This law is about knowing, gathering, and using information to your advantage. In this law, various truths and information are power. These pieces of information are important for you to know your friend or enemy. However, these kinds of information are not easy to acquire. Most people keep secrets of their weaknesses, motives, and obsessions hidden--resulting in your not being unable to predict how these people will act in the future.
There are three ways to gather or spy for information. One of which is to pretend to have a friendly front and do the spying while having the friendship. One has to suppress the intentions so the other does not doubt nor notice something weird through the duration of the relationship. If done successfully, you will have not only gain access to information; you will gain allies as well. Talleyrand, a French politician, practiced this method. He has a way of getting secrets out of people in conversations. He has the talent of hiding his thoughts and plans while making others talk about themselves and their secrets.
Another way to gather information is to have others spy for you. For this method, it is best to get people who are close to the person you are spying on and pay them to spy for you. This powerful tool can backfire when the person you are paying to spy might reveal your spying and double-cross you. In 1944, the Germans felt the reversal effect against the English when they were bombing wrong targets. The Germans relied on their spies they planted in England but the agents have been discovered and that the English-controlled agents were giving them false and deceptive information to test people. Chosroes II, king of the Persians in the seventh-century, gave a fake secret to his courtiers. If he noticed that the courtiers have been acting differently after knowing the secret, he would know the secret has been revealed and told. He then banished both courtiers for disloyalty and distrust.
With this law, you should ask yourself, if you are a true friend. Do you trust your friends? Do you think your friends trust you? Are you keeping secrets from the people around you? Why is this so?
What if you can read minds? Will you use it to check if what they say is true? Will you read the minds of your friends, family, loved ones and enemies to your advantage?
-Juan Luis A. Faylon, HI 18-N
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29 comments:
As I read this law, I begin to think, will you really do everything for power? even betray your friends? Or is power everything there is in this world? Is power everything we need? So, let's say, we do this, and become a friend and a spy at the same time, do you think we can still sustain real friendship? I guess not.
Or maybe, you may say, that you won't spy your real friends, just those who will bring power to you, but if you practice this all the time, wouldn't you learn to distrust your friends? Wouldn't you begin to think that what if the person who you trust as your real friend is actually not a real friend but a spy?
This law can bring grave consequences. Now, is power everything a person needs to be happy?
- Joan Therese Medalla, Hi18-N
If your life revolves around getting richer, stronger or powerful, its going to be a very uncomfortable life. You would doubt everyone, even your closes friends. You will have a disturbed conscience since you manipulate the people care for you. Bottom line, if you had to go through this to gain power, it ain't worth it.
Dexter Tanengsy, Hi18-N
I agree with Dexter. It isn't worth doing. Exchanging friendship for power? That may be one of the worst decisions one can ever make for a lifetime. This decision makes a person "the pus that infects the mucus that cruds up the fungus that feeds on the pond scum"1.
A real friend is a true friend; a true friend is a trustworthy and loyal friend, one who you can share your secrets to and be sure that that secret would remain a secret.
How can one be really a friend, if he or she is an "acting-friend" or spy in the first place?
Kira Gochuico
HI 18 N
1http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119738/quotes
Sadly, if a person wants to live the rest of his or her life bitter and lonely, then this law is the answer.
Kira Gochuico
HI 18 N
regarding Joan's comment. Yes, it is true that this law can bring grave consequences. But, in reality, this world is an unsafe place but not all people are like that, that's true as well. Sometimes, friendships start with trust. You just can't trust fully a person you just met right?
Dexter's Comment, for friendship, it is true that you would doubt friends at first. But if they really show good intentions, well you would less likely to doubt them in the future. For power purposes, sometimes outdoing others with information can go places
-Don Faylon
Hi18 N
Kira's Comment, well, using this power can have different goals. First, it is a defense mechanism to check if you can really trust the friend. Second, power over opponents, information you have them can make a great advantage like an opponent in basketball.
-Don Faylon
Hi18 N
I actually don't think this law is about betraying your friends. I think of it as making your circle of "friends" even bigger, so that your 'enemies' may become your friends.
I mean, if you have an enemy, make that enemy of yours closer to you, then apply this law.
Second point is that, well you do not actually destroy your friends or so. You merely, as how Mr. Faylon puts it, "knowing, gathering, and using information to your advantage".
