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POWER
Know Who You Are Dealing With - Do Not Offend The Wrong Person
In your rise to power you will encounter many different kinds of people. The highest form of the art of power is the abIlity to distinguish one from the other. If you make this distinction well, you will sucCeed without the need to coerce. If, however, you deal blindly with whomever crosses your path, you will have a lifE of constant problems. Being able to recognize different types of people and to act accordingly is necessary. The following are the five most difficult types.
When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword. Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet. from a Ch'an Buddhist textTHE ARROGANT AND PROUD MAN Although he may initially disguise it, this man's touchy pride makes him dangerous. Any perceived slight will lead to vengeance. You may say to yourself, "Nut, I only said such and such, at a a party, where everyone was drunk ..." It does not matter. There is no sanity behind his over-reaction, so do not waste time trying to figure him out. If at any point in your dealings with a person, you sense an oversensitive and overactive pride, flee. Whatever you are working for, it is not worth dealing with him.
THE HOPELESSLY INSECURE MAN This man is related to the proud and arrogant type, but is less violent and harder to spot. His ego is fragile, his sense of self insecure, and if he feels himself deceived or attacked, the hurt will simmer. He will attack you in bites that will take forever for you to notice. If you find you have deceived or harmed such a man, disappear for a long time. Do not stay around him, for he will nibble you to death..
THE CROW AND THE SHEEP A troublesome crow seated herself on the back of a sheep. The sheep, much against his will, carried her backward and forward for a long time, and at last said, "If you had treated a dog in this way, you would have had your deserts from his sharp teeth." To this, the crow replied, "I despise the weak and yield to the strong. I know whom I may bully, and whom I must flatter and thus I hope to prolong my life to a good old age." - Aesop FablesMR. SUSPICION An other variant on the breeds above, this is a future Joe Stalin. He sees what he wants to see - usually the worst- in other people, and imagines that everyone is after him. Mr Suspicion is the least dangerous of the three: Genuinely unbalanced, he is easy to deceive, just as Stalin was constantly deceived. Play on his suspicious nature to get him to turn against other people. But, if you become the target of his suspicions, beware.
Imagine the hunter. He does not lay the same trap for a wolf, as he does for a fox. He does not set bait, where none will take it. He knows his prey thoroughly, its habits and hideaways, and hunts accordingly.THE SERPENT WITH THE LONG MEMORY If hurt or deceived, this man will show no anger on the surface. He will calculate and wait. When he is a position to turn the tables, he will have his revenge marked by a cold-blooded shrewdness. Recognize this man by his calculation and cunning, in the different areas of his life. He is usually cold and unaffectionate. Be very careful of this snake. If you have somehow injured him, crush him completely or get him out of your sight.
THE PLAIN UNASSUMING AND OFTEN UNINTELLIGENT MAN This man is much harder to deceive than you imagine. Falling for a ruse often takes intelligence and imagination - a sense of the possible rewards. The blunt man will take the bait, because he does not recognize it. He is that unaware. The danger with this man is not that he will harm you or seek revenge, but merely that he will waste your time, energy, resources, and your sanity, in trying to influence him. Test him with a joke or a story. If his reaction is literal, he is this type. Continue at your own risk.
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