“The 48 Laws of Power” and why it saddens me.
2026 Day 190. #PersonalDays.
Friendships have always been easy for me. I have been told that I am trusting of anyone new I meet, I would say it simply was because I believe in the good in people.
This has influenced the way that I interact with people where I tend to be very upfront and straightforward. I minimise my cunning and try to do things by the book. Of course this does not apply all the time, I am good at coming up with ideas to get out of trouble.
My mother had a temper that I could only escape by denying any responsibility, whether that involved light manipulation or straight up lying. As I grew up I took it as a lesson that I must own up to my mistakes and take responsibility for my actions. I have been trying to live to the idea of a noble person, and be a good person.
I have made it through the first few laws of power, and some of these ideas are genuinely good advice. I would be sure to list them out in a small page I maintain on my website (here).
Some of the laws talk about being a little tactical in your approach. While they do not talk directly about deceit, lying, and being a cheat, those themes are often covered.
While it is disappointing to read through them, the part that saddens me is that I have found these tactics to actually get people results.
Often in matters of love and friendships, I have observed behaviours from people that have often confused me. Over time I realised that this confusions stems from the fact that the person is not very honest about his feelings or ideas. The accounts of what other people share and my observations are so inconsistent that I now try to avoid such people altogether.
There are multiple other examples where I have questioned the behaviour of the victim of such devious tactics. I find it hard that person could not see through this behaviour, they always seemed be bound by the invisible chain of attraction and unhappiness.
Observing such behaviours in my environment, I have realised that I wanted to be better than both. I did not want to play mind games with people and be able to see through the plays that one could make remove such people from my lives.
The latter reason played a big part in why I started getting into psychology and some general philosophy.
While I had convinced myself of who I was and who I wanted to be, I did not realise how difficult it would be to keep it up. When times were happier I was more naturally inclined to be a nicer person. Every good thing that happened to me felt like a reward for choosing to be a better person.
Now that I am a little down on my luck, I feel a little pissed and upset. Some opportunities that are gone, would have been mine had I been a little devious and a little cunning.
The only reason I stopped is because I felt like that would not be the right thing to do and so I stepped back. I would not say I am regretting these decisions, but I cannot help wonder what could have been.
The examples in the book take me back to life altering decisions I could have made for a better life for myself.
The more I wonder, the more I realise that I have always been a live in the moment kind of person, more so when things are going good. I enjoy every moment to the fullest without caring about the future.
The book has shifted my ideology slightly.
When you are at a happy time in your life, you must enjoy it yes. You must also look into extending this period of your life. Not just the tiny happy moment, but the larger events that have led you here. This could be a stable job or a new person you are dating.
I now think it is important to think of the future too. Securing your future, your employment, your bag is your responsibility. Other people may try to help or support you, join in you successes, celebrate your wins, but when you lose, you will lose alone.
While the book has started a conflict in my mind about my character and habits, my main takeaway currently is how planning out things and gaming your helps you
- stay ahead of people
- keep away from people
I am mainly using the advice to identify signs of manipulation and deceit to gauge the character of people I must interact with. Working in a corporate office is full of a lot of politics, I now realise that playing the nice guy in a bad environment is foolishness.
I can still be the person that I want to be in the situations that let me act the way I want. If the situation demands a change in me then I must take action or get left behind. Getting ahead the right way matters a lot, but is it worth losing once in a while?
See you tomorrow.