Week 13 - Appreciation/Depreciation

The book had instilled a sense of order and rationale to an otherwise unmoored and disorienting existence.  It was a handbook of sorts; eschewing a list of the "Ten Concepts of Fearlessness", a list that made sense. I had resisted the book initially - it couldn't possibly be taken seriously.  A rap artist and a strategist author?  For real? But, a good friend had recommended it. "Just take a look at it; it makes sense," he had said.

And it had.

His previous book, 'The 48 Rules of Power' had intrigued me. I'm fascinated with how individuals take control and gain power, when they obviously don't posses high intellect. I've met a number of high-powered businessmen and politicians, and I am completely bewildered half of the time.  How in the world did this person get to this role?? They don't speak intelligently, let alone eloquently. They have no writing skills. They don't appear to be able to relate to anyone else.  They are awkward, counterfeit and perplexing.  And yet - they are in positions of power the average person could only dream of being.

'The 48 Rules of Power' provides a framework of standards - a guideline to garner position and power.  Some of the rules are skills most people who have worked in a business environment have knowledge of (some, like me, the hard way). The first rule - "Never Outshine the Master" is one anyone who has ever had a boss will understand. Some are uncomfortable, such as rule number 11 - 'Keep people dependent on you' or rule number 15 - 'Crush your enemy totally'. Still other make sense, life skills articulated in a way that make them easily identifiable. 'Guard your reputation' and 'keep your hands clean' are a couple.

The newest addition, ''The 50th Law' expounds on these guidelines and includes and additional ten laws, the 'Ten Laws of Fearlessness'. Rap mogul Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent) teams up with the previously discussed author Robert Greene. Because of the street-wise vernacular of Jackson, these laws are more edgy and apathetic, and occasionally downright crass (Rule #3 - Turn Shit into Sugar).

I didn't want to like this book. A non-fiction author I liked and respected teaming up with a <gasp> rap star? Come on!  Really?! Could you pander to the public a little more? I was mortified for him. And then I was curious.  What had led him to this path? I decided to trust him - once.  I wanted to find out what his reasoning was and why he selected this particular co-author/subject.

Curtis Jackson came from a tough background, but I wasn't privy to the details before now. (Disclaimer - I am not a fan of rap music in general; I am much more of an early jazz/blues fan and find rap music repugnant the majority of the time.) The idea behind this work is that there are two primary drives within human nature - fear and love. The authors make the theory behind each law relateable by providing history and examples from Jackson's life. Not only are some illegal, but some are immoral and downright scary. And yet,  I was drawn to the person he has made himself into - an extension of his former self, but 'better', more self-assured, stronger and in control of his own destiny and environment. In spite of his history, not because of it.

This piece of work was an unexpected surprise. One paragraph in particular struck a vein with me, hard and deep.  I hold it close, even today. Truthfully, can you ask any more from a single written work?

"Understand: the day you were born you became engaged in a struggle that continues to this day and will determine your success or failure in life. You are an individual, with ideas and skills that make you unique. But people are constantly trying to fit you into narrow categories that make you more predictable and easier to manage. They want to see you as shy or outgoing, sensitive or tough. If you succumb to this pressure, then you may gain some social acceptance, but you will lose the unconventional parts of your character that are the source of your uniqueness and power. You must resist this process at all costs, seeing people's neat and tidy judgements as a form of confinement. Your task is to retain or rediscover those aspects of your character that defy categorization, and to give them even greater play. Remaining unique, you will create something unique and inspire the kind of respect you would never receive from tepid conformity."