In continuation of the 48 laws of power, here are laws 13 to 18 summarised and analyzed.
13. When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude: Find out what people crave psychologically. Praise, achievement, money: find the desire. Promise and provide this to them while emphasizing that what you provide them with is most important to them even if it isn’t, in return asking for a small favor. They do not resist because you have appealed to their self interest. Do not be under the misconception that they might agree to your demands because they are important or worthwhile, you must promise them something that will capture their self interest. It is the only way to obtain.
Analysis: Law 13 describes an assuredly effective way to get what you want from people without begging or fighting. It works and it saves energy, time, and effort. I would highly recommend it if your goal requires help from external sources.
14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy: People’s morals and thoughts determine their actions, and power is being able to control future events. You must know what the next act is if you are going to correct or control it. For this, you must find out people’s intentions, desires, morals, and thoughts- you must spy. Probe subtly at gatherings when people are most relaxed. Using others as spies is dangerous. As for when you are spying, you must emphasise openness and friendliness as a believable pretext. To do this, pretend to bare your heart. Either that will get them to spill, or contradicting them at every step will cause them to lose control and speak up. You must find which fits your next victim.
Analysis: Probing to find people’s secrets is a good way to be able to predict future events, but this can easily turn into trading secrets, your own and others- you must avoid this at all costs because it’s a losing game, always. Secrets are not traded, they are stolen when it comes to power. You cannot spill your secrets or anyone else’s to someone, but you can pretend to do so- still risky however so tread carefully and you will be fine.
15. Crush your enemy totally: Not in body but in spirit. Stopping out of clemency or thoughts of reconciliation will always back fire because vengeance breeds fast and unspoken. Give your enemies no options other than bending, and pay no attention to their friendliness.
Analysis: An example given was of crushing a snake with your foot. If you do not crush it completely, it will fight back as soon as you have lifted your foot. There is no time or space for mercy when you are winning.
16. Use absence to increase respect and honor: Being present too much makes you a habit that can get tedious to be around, even if you don’t think so. You must make what you offer rare and hence increase it’s value, one way to do this is to be rare yourself. Force respect by threatening that they might lose you for certain reasons, but never overdo it to become a burden. Besides, withdrawing makes you the talk of the town and highly admired. In addition, knowing when to retire also maintains a level of respect.
Analysis: Previously, we spoke about talking less and now we speak about being present less. All tactics to give you the aura of power. This means going to select social gatherings instead of every one you are invited to, it means being absent from the power circle sometimes, and seeming more important than you might be.
17. Keep others in suspense; cultivate an air of unpredictability: This is in reference to your every day activities. Make a small but out of character change every once in a while to evoke suspense in your audience. It can intimidate them, and will often confuse them- both making you more respected. When you meet someone this suspenseful, someone unpredictable and impossibly difficult to please, don’t presume or guess what they might want. Instead surrender to them and their desires at every step. It is the only way to continue to work with them.
Analysis: Tiny bizarre changes in your behavior can be unsettling for others, like a key to power over them. You might seem mad at them for no reason, or happy with them for a reason they are unaware of, but either way they are enchanted or spellbound. This gives you the chance to control their actions.
18. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself- isolation is dangerous: Isolation can make you a target for many inconveniences. It cuts you off from valuable information and develops you into an awkward individual which can put people and respect off in social surroundings. People isolate when they feel threatened in social interactions, but socialising is the only way to answer to this. It gives you the aura of grace and demands respect, while also putting you in the limelight of admiration.
Analysis: Socializing maintains health as research has shown, so this law is agreeable with. Besides that, it does create an aura too. How do you expect to control the future if you don’t even know what the characters in it are about to do?
That concludes laws 13 to 18. A mix of small behavioural changes and larger goal oriented changes, these build up to everything you need to be and everything you need to master power. Good luck reader, until we meet again, when laws 19 to 24 will be released to you.