered amazing opportunities just because they had the connections, even if they weren’t the most qualified. It does seem unfair at times, but it’s also useful. It makes me think about how important it is to build a good network, because sometimes, hard work alone just isn’t enough.
ReplyDeleteHi Neev! I find the New York Times connection puzzles challenging as well. I agree that having connections and the ability to make new connections wherever you go is one of the most important skills to have. Having beneficial connections not only exposes you to more opportunities that people may present to you but also gives you an advantage when competing for an opportunity against many people that have similar skill sets and abilities as you, where being connected to someone in a position of power can make all the difference. I've noticed many examples of people getting positions or opportunities because of their connections, and while many people point these instances out and complain about it being unfair, I think that making helpful connections with people around you is a skill that will help out people who have that ability and it's just a skill we all need to develop. Thanks for sharing!
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