The 48 Laws Of Power

beenclearedofthedead

weight

ofthe

past.Only

afterthefather

figure

has

been

properly

done

away

withwill

you

havethe

necessaryspace

to

create

andestablishaneworder.Thereareseveral

strategiesyou

can

adopt

toac-

complish

this—-——varia!ions

on

theexecutionofthe

king

that

disguise

thevio~

lenceofthe

impulse

bychanneling

itin

sociallyacceptable

forms.

Perhaps

the

simplestway

to

escape

theshadowofthe

past

is

simply

to

belittle
it,

playing

onthetimeless

antagonism

betweenthe

generations,

stir—

ringup

the

youngagainst

theold.Forthis

you

need

a

convenientolder

fig-

ute
to
pillory.

Mao

Tse—tung,confronting

aculturethat

fiercely

resisted

change,

played

onthe

suppressed

resentment

against

the

overbearingpres-

enceofthevenerableConfuciusinChineseculture.
john

F.

Kennedy

knewthe

dangers

of

getting

lostinthe

past;

he

radicallydistinguished

his

presidency

from

that

ofhis

predecessor,Dwight

D.

Eisenhower,

andalso

fromthe

preceding

decade,

the

19505,

whichEisenhower

personified.

Kennedy,

for

instance,

wouldnot

play

thedulland

fatherly

game

of

golf——

a

symbol

ofretirementand

privilege,

andEisenhowefs

passion.

Insteadhe

played

footballontheWhiteHouselawn.In

everyaspect

hisadministra-

tion

representedvigor

and

youth,

as

opposed

tothe

stodgy

Eisenhower.

Kennedy

haddiscoveredan

oldtruth:

The

young

are

easily

set

against

the

old,

since

they

yearn

tomaketheirown

place

intheworldandresentthe

shadowoftheirfathers.

The

distance

you

establish

from

yourpredecessor

oftendemands

some

symbolism,

a

way

of

advertising

itself

publicly.

Louis

XIV,

forexam-

ple,

createdsuch

symbolism

whenhe

rejected

thetraditional

palace

ofthe

French

kings

andbuilthisown

palace

ofVersailles.

KingPhilip

IIof

Spain

didthesamewhenhecreatedhiscenterof

power,

the

palace

of

ElEsco-

rial,

inwhatwas

thenthe

middleofnowhere.ButLouis

carriedthe

game

further:Hewouldnotbea

king

likehisfatherorearlier

ancestors,

he

wouldnotwearacrown or

carry

a

scepter

orsitona

throne,

hewouldes-

tablishanewkindof

imposingauthority

with

symbols

andrituals

of

its

own.Louismadehisancestors’ritualsinto

laughable

relicsofthe

past.

Fol-

low

his

example:

Neverlet

yourself

beseenas

followingyourpredeces-

sor’s

path.

If

you

do

you

will

never

surpass

him. Youmust

physically

demonstrate

your

difference,

by

establishing

a

style

and

symbolism

that

sets

youapart.

The

Roman

emperorAugustus,

successorto

Julius

Caesar,

understood

this

thoroughly.

Caesar

had

been

a

greatgeneral,

a

theatrical

figure

whose

spectacles

kept

theRomans

entertained,

aninternational

emissary

seduced

by

thecharmsof

Cleopat:ra~a

largerlhanalifefigure.

So

Augustus,

despite

hisowntheatrical

tendencies,

competed

with

Caesarnot

bytrying

tooutdo

himbut

bydifferentiating

himselffromhim:He

based

his

power

ona

re-

turntoRoman

simplicity,

an

austerity

ofboth

style

andsubstance.

Against

the

memory

ofCaesars

sweepingpresence

Augustusposed

a

quiet

and

manlydignity.

The

problem

withthe

overbearingpredecessor

isthathe

fills

thevistas

before

you

with

symbols

of

the

past.

Youhavenoroomtocreate

your

own

name.Todealwiththissituation

you

needtohuntoutthevacuums»-wthose

cant351:2!

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MURPHY,

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LAW 41 35.?