The 48 Laws Of Power

style,

inallthosehuman

phenomenarepresenting

the

moodofthe

mo-

ment.Weare

constantlyaltering

theformswehaveinheritedfrom

previ-

ous

generations,

andthese

changes

are

signs

of

lifeand

vitality.

Indeed.

the

things

thatdon’t

change,

theformsthat

rigidify,

cometolooktouslike

death,

andwe

destroy

them.The

young

showthismost

clearly:

Uncom-

fortablewiththeformsthat

societyimposesupon

them,

having

nosetiden-

tity,theyplay

withtheirown

characters,

trying

on

a

variety

ofmasks

and

poses

to

express

themselves.

Thisisthe

vitality

that

drivesthemotorof

form,
creating

constant

changes

in

style.

The

powerful

areoften

people

whointheir

youth

haveshownim~

mense
creativity

in

expressingsomething

new

through

anewform.

Society

grants

them

power

becauseit

hungers

forand

rewardsthis

sortofnewness.

The

problem

comes

later,

when

they

often

grow

conservativeand

posses-

sive.

They

no

longer

dreamof

creating

new

forms;

theiridentifiesare

set,

theirhabits

congeal,

andtheir

rigidity

makesthem

easytargets.Everyone

knowstheirnextmove.Insteadof

demandingrespectthey

elicitboredom:

Getoffthe
stage!

we

say,

letsomeone

else,

someone

younger,

entertainus.

Whenlockedinthe

past,

the

powerful

look

comica.l——they

are

overripe

fruit,
waiting

tofallfromthetree.

Powercan

only

thriveifitisflexibleinitsforms.Tobeformlessisnot

tobe

amorphous;everything

hasa

form—~—itis

impossible

toavoid.

The

formlessness
of
power

is

more

likethat

of

water,

or

mercury,taking

the

formofwhateverisaroundit.

Changingconstantly,

itisnever

predictable.

The

powerful

are

constantlycreating

form,

andtheir

power

comesfrom

the

rapidity

withwhich

they

can

change.

Theirformlessnessisinthe

eye

of

the
enemy

who

cannotsee

what

they

are

up

toand

sohas

nothing

solidto

attack.Thisisthe
premierpose

of

power:Lmgraspable,

aselusiveandswift

asthe

godMercury,

whocouldtake

any

formhe

pleased

andusedthis

ability

towreakhavoconMount

Olympus.

Humancreationsevolvetoward

abstraction,

toward

being

morernen~

tal
and
less
material.
Thisevolutionisclearin
art,which,

in

this

century,

madethe

greatdiscovery

ofabstractionand

conceptualism;

itcanalsobe

seenin

politics,

whichovertimehavebecomeless

overtly

violent,

more

complicated,

indirectandcerebral.Warfareand

strategy

toohavefollowed

this

pattern.Strategybegan

in

the

manipulation

of

armieson

land,

posi—

tioning

themin

ordered

forrnations;

on

land,

strategy

is

relatively

twodi-

mensional,
andcontrolled
by

topography.

Butallthe

greatpowers

have

eventually

takentothe

sea,

forcommerceandcolonization.Andto

protect

their

trading

lanes

they

havehadtolearnhowto

fight

atsea.

Maritime

war-

fare

requires

tremendous

creativity

andabstract

thinking,

sincethelines

are

constantlyshifting.

Naval

captainsdistinguish

themselves

by

theirabil»

ity

to

adapt

totheliteral

fluidity

oftheterrainandtoconfusethe

enemy

withan

abstract,

hard—to—ant:icipate

form.

They

are

operating

inathirddi-

mension:themind.

Back

on

land,

guerrilla

warfaretoodemonstratesthisevolutiontoward

abstraction.T.E.Lawrencewas

perhaps

thefirstmodern

strategist

tode-

(Ill\l"x’\<Tlxll\Il\l(!l(

To

tarry

can

(he

insliamualinhih2li(m

ciemamled

by

the

modernworldandIn

hr?ableIn

cope‘

withthe

mergy

rllmxwhich

results

from

thismhihis

tion,

the

ego

hasIn

1mrt'r.'rg0

41

change.

The

ego.

i.e..that

partof

the

person

lhalis

exposed

to

dangur.

bccanzex

rigid,

aswe

say,

wlwnil lrcontinu-

ully.\‘uhje('Ied

to

lhc

smiteorsimilar

c'on_f?z'cr.r

betweenmar,-xi

anda

j}'ur-inducing

outerworld.I:

acquirer

inthis

prr,7L't's.\'

a

chronic,amommirally

funcrlmrirlg

mmle

of

reu1‘Iir7IL,

i.e..its“vim!-

(Ic'1er."IIisas

iftlre

a/"fecti

vc

personality

armored.

.j.'

(Li

ifthe

hard5/zellit

develops

wereinlmdeclto

deflect

andweakentheblows

of

theouterworldas

wellasthe

rlurmrririg

ofme

innerneeds.This

armoriug

makerthe

person

lesssmszrnreIn

unpleasure.

hmaim

reyrrim‘

Izil‘libirlimzl

and

::ygre5sivz'motility

andthusri‘(lll(‘E’Shis

(1/z/uwityvfor

(1r,'IIimze-

men!

and

pleasure.

We

say

the

ego

hasbecome

l'c.c,\'

flexible

andmore

rigid.

11/111Ihu?

{ht

(rbiI~

fly

to

regulate

me

enemy

economy

deprenrlx

rmthewrmnt

of

the

armnring.

VVIIHELMREWH.

l897-A1957

LAW 48 425