On Sex and Power

I believe I have learned that the pursuit of sex trains one well for the pursuit of power.

Think about it, it has all the angles of the corporate climb. You have bars, clubs and different hangouts to build networking skills, the ability to slip in out amongst friends and those who aren't so much. Anyone knows to get laid consistently you need a reputation as a generally nice guy (with a subtle edge so you wont be taken advantage of), willing to help, who people can talk to. Same for rising through the ranks of a large business. You need to learn when to pursue, and when to hold still. You learn how to market yourself, how to watch your 'optics' (the way you look, move and present yourself) and how to distinguish between friends who will be fruitful, and those just hanging out to kill time or your money.

The reason we insist that people shouldn't judge others is because people are universally guilty of it. Some are more open to changing those initial impressions than others, but everybody decides at least a few things about you the moment you meet. It takes an average woman less than 90 seconds to determine on some level whether or not she would be willing to have sex with that type of man, it takes an interviewer the same amount of time to determine whether they want you for a particular position. You can easily talk yourself out of an opportunity, but it is a rare thing indeed to talk yourself into one.

Seduction is just a facet of social interaction. You give a little of yourself, and you get a little bit of them. In simplest terms, the amount of influence you have on the people and the world around you is the true measure of your power. Financially, socially and personally. The attainment of Power is an art, and an art must be studied and practiced in order to be performed well.

Because sexuality is such in integral part of human behavior, the way people relate to sex is almost always the way they relate to social situations in general. Thus by learning all the little intricacies of sexual behavior (on not just the in and out bit) a person becomes exceedingly adept at manipulating and predicting the majority of human behavior. The ability to apply knowledge correctly to a situation increases the effectiveness of those decisions and thus amplifies the potential of any given human being.

It is inevitable that a human life will end, meaning that the number of decisions that a person is capable of making is finite. Making each decision count, making sure that each is the most effective decision possible, is key to any type of success, be you hippie or corporate warmonger. The key to making an decision efficient is in knowing how it will impact a system, be it live or machine. Much of this knowledge is empirical, being obtained only through direct observation, so it behooves those who seek effectiveness to directly experience as many kinds of social interaction as possible.

I’m not going to try to apply my own ideals of morality here, that's up to the individual. One can focus thier power to benefit or destroy as they see fit. Power in and of itself is not fulfilling, it is the direction or application of power that produces results, either positive or negative. Power is a multi-purpose tool, it can be a paintbrush or a switchblade - all depending on the hand that wields it.

All action, good or bad, involves the use of power, thus power itself stands outside of virtue or morality. Most of our 'virtues' like patience, kindness or forgiveness relate in some way to making small adjustments in our use of power in relation to another person. Because of this, it could be said that power is the only virtue, and the things we term as 'virtues' are merely facets to its application.

We think in terms of right and wrong, of love and disgust, in all the subjective ways that are the emotional signatures of humanity. But think of people you hate- do they help you organize and influence the world they way you want it, or does thier influence and will run counter to yours? Think of substances that literally taste foul like feces, are they good or bad for your body? Think of your friendships, do they support you or go against you?

We attach emotional values to things because we instinctively know how they will influence and affect us. We like the positive and avoid the negative. This system is so ingrained in our behavior that if we see someone who likes something or someone who is obviously bad for them, like heroin or a wife-beater, we say they have mental or emotional problems. What we are really gauging is the ability for that person to effectively manage thier lives and make appropriate decisions. There is nothing, nothing that you will ever do that does not involve power in some way. Because it is inherent in all action, the ability to use it well is paramount.

On that note however, if you live your life solely for the pursuit of power it would be empty, because power without direction is meaningless. However, you cannot exercise your free will to its fullest extent without the power to make that decision a reality. The less power you have, the more you are forced into position by the world around you, meaning that there is a higher probability that they will not be beneficial to you. As the power you wield increases, events are more likely to shape themselves to your will, and you are able to achieve more of those things you want to.

So explore the opposing sex, or perhaps merely the same one. Learn thier moods and undulations. Learn about friends and traitors and the extras that play in the movie of your life. Learn about being honest or deceitful, learn what makes people tick. Have a good experience, have a very bad one. Learn, for the love of god, learn. Your life has no final exam; how well you do depends entirely on the practical.