Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses To Protect Yourself Isolation Is Dangerous
48 Laws Of Power Summary Series
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Judgment
“The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere — everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from — it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find allies and mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.”
This law especially pertains to those who enjoy being alone, such as myself. It applies to people who often find themselves slipping into bouts of solitude filled with the daily grind of life. In other words, this law is critical for those who have a tendency to be a recluse. Many artists and entertainers lean on this tendency in order to cultivate their creativity.
When you’re constantly building and refining projects it’s very easy to lose contact with the people close to you. By maintaining minimal contact for weeks and months on end you can fall into a very detached state from the surrounding culture and it’s people—AKA “the streets”. It’s clear there are many benefits to to having such tendencies, though the setbacks should be outlined.
Imagine one day popping your head out of the cave that you’ve created for yourself to find the people around you have dramatically changed. Imagine the feeling of missing…
