I can bet you ever met someone who got on your nerves due to their annoying strange behavior. May be you couldn’t stand it and cut the ties with them, or may be not, be it your friend(s), boss or a partner.
But initially humankind has a lot of mysterious traits to the extent we are always surprised by how weird someone can behave, at the end of the day we surprise ourselves too, and be like ‘Why did I react that way?’ just because understanding human is that hard.
Worry less, Robert Greene thought about this long ago and wrote The Law of Human Nature (2018) which I’m reviewing in this article.
The 690-page book contains a lot of helpful points but we got you the most crucial synopsis for the social understanding why people do what they do and why.
“If you come across any special trait of meanness or stupidity (…) you must be careful not to let it annoy or distress you, but to look upon it merely as an addition to your knowledge — a new fact to be considered in studying the character of humanity. Your attitude towards it will be that of the mineralogist who stumbles upon a very characteristic specimen of a mineral,” Mr. Arthur Schopenhauer, whom Greene quotes in his book, says of how one can handle the any situation that is distressing.
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In a human nature, being selfish can easily be pictured as a general image to all humankind all over the world. From material things we want to own, inherit to being center of attention, getting enthroned, wanting all eyes on us like Tupac once sang, etc.
Master your emotional self
“You like to imagine yourself in control of your fate, consciously planning the course of your life as best you can. But you are largely unaware of how deeply your emotions dominate you. They make you veer toward ideas that soothe your ego,” writes Greene.
He is of the view that to better your emotions towards other people, you must learn to understand the differences between people.
Accept people as facts
It is advisable to accept people as they are instead of trying hard to change them in our own perspectives. Hence, receiving people for who they really are will help us prevent a once in a while disappointment.
Everyone is different and we should simply accept that no matter what, underlines Greene.
“And because this is not possible, because everyone is different, we are continually frustrated and upset. Instead, see other people as phenomena, as neutral as comets or plants. They simply exist. They come in all varieties, making life rich and interesting. Work with what they give you, instead of resisting and trying to change them.”
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Robert Greene also authored The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, and The 50th Law.
