Running head 48 laws of power
Running head: 48 laws of power
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The 48 laws of power is a piercing distillation of many years of history of power (Greene,1998). Some people play with power and loose it all by fatal mistake. Some go too far while others make all the right moves and are able to draw power unto themselves. These laws of power are timeless and definitive. These powers seem to apply everywhere that is in the conquest, self-defense, or being an educated spectator.
Among the 48 laws of power there are those that are liked and those that people do not like. Among the liked ones there is the one that states that you should never outshine the master. This law states that you should make those that are above you to always feel comfortably superior. You should not go to extremes when trying to express your talents in order to impress or please people. Things might turn the other way and end up inspiring fear and insecurity. For you to attain the heights of power, you should always make your masters to appear more brilliant than they are. Concealing your intentions is another law that is taken very serious by those who have a desire to attain the heights of power. It states that you should never reveal your purpose behind your actions. People should always be kept off the balance and in the dark for them not to know what you are really doing. This is because they can never prepare a defense without them having a clue of what you are up to. It is important for you guide them far much away from your path and envelope them in a smoke in that they will come realizing your intentions when it is too late and there is nothing they can do about it. This law is very important when one wants to keep off people from knowing what he or she intends to do.
Another law is saying less than necessary. It is important to say less because when you say more, you appear more common hence becoming less in control. You should never try impressing people with your words by saying more. When you are saying something banal, it is always good to make it vague, open-ended and sphinxlike for it to look original. All those that are powerful tend to impress and intimidate people by saying less. If you say much, you might make a foolish statement and this will degrade you. There is another law that states that so much depends on reputation in that you should guard it with your life. This is a very important law because reputation is the cornerstone of power. It is through reputation alone where you can intimidate and win. If you make a mistake of slipping, you then become vulnerable and it is possible for you to be attacked on all sides. It is good for you to make your reputation unassailable. You should always be alert of some potential attacks and once you realize them you should thwart them before they happen. Destroying enemies is always important so that you can protect your self from being attacked by them. Learn to open holes in their own reputations and by so doing you emerges the winner and it will be hard for them to attack you.
Courting attention at all cost is another law where by everything is judged by how it appears. It is obvious that what is unseen counts for nothing. You should then never let yourself to get lost in the crowd or even buried in the oblivion. It is important for you to stand out and tries to be conspicuous at all cost. For you to attract attention you should appear larger, more colorful and more mysterious than other bland and timid masses. Make other people come to you where you can use bait if necessary is a law that is applied by majority of people. You should never force people to act because you are the one who remains in control. Making opponents come to you is always the best thing where you abandon his plans in the process. It is always important to lure him with fabulous gains and then attack. Here you are the one who holds the cards.
Many people like applying the law of winning through actions and never through arguments. Any victory gained through argument is termed as a pyrrhic victory. It is better for you to stir up the resentment and ill for they are stronger and ends up lasting for long than any momentary of change. Making people agree with you through your actions that your words is very important because seems to be more powerful. You should always learn to demonstrate and not explicate. Another law that makes people become more powerful is the law of making people to be dependent on you. When people needs you and want badly makes you maintain your independence because the more they rely on you the more freedom you have. Always learn to make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity for this leaves you with nothing g to fear. It is important for you not to teach them much so that they can never do without you.
The law of using selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim is mostly applicable especially in law firms by the advocates. A slight move that is honest and sincere covers over dozens of dishonest ones. You should practice openhearted gestures and generosity because they bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. It is always important to use your selective honesty to a hole in other people’s armor in which you are left at a liberty to deceive and manipulate them at your will. A timely gift also serves the same purpose. The law of appealing for people’s self interest and never their mercy whenever asking for help, makes you powerful. Every time you are asking for help you do not need to remind him or her for your past assistant and good deeds for he might find a way of avoiding you. It is always recommended for you to uncover something on your request or your alliance with him that will benefit him and emphasize it out of proportion. When he seems that he has something to gain them he will respond enthusiastically. People also seem to like the law of posing a friend making him work as a spy. It is considered very critical when you know about your rival. It is good setting up spies and using them to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. It is also better for you to play as a spy yourself. You should always learn to probe especially in polite social encounters. When you want people to reveal their weaknesses and their intentions, you should then ask them indirect questions. For a smart spy all occasions are an opportunity to him.
