THE ART OF CUNNING

 

"One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived."

             - NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI 

If you grew up in Africa under traditional laws and culture, chances are that you view the word "cunning" as repulsive, evil, and a disgusting trait. If you grew up in Europe or the west, chances are that every time you've heard this word it's being used to refer to a person you regard as insincere and manipulative. In general for most people, to be a cunning person is simply to be evil. But what if I told you today that it will be impossible to attain the heights of success and power without mastering the art of cunning, every great man understood that to excel in any field, you must have some attributes of cunning. I'll be honest with you, putting all the details of the complexity of cunning in one article is almost impossible but I'll do my very best to break this down.

WHAT IS CUNNING?

The Webster Dictionary gave four definitions of the word cunning:

1: dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (such as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end. 

2: characterized by wiliness and trickery. 

3: prettily appealing 

4: displaying keen insight

In retrospect to be cunning is to be marked by skill in deception, showing inventiveness and skill, shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception and crafty artfulness. 

Consciously or unconsciously we have all exhibited cunningness to derive certain benefits from people. In fact, extremely charming people are what/who we refer to as high cunning, they are capable of reading body language, lying convincingly, and analyzing social situations. While low cunning people are incapable of any of these abilities. 

You must also understand that to be cunning does not necessarily have anything to do with high IQ, there are a lot of high IQ men who lack the ability to be cunning.

Also, note that naturally "The average woman is more cunning than the average man. Yet at the same time, cunning seems to have far greater variance amongst men than among women. Among the most cunning people on the planet (think Robert Greene and Vladimir Putin), almost all of them are men. The least cunning people are autists, who are mostly men."

      - Corporate Machiavelli

SUB-FIGURES OF CUNNING 

1. CHARM

Charm prior to this topic is an attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates people to view you positively. This in return enables them to like you and view you as trustworthy. 

This facet is arguably the most important element of cunning in our urban world and throughout human history. In every activity you encounter, your ability to charm people will be your making or breaking point. From events such as Sales/marketing, Office Politics, or Job interviews, you must be capable of charming those in a position to give you power or fail to ascend. 

In all honesty, there is a lack of an assurance strategy when it comes to charming people, for what charms one may offend another. This is where the requirement of cold reading becomes important as it helps you in debunking the personalities of different people. 

2. COLD READING 

Cold reading is one of the greatest abilities any man can ever possess, it is the ability to debunk a person's personality accurately through reading body language and vocal tonality. 

This ability means that you are able to create accurate deductions from an individual from Nothing more than staring at them. Warm reading varies from cold reading as you need to interact with the individual and spend time with them to debunk their psychological makeup. 

It is easier to make more accurate deductions from warm reading than cold reading, however, these two traits must be mastered in order to navigate the game of power effectively. 

3. PERSUASION 

This is the ability to make or convince people to view things from your perspective, it also includes changing their own opinions too. 

You must understand that although charm and persuasion might correlate, they are not the same thing. If you can charm a person, then you increase the probability of persuading them. In general, persuasion is hard work and deemed a risky activity due to the fact that most people will hardly change their mind on an opinion engraved in their minds. In fact, if you try to change a person's opinion, they will get offended. 

Therefore, in an attempt to persuade an individual, gentleness, and calmness is important. You must not be blunt in dismissing their claims or risk completely losing their trust. You must calmly accept their claim before gently initiating your opinion as to why theirs might be slightly wrong. Persuasion is a game of patience and therefore is extremely laborious. However, those who have mastered the game of patience will excel greatly in persuasion.

4. CONCEALMENT OF THOUGHTS AND PERSONALITY 

 

One of the most dangerous and terrible pieces of advice I've heard in the 21st century is "always be yourself". Social media and stupid TV shows have convinced millennials that being yourself will somehow attract love and kindness from people. The truth is that while "being yourself" might attract a few people to you, the larger crowd hates the real you. You must learn to read the room and act accordingly. 

As stated earlier, what charms one may offend another. "One man's meal is poison to another". I'd you are to master the art of cunning then you must learn to conceal your thoughts and personalities. If a person is considered highly likable by the public, this is not because they love "the real him". He is most likely wearing a mask and playing the multiple personalities game. Each layer is deemed likable to the public eye. A true Machiavellian executer. 

Under the concealment of thoughts, you must master the power talk. You must not always say what you think but what is most suitable to shift power dynamics in your favor. For tactical expediency, you must filter your words which might include saying things you don't even believe in. In his Famous book 48 laws of power, Robert Greene explains this in Law 38. "Think as you like, but behave like others". You attract only hatred by rebelling against the public, they will resent you. You must master the art of fitting in or blending in and hiding your true feelings. Once you have established power, you can reveal your true intentions which by that time are likely to be accepted. 

"No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution." 

                          -NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI 

5. FRIGHT/INTIMIDATION

 

To frighten is to cause fear.

This pattern is an extremely risky tactic however the rewards are as high as the risks. The use of intimidation must be highly calculated before implementation. While charm is a low-risk tactic, the consequences of intimidation and fright are severe.

You must only resort to this tactic when charm and persuasion have failed or you are certain you wield the power to back your claim up or at least be capable of creating the illusion that you are to be feared. When the approach of fright and intimidation is taken, it must be executed with perfection. You must make sure you are perceived as tough and a person no one wants to mess with and not a pathetic child making empty threats.

The game of intimidation is not to be played by men who are not capable of creating false illusions or who possess the power to act on their threats or claims. 

This trait is better executed by men than women as naturally, a man is low on agreeableness and neuroticism. 

"Never was anything great achieved without danger."

                   -NICOLLO MACHIAVELLI 

SUMMARY

 

The art of cunning is an art that every man/woman seeking power must master. Viewing cunning people as evil will not stop them from cunning you. It's a cruel world, where only men capable of cruelty might have a chance at survival. We have all manipulated at least one person to derive certain benefits. It might have been unconsciously or consciously but it doesn't matter. Life is a game and only those who play the game stand a chance of winning. 

Cunning is morally neutral as it can be used for both good and bad. So to believe that being cunning is a trait only used by evil men is to be foolish and ignorant. In a situation where your doctor convinces you to take medication for an illness, you're reluctant about is a situation of him using the art of cunning to persuade you. 

The only time cunning is regarded as evil is when you fail to charm your way into the hearts of men. In honesty, I can go all day writing about the art of cunning but this is simply an article that has to be short yet convey immense information. 

Also if you are interested in seeing a movie that conveys this subject, I recommend you see the House of cards. One of my personal favorite TV shows of all time. 

"The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not."

                 -NICOLLO MACHIAVELLI 

References 

48 LAWS OF POWER BY ROBERT GREENE 

CORPORATE MACHIAVELLI 

THE MAFIA MANAGER BY V

33 STRATEGIES OF WAR BY ROBERT GREENE 

THE ART OF WAR BY NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI 

                        WRITTEN AND COMPILED BY PRINCE M.C