Poop Shute

The last few days I have been reading a book called THE 48 LAWS OF POWER.

Authors Robert Greene and Joost Elffers take a look at writings from sources as varied as ancient chinese proverbs, italian renaissance politics, and World War II maneuverings. They distill all these documents down to 48 essential principles involved in the large scale and dangerous games we humans play for power.

The true beauty of the book is in its presentation of these laws. It gives you the stories from the original documents they used to discover the law and then gives you an interpretation that puts it into a context that is applicable to modern life, and even counterexamples of what happened to the not so successful people who chose to not live in observance of these laws.

People who I have mentioned this book to are quick to judge it and dismiss it. A few have said that it's a disturbing and twisted topic. These people will tell you that people lusting after power are sick and evil and blah blah blah. I disagree.

The fact is we live in a society full to the brim with hierarchy. If you work in a job where you answer to a "boss" or "manager" or "superviser" or you are, in fact, one of these top dogs then you operate in a structure that is built on the giving and taking of power. Yes, you could argue that your boss only has power over you because you choose to allow it by agreeing to work there, but the fact remains as long as you make that choice then he or she does have power over you. You cannot argue with that.

With that in mind consider that we all want to climb higher within these hierarchies. Most of us do, anyway. If you truly do want to climb, it helps to know how the system works. How the game works. If you play it badly you can hurt people and even ruin lives, including your own. The point of the book is to learn these laws so you can obey them to your advantage, but to do so ethicly. Also, it helps to know the rules and tactics laid out in this volume to help you better spot power plays against you and-or your own ethics/morals.

Lastly, this book is an invaluable tool for any artist as well. Most especially writers and actors. The 48 Laws Of Power is an in depth look at the strategies and motivations at the core of humanity. It's a practical encyclopedia of all the good and bad tactics people throughout history have used to get what they want or die trying. It gets to the core of people and what makes us tick. For anyone trying to write or act out plausible characters this book is a must.

5 out of 5 Book Poops