---
Probably the moral issues come to play when you use this information you've gathered against the wrong people, or the closest people you have.
-Ian Cadelina
Hi18-N
In the real world, anyone is a potential enemy, even your friends. It's hard to trust anyone, so better be safe by making sure that you're secrets are kept. know who to trust, and know what to keep to yourself. Information is power and if this power gets in the wrong hands, who knows what might happen. I say, keep things to yourself, so you will have nothing to worry about.
It's hard to tell what your enemies, and even your friends, are up to, so better that they stay close by so you can keep an eye on them. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, so to speak.
Marian Janelle Aliwalas
HI 18 N
You have a good point/comment and a nice way in using the law Mariel/Marian.
it's better to trust yourself but you can't always do that. It's a form of isolation and you'll lose communication with friends and enemies. Information must keep moving by like checking up(kamusta ka?) and updates to make this work. Choosing of what information to give is critical is a major factor to making this law a powerful one.
Don Faylon
Hi18N
I'm starting to wonder if these laws were ever designed to develop a leader that still had a life at all. I'm thinking it's pretty difficult to follow all these rules to gain power, and still have time or emotion left for a regular human life. I mean, if you're going around posing as a friend to people, or staying away from attachment to people, and if you're going around just basically manipulating people to gain and stay in power... What humanity is left?
Krizia Cureg
Hi18 Section O
This is one of those laws that can really get someone's feelings hurt. You basically have to let go of any mutual connection you have with your target in order to keep feelings from getting in the way. You then have to put on a mask and pretend to be someone you're not. You let this go on until you acquire all the information you need. This is totally heartless in the sense that you're betraying the trust of your so-called "friend".
You must have an absolutely ice cold heart to be able to pull this law off. One can only imagine the pain the victim would feel knowing that he or she has been controlled all this time.
Marvin Velasco
Hi18 N
This one's great. Gaining power by becoming a spy is just as simple as in a contest. You must befriend your "enemies", so that your he/she will feel good at you, share you her secrets or her strategies and you may acquire important points and you should know their weaknesses.
Also on having power, that's just a great strategies to have an adequate information on your people and gain power over them. KNOW THEIR WEAKNESSES by becoming a spy.
-Miriam R. Reyes
Hi 18-O
By posing as a friend, you run into a risk of actually becoming friends with your enemy. And when this happens you might not want to betray your new friend. This is where being a cold hearted comes into play. Being emotionless is actually one the traits that is key to be a great soldier as there are no emotions in the battlefield; there is only the mission. Just as Marvin said, being cold hearted is vital to this law; you have to put aside your emotions in order to attain your goal.
I think you're taking the use of the word 'friend' too literally. I believe the writer really just meant to say that you should put up an amicable front so people will trust you and that way you can get secrets. :(
You don't have to be best buds with someone to get him to spill the beans about a prospective opponent. You just have to put up a front of trustworthiness to get people to start talking.
Also, it says POSE as a friend. This law isn't talking about your actual friends. It's about the people you deceive. This law isn't talking about stepping on your friends for personal gain. That's just crappy/
I agree with Camille, I think like law 2, the word "Friend" is taken way to literally. I think when Robert Greene was writing this book and bare in mind it was through the lenses of the greatest leaders of our time, they did not see friends as family or a loved on.
I think just looking at the context of the book, friends can mean an Allie or associate. I say this because the inspiration of this book comes from people who had to deal with a lot of allies and associates, not necessarily mommy and daddy.
I do however believe in what Joan said, " As I read this law, I begin to think, will you really do everything for power? even betray your friends?". Like many of the laws, one has to become almost heartless to follow them. This is one that ranks on the top 3 of being heartless. But to answer your rhetorical question Joan, I think that you will have to do the dirty work to gain power.
I also think that even though this law has that high degree of heartlessness. It still expresses a hint of humility as it focuses on spying. This is covert and secretive thus is something that a friend should never find out. As the old cliche goes, "what you don't know can't hurt you". Spying is somewhat like lying. I am sure all of us has at one point in our lives lied to our parents or loved one.
So again, no matter how heartless this law may seem to be, I think that it is still effective because it is just like lying or living a double life. There are many people in the world today that live double lives.
Niko Falcon
Hi18-N
If this rule is to be followed, I would also definitely agree with law # 2—you should never put too much trust on friends.
