I've been through some events in my life, more specifically at work, that remind me of the workings of Palpatine. We know Palpatine to be a master manipulator ... one who gets his way by slowly worming his way into the hearts and minds of those he is trying to gain power over. He did it to the Senate and the Republic as a whole. He did it to the Separitist leadership. And he did it to Anakin. He manipulated himself into their thinking so that he convinced them that his way was the only way, and he would grant them powers that would better serve everybody.

Now I don't have a Palpatine in my life (thank goodness) who is scheming to take control at any cost and ruin all that I have learned and worked for. But I have had bosses who act in the same vein as Palpatine and use a similar tactic. And that is of manipulation.

Now I know everybody makes mistakes and errors in their work-a-day lives that seem to be bigger than they actually are. And I had one such mistake recently that probably is no big deal in the long run. I'll admit I'm not perfect and things can sometimes go wrong, but of course it doesn't mean I don't notice if something is a mistake and feel embarassed about it. Yes it was corrected and resolved but the sting is still there. And that sting is that of my boss calling me out and manipulating the situation further. In a nutshell, my boss said how could I be recommended for future promotion or move if a mistake is made?

Whoa.

So in my mind, that is a form of manipulation much like Palpatine used on many occasions ... with Anakin, with the Jedi Council, with Luke. Can a person not make a mistake in their job without fear of that being used against them? If I make a mistake in my daily life I feel bad enough about it without someone else pointing it out and using it against me. And that is where I feel the manipulation takes place. To use words that make a person feel as though they are only good enough to stay in the spot they are in knocks one down a peg or two. Everybody wants to get ahead in life and do what they can to succeed and thrive. Mistakes happen. Learn from them, and get over it.

Anakin certainly learned from his mistakes. He was manipulated to the point that he didn't know anything else except what Palpatine told him and allowed himself to give over to that manipulation. He was only seeing through tunnel vision in that he was blocking out all the people around him that were trying to help, and only focused on the master manipulator's words. And that was what Palpatine was good with. Words.

Now I'm not saying my boss can be attributed to Palpatine ... but the words that are used can have a profound effect. Words are powerful and when used in a certain context or meaning can be even more powerful. Palpatine didn't show his Force ability as himself, rather he used his words as power and manipulation. And it worked. At least for a while ... until Luke came along to turn those words against him and convince Vader to learn from his own mistakes.

So I've learned from my mistakes. Whether they happen during home life or at work, they are still things to learn from. But I've also learned that manipulation through others' mistakes is not the way I would operate my life. We can all learn from each other and help each other. Palpatine manipulated Anakin through his mistakes, and look where it got him.

Master manipulator indeed.