正文
That’s why.
It’s true. He who controls the past
does
control the future. He is the most powerful person in any relationship — and that is all a society is, a set of relationships. That is why authoritarians
lie about the past, but tell the truth about the future
.
If you remember nothing else from this series of essays, remember that principle. I’ll just cheesily call it the Power Principle for short.
Now let us prove it.
Imagine yourself in any position of authority. If you could say that you were going to do anything — and then rewrite it to be successful, noble, glorious, wonderful, not matter how much of an abject failure it really was, so that people believed you were smashing, awesome, amazing, the best — then you would have maximum power. If you don’t see it yet, reread that sentence and reflect.
Telling the truth about the future and lying about the past is a negotiating strategy that maximizes one’s power in the present.
If — and it’s a big if — you can make people believe both. You can apply it to anything. Even your relationships. “Honey, I’m going to take you on the best vacation ever. So great. So amazing”. You take them to the nearest Motel 6 and buy them a case of Budweiser. “Remember that amazing vacation we took?”. They nod and smile, brainwashed, hypnotized. See the point? If you can do that, and get your partner to believe it, then you get away with anything.
