In the early part of the 13th century, Muhammad, the shah of Khwarezm, managed to build a huge empire and its center was the great Asian capital of Samarkand.
In 1912, Genghis Khan, the leader of the Mongol empire (then, was a small but growing empire) wanted to reopen the Silk Route to Europe and offered to share it with Muhammad, while promising peace between the two empires. So, Khan sent him (Muhammad) an embassy which includes all sorts of Mongol’s finest goods, which in turn, it seemed to him, an extreme act of arrogance, to try to talk as an equal to one so clearly his superior. Muhammad rejected Khan’s offer.
Khan tried again, this time, sent a caravan of a hundred camels filled with Mongol’s finest and rarest articles. But then, before the caravan reached Muhammad, the leaders of the caravan wee executed.
Khan sent another caravan to reiterate his offer, thinking the execution of the former caravan leaders was a mistake. This time, Muhammad himself had one of the ambassadors beheaded, and sent the other two back with shaved heads—a horrifying insult in the Mongol code of honor.
Khan declared war and was able to seize Samarkand and other parts of the empire. Muhammad fled and died. His vast empire died with him. With that, Genghis Khan was sole master of Samarkand, the Silk Route and the rest of northern Asia.
***
If only Muhammad knew how to deal with a man like Khan, he may not have faced such misfortune.
There are many different kinds of people and you must deal with them differently. But, before you could, you must first make certain distinctions—distinguish the wolves from the lambs, the foxes from the hares. Being able to recognize types of people and to act accordingly is critical. The 19th law of power gives us these classifications:
The Arrogant and Proud Man
This man’s touchy pride makes him dangerous. The Muhammad-Khan story above is an example. Be careful not to insult this man in any way, they may overwhelm you with a violence that is so sudden and extreme. If at any point, in your dealings with this person you sense an oversensitive and overactive pride, flee.
The Hopelessly Insecure Man
All people have insecurities, and often the best way to deceive them is to play upon their insecurities. But then, those people who are decidedly more insecure than average presents great danger. Be warned: his ego is fragile and practice of trickery of any sort on this man should be given a second thought. This man will attack you in bites that will take forever to get big enough for you to notice. Study your mark well.
Mr. Suspicion
Mr. Suspicion is in fact the least dangerous (if compared to the two above). Even so, be careful, for this man usually sees the worst in other people. He imagines that everyone is after him. Play on his suspicious nature to your advantage. But if you become this man’s target, watch out.
The Serpent with a Long Memory
If deceived, this man will show no anger on the façade; he waits and calculates. Then, when he is in the position to turn the tables, his revenge is marked by a cold-blooded shrewdness. Be extra cautious of this snake, and if you have hurt him, either crush him completely or get him out of your sight.
The Plain Unassuming and often Unintelligent Man
This man is a tempting victim for deception. But, this man is a lot harder to deceive than you imagine. This man does not even possess enough imagination to be tricked. The danger with this man is not that he will harm you or seek revenge, but merely he will waste your time, energy, resources, and even your sanity, in trying to deceive him. Continue at your own risk.
The ability to measure people and to know who you’re dealing with is the most important skill you must have in conserving power. Dealing with people blindly will cause you to live your life in constant sorrow, if you even live that long. Study people’s weaknesses and insecurities and learn how to play with it. But take extra caution in measuring people. Never rely on your instincts in judging, for you may commit the greatest mistake in your life. Also, never base your judgment on one’s appearance. He could be a wolf in a sheep’s clothing. Lastly, choose your opponents and victims carefully—in that way, you can reduce possibilities of offending or deceiving the wrong person.
Katherine Joy L. Conde
Ii AB MEC
Hi18 Sec O
10 comments:
Ooof! What happened to Muhammad was painful. It looks like that pride was the cause of his fall.
Besides what you have pointed out, I would like to emphasize that PRIDE really is one of the qualities a poor and ineffective leader can have. Like Muhammad, pride made it unclear for him to see an opportunity to team-up with a powerful man. He was unable to see the possibilities, therefore, making him ignorant of who and what Genghis Khan was made of. Thus, because of that ignorance caused by his pride, he offended Khan, who in turn, defeated him.
