Winning at human games.
If you were to read only one post today, it would be this.
A thread about the Social Game.
If you were to read only one post today, it would be this.
A thread about the Social Game.
The Social Game is the game of power, the art of influencing others by your behaviour.
Here are the main principles of the Social Game as applied to human relationships:
Here are the main principles of the Social Game as applied to human relationships:
1. The Social Game never stops.
Whether you are aware of it or not, whether you are playing or not, the Social Game continues.
You have only two choices:
Learn to play to try to win.
Ignore the Game and lose it.
Whether you are aware of it or not, whether you are playing or not, the Social Game continues.
You have only two choices:
Learn to play to try to win.
Ignore the Game and lose it.
You don't leave the Game.
Refusing to play will only accelerate your defeat.
Conform to reality, observe and learn to play.
Refusing to play will only accelerate your defeat.
Conform to reality, observe and learn to play.
2. Make yourself your priority.
Love begins with yourself.
If you don't love yourself, no one will.
Think of yourself first and you will be valued for it.
If you put a friend or your girlfriend before yourself, he/she will feel contempt and use you.
Love begins with yourself.
If you don't love yourself, no one will.
Think of yourself first and you will be valued for it.
If you put a friend or your girlfriend before yourself, he/she will feel contempt and use you.
But if you take a casual attitude towards him/her, he/she will take your slightest attention as a favour.
One of the keys to the Social Game is detachment.
Stop worrying about what people think of you and your actions. Ignore sarcasm and be wary of compliments.
One of the keys to the Social Game is detachment.
Stop worrying about what people think of you and your actions. Ignore sarcasm and be wary of compliments.
If you ask too many questions, you give the impression that other people's opinions are more important than yours.
You come across as a beggar and your image is damaged.
You come across as a beggar and your image is damaged.
To be truly detached, you need to be convinced of your value so that you can impose yourself on the people you meet.
3. Official laws and the social game.
The rebel knows the laws better than the legislator.
He studies them in detail in order to find the loopholes to better circumvent them.
Learn the laws and customs of your community by heart. Then use your creativity to break them.
The rebel knows the laws better than the legislator.
He studies them in detail in order to find the loopholes to better circumvent them.
Learn the laws and customs of your community by heart. Then use your creativity to break them.
In the Social Game, the only thing that counts is efficiency...
(keep reading)
(keep reading)
4. Friends and enemies.
An enemy forces you to do better than a friend can.
Always have more enemies than friends.
This seems counter-intuitive.
But to win at the Social Game, you have to do exactly what most people don't do.
An enemy forces you to do better than a friend can.
Always have more enemies than friends.
This seems counter-intuitive.
But to win at the Social Game, you have to do exactly what most people don't do.
5. Emotional promises are worthless.
Emotional promises made verbally (whether by your best friend, your wife or your business associate) are only binding on those who believe them.
Emotional promises made verbally (whether by your best friend, your wife or your business associate) are only binding on those who believe them.
If your girlfriend makes a promise, don't be surprised if she changes her mind a few days later.
In order to establish yourself in a relationship, you need to remind your partner that commitments made must be kept.
In order to establish yourself in a relationship, you need to remind your partner that commitments made must be kept.
At the first sign of a change of heart, make it clear that you will stick to the original promise.
The Social Game is not for the indecisive.
The Social Game is not for the indecisive.
6. You always get screwed at some point.
At some point in your life, you're bound to get screwed.
It happens to everyone, nothing serious.
Friends will betray your trust, a woman will disappoint you, your loved ones may turn against you for trivialities.
At some point in your life, you're bound to get screwed.
It happens to everyone, nothing serious.
Friends will betray your trust, a woman will disappoint you, your loved ones may turn against you for trivialities.
Don't be affected by this.
Instead of brooding over your resentment, reconsider your failures and disappointments, analyse them and don't make the same mistakes again.
Pain and sorrow serve as a springboard.
Use them to see further ahead.
Instead of brooding over your resentment, reconsider your failures and disappointments, analyse them and don't make the same mistakes again.
Pain and sorrow serve as a springboard.
Use them to see further ahead.
7. When a favour is repeated, it becomes an obligation.
If you do someone a favour too often, it is no longer a favour.
The habit takes away its exceptional character.
If you accept this situation, you chain yourself to an obligation.
If you do someone a favour too often, it is no longer a favour.
The habit takes away its exceptional character.
If you accept this situation, you chain yourself to an obligation.
8. Get rid of your illusions.
We often overestimate others if we see them only through our emotions: anger, love, jealousy, lust, envy, fear, hatred.
Note that hating someone is an overestimation, not an underestimation.
The only true underestimation is indifference.
We often overestimate others if we see them only through our emotions: anger, love, jealousy, lust, envy, fear, hatred.
Note that hating someone is an overestimation, not an underestimation.
The only true underestimation is indifference.
Control and channel your emotions to be as realistic as possible in your judgements.
Have no illusions about others. Take people as they are.
Don't put people on a pedestal, don't put them down, just take them for who they are.
Have no illusions about others. Take people as they are.
Don't put people on a pedestal, don't put them down, just take them for who they are.
The Social Game is played in the real world, not in the world of illusions.
This thread was inspired by the timeless teachings of Vizier.
If you found this thread useful, you'll find in Vizier a powerful tool to understand human nature and deal with it.
Given the length of this thread, I will need to reward your attention span.
If you found this thread useful, you'll find in Vizier a powerful tool to understand human nature and deal with it.
Given the length of this thread, I will need to reward your attention span.
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