Coming to think of it, the posing and the spying are realities of life. I mean, it really do happen. Well, what better way of spying can you think of than to spy from the inside? Definitely we’ll have better chances of winning for we’ll gain the most accurate information of your enemies’ weaknesses, right?
But then, one must be extra cautious in doing the spy work. What if people began to suspect that we’re spying on them? Surely, they will avoid us and who knows, they may also be plotting some secret revenge on us.
Katherine Conde
Hi18 O
I agree with Camille in saying that all this law requires is a front of trustworthiness. In playing Civilization, I believe we all have encountered the art of working undercover by building non combat units such as scouts that seem to pose no harm to neighboring civilizations on the outside (when on the inside these units are actually nosy spies). As harmless and trustworthy as they may seem, these spies are actually sponges that absorb as much relevant information as they can. And when building these units doesn't seem to be enough, one may also learn the art of espionage (a civilization advance).
What one knows and doesn't know may lead one into the path of destruction. It all boils down to how one deals with the information he/she gets and still does not have. Information- use it wisely. Chasing it too much may leave one as cold as the Russian winter. Neglecting it, well, that'd be foolish.
Everything we know and do not know matters (which is why the Johari window exists in the first place).
It's not too late!
Concerning the first comment, i think that power is somewhat essential to living a life, because the fight for the acquisition of power is tremendously apparent in our lives, but its not the only thing one should be worried about.
Marie Dacquel HI18-O
I agree with Camille. The law doesn't really dictate that you follow it down to the letter, and continue to perpetually observe this law with every one you meet.
I mean really now. what use would it get you by posing as everyone's friend and collecting bits of useless information. Hello Sociopath.
This law's application is actually not very related to law 2. as law 2 is centered more on security, not on the premise of being semi paranoid.
This law is more closely related to law 3 i believe.
Concealing one's intentions. This law instructs you to look harmless in the face of your enemy. Being friendly and amicable puts your opponent at ease.
If you wanna destroy somebody, and you wanna know how. The best way to find out, is to go ask him yourself.
;)
Mark Bantayan
Hi18 N
Yeah, Camille's right, along with the other people who agreed with her. It said "POSE AS A FRIEND", not "POSE TO YOUR FRIENDS". It wouldn't cause you to lose your friends by spying on them. However, it would cause you to look out for friends who are actually spies.
Alan Mamonluk
Hi18-O
While I think it is a rather sad thought, I agree with mariel--your friends are actually potential enemies. As much as it pains me to say so, I have tried living out this law (with friends-who-became-enemies, of course).
While I strengthened myself by finding out how to work against my friends-turned-enemies, I still acted as if I was still their friend. I acted as if nothing has changed, but in truth, I was spying on them. In a way, it benefited me that they were not aware that I didn't consider them friends anymore.
You can only imagine WHAT those people did to me that made me do what I did. I'm not saying what I did is good, I'm only saying this law can be effective. Hahaha.
Eric Andres
HI 18 Section N
readign through the comments, i must say that camille's argument actually had a point. after all, the focus of this law of to provide an aura of trust even to potential enemies enough to make them spill/share information to you without them knowing your actual intention. within these information you can gain the upper hand and win them without actually confronting them.
Ton Lopez
Hi18 N
This law is simply elaborating on human nature. Humans, by nature, act always for themselves first before others. By acting as a friend and working as a spy, what we want, we can almost surely get. By using the powers of deception and manipulation, such a user could be opened to very promising - to the both extremes (living and dying) - opportunities and dangers that come with it. Knowing your fellowman's secrets and information is a very big burden to handle. I believe that this law is a great test of one's stability and character. Can you take the heavy burdens of posing to people, claiming that you are their friend but in actuality you are just using them? Let's face it: most if not all of us have done this before. Have you?
Commenting to Panda's Comment: (Thanks Panda)
I agree that the 48 laws link to human nature. before the laws and orders and religion, "survival of the fittest"? kind of thing that you fight for yourself before others. The laws reflect our capabilities to obtain, sustain, and utilize power. I take this as a realization of what our potential it may be. Regarding this law, deceiving and manipulating are the power-gainers. This law is a powerful one since it is taking advantage using the information and deceiving/spying the targets without even confronting them in head-to-head battle.
Don Faylon
Hi18N
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