The law of crushing your enemies totally is applied by many people. All the people especially the leaders like this law and they practice crushing their enemies completely. If you do not crash him completely he will seek revenge after recovery and you will end up loosing more. So it is always advised to crush him not only in body but also in spirit for your safety. Use absence to increase respect and honor is a law among the 48 laws of power. This discourages too much circulation because the price goes down. The more people see you and hear fro you, the more common you appear to them. It is necessary for you to with draw form a group that you had established your self in so that people can talks about you and admire you more. You should have your appropriate time to leave where you will create a value through a scarcity.
There I also another important law that is keeping others in a suspended terror. It also states that one should cultivate an air of unpredictability. In most cases a human being always wants to familiarize himself in other people’s actions. If you are predictable to them it is easy for them to control you. You should always be unpredictable in that you should behave in manner that seems to have no consistency for this keeps off balance. They will then end up wearing themselves up as they try explaining your moves. This law intimidates and terrorizes those who are after familiarizing them selves with your actions. The other law knows who you are dealing with so that you cannot offend the wrong person. It is obvious that all people do not react to your strategies the same way. That is why it is important for you to outmaneuver some people where they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. It is always better for you to choose the opponents and victims carefully and always avoid offending the wrong people. Great men follow the law of not committing to anyone. A wise person will never take sides but commits to himself. You attain heights of power when you maintain your independence where you play people around you and make them pursue you. The other law that is applied by many is playing a sucker to catch a sucker where make your self to seem dumper than your mark. When you convince people that they are smart than you then you will have won because they will never suspect that you have any ulterior motives. This is a trick that helps many and makes them powerful.
The law of using the surrender tactic is also among the most applied. Here one should transform weakness into power. It is always advised that you should never fight for honors sake if you are weaker. It is good for to surrender for it gives you time to recover, torment and then irritate your conqueror. You should never fight him back because you will give him satisfaction of defeating you. Surrender is good tool of power. Recreating yourself is also a good law. This warns one from accepting the roles that the society foists on him. You should recreate yourself especially by forging a new identity that has power to command attention but never bore people. People should not be the ones who are defining you. You should a master of your own image. Your power will be enhanced by you incorporating dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions.
Another very important law is working on the hearts and minds of others. You should make people want to move to your direction where the person you have seduced then becomes your loyal pawn. You should operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Always learn to play on their emotions especially what they hold dear and what they fear. You should then never appear too perfect as the law states. It very dangerous to appear too much perfect to people or appear to have no faults or weaknesses. To great man envy create silent enemies. You make your self to be approachable and by this you become powerful.
On the other hand there are some laws people do not like. No one wishes to be on the receiving end. The law of not putting too much on friends and making use of enemies does not favor many. In as much as it is away of being wary to friends for they might betray you, usage of enemies might lead you to problems. You might use them and then they end up acquiring some tactics of attacking you. It is better to use friends than enemies. The other law that does not please people much is getting others to work for you and then take the credit. You might fall a victim one day where one saves his precious time and energy and at the end of it he takes the credit. It also encourages laziness because you will always require people to work for where they might not even perform a perfect task. This shows you do not believe in your self.
Avoiding the unhappy and the unlucky is another law that is not mostly applied by people. This law misguides people because unhappy needs someone to make them happy. You might someday become unhappy and it will not pleasing at all when everyone runs away from you. It is always important to help the needy for it makes them depend on you hence making you powerful. The law of keeping your hands clean also is not applied by many. It is not good to use others as scapegoats of your own mistakes. It is important to learn from mistakes in that it is very hard for you to repeat them again in future.
The law of playing people fantasies is another law that does not seems to favor many. Even if the truth ugly and unpleasant it is always good to face the truth and correct the mistakes where possible. If you tap into masses fantasies you might find yourself in problem. The other law is preaching the need for change but never reform too fast. Innovation is the key thing to success. If you’re in a position of power you should change so that people can follow you as their role model. If you do not change no one will depend on you and by this you will have no powers. You should always have a new way of doing your things rather following what everyone follows. People also do not like the law of entering action with boldness. For any action that you are unsure of never enter in boldness because you might find yourself in problems. Timidity is always the best way play safe. In case of any mistakes committed it will be easier for you to correct them. This makes you look smart in the game. There is also the law that states that do not build fortresses to protect you. It also states that isolation is dangerous. Enemies are everywhere in the world and one has to protect himself. It is better for you to isolate yourself because if you mingle enemies will have an opportunity to learn your move and plan an attack on you. Fortress never seems the safest because it can destroy you instead.
In conclusion the 48 laws of power, if applied properly one emerges victorious. There are some laws that people like and others they do not like. Some laws helps one protect him or her self from enemies. They also help in distinguishing yourself from others.
Work cited
Greene R. (1998) The 48 Laws of Power, New York, Viking.
