Power

On the internet...  I have met people who have considered all matters in the light of "Power" and power-plays.  Generally, I flatter myself with the opinion that I don't have this mindset but seek out the freedom of Christ for every person through the work of the Spirit of God.  We don't have power over each other.  Our relationships are ordered by our relationship to Christ.

One thing that happened to me online was that if you discuss something about the Lutheran Reformation, some thought pops into the thread about how Luther exerted his power by blaming the victims  ("victim-blaming being a great injustice in the world, no doubt, but some like to find victims everywhere through so-called "consciousness-raising" and then we get the favorite victim of the day.) --That person has lost complete sight of how the Reformation freed all sorts of people from dominion that was oppressive and corrupt.

Some of these people on-line mentioned a book, that seemed to a sort of Bible to them,  called "The 48 Laws of Power".  Here it is.




In the end, you guessed it,  I succumbed to the temptation and bought it.  It sat on the shelf for a while, as it is quite a thick and thorough anthology, though broken down into many manageable sections.  Overall, it reminds of Machiavelli's "The Prince".

The introduction explores why a person might be interested in reading this type of book and what  might be gleaned for various purposes.

Lately, I have begun to tackle the book, being at the moment about half through,  by reading a little bit every evening as an aid to going to sleep.  This is not meant to be derogatory, but the heavy stuff, in small bites, as presented, allows the cognition to switch from the troubles of the day to the ideas presented which can be quite knotty but in story format.  There is something for the brain to chew on.  Meanwhile, the body says:  "Enough of all that."  And the eye-lids get so heavy.  It's perfect for that.  After one more story, you decide that you have had it for the day.

As to the contents, as I am chewing on it in bite-sizes, it does furnish nutritious food for thought.  Certainly, it is not the stuff my parents taught me, my teachers taught me, but maybe life has taught me through experience and observation.  There is certainly truth here to be witnessed to.  Some of the anecdotes are even from the Bible.

Literary-wise, the stories are also valuable and engaging reading coming from some great books.  So, while one may not wish to employ the stratagems discussed here, even some Biblical ones, we recall the words of our Lord Christ, who taught us to be as wise as serpents but innocent as doves.  Also, he tells a parable to explain how the world works and manipulates matters to its favor.  In this manner of being wise and observant, we can profitably study a book like the "Laws of Power", I think.  In some ways, I must admit, that at this late date, some coins are dropping in my head, looking back on some decades now...  Still, we pray the Lord preserve us from manipulation and cruelty.