With pride one can really offend not just "the wrong person" but also everyone else around him or her. (And that would be really bad for that person).
Kira Gochuico
HI 18 N
Moreover, it is true that we shouldn't judge people based on how they look because what we see on the outside can sometimes deceive us, making us oblivious to the true character or nature of that person.
NOTHING IS WHAT IT REALLY SEEMS.
You know what they say: "Don't judge a book by its cover" :)
Kira Gochuico
HI 18 N
Why can't you not befriend everyone so that you won't have any enemies to worry about? That might be possible but frankly speaking, very, very hard. But if you do wish to offend someone, treat him what is befitting of him. You must know what are the things that he is capable of doing. Know his personal life. Know his friends. Study him. Be him. In that way, you'll know how he'll react if ever you do insult him. But by then, you'll be ready. If you do not do this, you endanger yourself of being plotted against. If you can write this as a commandment, it would be, "Know your enemies as you know yourself."
Dexter Tanengsy, Hi18-N
most of the time, it is better to know the person very well before judging him / her. You'll never know when he / she can can help you in a particular situation.
This law particularly for me talks about not judging people by their initial looks and "first impressions". Remember, first impressions never last, and it doesn't mean the look like that or they act weird or something that you have all the right to go against them. I agree with Dexter's comment to befriend everyone, know their friends, study / analyze him and his every move. Through this ,you can more or less gauge yourself whether you would go against that person or not.
Duey T. Guison
Hi18-N
From what I've learned in life, humility and excellent judgement of character are both essentials to good associations. This law of power takes that to the next level, in the light of preserving your power. As power is greatly based on influence, it is very very important to maintain civil relations with others.
I agree with Dexter when he mentioned that we should carefully study our opponents before making any offensive move. But I suggest that, more than that, we avoid offending anyone entirely, even if there is a profound urge to do so. In most cases, offense will only leave both parties to be morose and distracted, distorting the linear plans they have for advancing their personal goals. Moreover, as Katherine explains, the offended party, particularly if they're similar in characteristic as the types of people she mentioned, will most likely take umbrage and get back at the offender, causing chaos which will, in due course, lead to the demise of either of the two parties.
I agree with everyone in saying that one should be so quick to judge. Judging a person by his looks usually leads to a person's downfall. I believe we should be wary with people to a certain extent. After all, people may have some tricks up their sleeves that you never would have expected.
Trixie Cruz
Hi18 O
I agree that we have to take time to get to know people. It's when we know the person that we know how to act around him or her. I believe that knowing how to relate with each person is what will make friends or foes. Since each person is different, they somehow expect treatment towards them that complements their character. Treatment against these expectations and you're sure to brew up trouble. So yes, don't be quick to judge. Take time to learn who they are, then make your move.
Prior to this activity the only law of gaining power that I know is that of Sun Tzu’s know thy enemy know thy self. Little did I know that his law is very true just as law 19 is another application of his law. I agree with the last paragraph of this entry and with everyone else saying that we should know the person first before actually dealing with him. Just as Duey said, first impressions never last and you won’t get to determine someone’s personality just by his looks. It takes time and you at least have to talk to that person in order to truly know his personality. But then again you must also know that you have the skills to act against that person.
Firstly, there's an error in the blog? Haha. Muhammad lived in the 13th century but he was able to to talk to Genghis Khan in 1912? WEIRD. Haha. Made me say "Whut!?"
Anyway, this is close to the 22nd law of power which is to surrender and use your weakness as a strength. I think that you should not offend the wrong person until you become stronger that person. Buy some time to becom stronger.
Alan Mamonluk
Hi18-O
Dexter is right that befriending everyone might me hard, but you need not befriend them, just be casual and do not offend them. Maybe, that is a better thing to do. Everyone of us shines at our own time, and that is why it is very important, to follow an old saying, "As much as possible, keep peace with everyone."
Joan Medalla
Hi18 N
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