Machiavelli's Virtue of Modesty

I pretended to have a virtue of modesty when I was invited to attend a public campaign that was organized by our organization to create awareness about the dangers of consumption of foods containing high quantities of sugar as a measure of preventing the incidence of diabetes among the population. It was a requirement that the campaign team must be decently dressed and appear modest in their manner of interacting with the public. Despite my normal tendency to wear any outfit that meets my preference, I was forced to dress modestly as well as take caution not to speak to the public in unfriendly tone since it would prevent them from engaging with our team. The virtue of modesty has been illustrated by Nicolo Machiavelli who explained that ‘a great majority of people will feel satisfied with the appearance as though it is a representation of realities and are more likely to be influenced by what seem than what is’ (Machavelli 1469-1527). This perspective of Machiavelli is relevant in my situation because the customers who underwent sensitization about the use of sugar products were more likely to develop perspectives regarding our individual appearances. If we appeared less neat or showed lack of organization, there was a low likelihood that they could be willing to communicate with us and understand our objectives. I attribute the success on the campaign process by our decision to wear more decent clothes that made us appear modest. We were also able to communicate our messages in a more convincing and friendly manner rather than compelling the listeners to reduce their consumption of sugar products. After our campaign, it was reported that most people in the neighborhood in which the sensitization exercise was conducted, practiced reduced sugars consumption and there was a reduction on incidences of diabetes among them. When the exercise was completed, I developed the perception that if we were nit modest in our appearance and way of communication with customers, we would not have achieved the target outcomes of our campaign. 

References 

Morse, S. J. (2011). The status of NeuroLaw: A plea for current modesty and future cautious optimism.    The Journal of Psychiatry & Law ,    39 (4), 595-626.