The 48 Laws of Power

Viewed as the root of all evil by many, power remains the most sought-after desire despite being as dangerous as it is. Power is a double-edged sword that turned nations against each other, created catastrophes, but still helped many people succeed in life, and built worlds that didn’t exist one day. The usual definition of power is the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way, or the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. But in reality, no one can define power as it’s one of the words that holds endless definitions. In this book, Robert Greene defines power to us from his own unbiased opinion through 48 laws that teach us how to handle this massive weapon with real care. Between people claiming that it changed their lives and others celebrating the fact that it was banned from all US prisons, this book created a lot of controversies around the world. Today, we take a deep dive into it to analyze and discuss whether it is an actual misunderstood gem or just a hype that aged well.

An Introduction to The 48 Laws of Power:

As described by Greene, power is a game, a competition, a tournament of some sort, and you must be the smartest one to be able to win. This book is basically 48 ways to hack your way through life and get to the top as fast as possible, even if it means stepping on people’s shoulders. For Greene, only a fool would use the clear and direct way to power because then they would be frowned upon. On the other hand, if you take the indirect way and keep your camouflage on, you’re most likely to be powerful and admired at the same time. So, what Greene is trying to tell us is that manipulation and dishonesty are the ultimate keys to success. For a clearer image of what I’m mentioning, let’s list a few rules from the book.

1. Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies:

This law states that your friends and loved ones will always be the ones to hurt and betray you first. On the other hand, your enemies have so much to prove to you that they would be less likely to take any shots at you. Using those enemies that try to get on your good side is like hiring a free-of-charge mercenary to do your busy work for you with no questions asked.

2. Get Others to Do the Work for You, but Always Take the Credit:

As long as you insist on doing all the work yourself, you will never get far. Find some people that have the knowledge and skills that you don’t have and use them to finish your tasks then discard them and take all the credit for yourself. It’s as simple as 123, why would you do for yourself what others can do for you?

3. Learn to Keep People Dependant on You:

When people around you need anything, you’ll always be the helping hand they want. The more people depend on you, the more power you have over them because you did them so many favors they’ll do what you say in a heartbeat. However, be careful, and never give them enough information that allows them to carry on on their own, as they must always need you.

4. Avoid the Unhappy and the Unlucky:

Every emotional state is infectious. If you’re around happy people, you’re happy, if you’re around happy, lucky, and successful people, you will be exactly the same. Keep yourself with the big players, the underdogs will never do you no good.

5. Use Selective Honesty to Disarm Your Victim:

One honest and generous gesture can cover up for years of dishonesty and deception. If you show your victim that you’re on their good side and did them one nice favor or had their back in a certain situation, then you have their ultimate trust that you can use for whatever reason you want.

What Do People Think?

People from all over the world reacted differently to the book due to the controversial arguments it presents. As mentioned before in the article, some said this book changed their lives, while others had strong disagreements. To be fair to both sides, let’s discuss both points of view:

1. Greene Enthusiasts:

As toxic as the words written in this book can be, it’s true and everybody’s doing that. Plus, the book has some good advice to it if you read it from an unbiased point of view. In the end, life is just about perspective and intentions. If your intentions and perspective are both positive, you will definitely find this book of great use and be able to translate the worst words in it into something wise and beautiful.

2. Anti-Greene:

These people find this book, among other books of his, is all about manipulation and deception. They think that Greene is just trying to bring out the worst inside of all of us. One can’t really blame them for thinking what they think because the book was banned from the US prisons for an obvious reason. In fact, these prisons have banned another book of Greene’s titled “The Art of Seduction”, and I don’t feel the need to tell you why because I’m guessing the title says it all.

Are there any Positive Takeaways from This Book?

Aside from all the drama, the book has a few solid points. It’s basically telling you that you shouldn’t be what society wants you to be, as you can use a couple of tricks to stand out and get what you deserve. It teaches you to know your enemies, so you can make the best out of their existence and never underestimate them at the same time. In general, you can always find something good in almost everything that comes across your way, you just need to want to find it, and only then, it will be easier to spot.

So is it a Gem or a Lie?

To be honest, it’s both and we’re just going to have to deal with it. There’s a bit of good in evil in everything around us, so instead of keeping the attitude of an old man yelling at a cloud, we can just be open-minded and mature enough to absorb the good and leave the bad.

Bottom Line:

Before buying into the hype of any new trend, whatever it may be, you need to do very thorough research about the matter to get to the truth. As the world becomes more and more reliant on the media, word of mouth is getting less and less credible. So, to conclude, make your own opinions instead of letting other people tell you what to think.