Political appointments for those who hate politics (VI)

Fifth strategy: Be a cat’s paw Let’s start with one of Aesop’s fables called “THE MONKEY AND THE CAT.”   There are two obvious morals in  the story.  Can you spot them? Here’s the story: Once upon a time a Cat and a Monkey lived as pets in the same house. They were great friends and […]

Fifth strategy: Be a cat’s paw

Let’s start with one of Aesop’s fables called “THE MONKEY AND THE CAT.”  

There are two obvious morals in  the story.  Can you spot them? Here’s the story:

Once upon a time a Cat and a Monkey lived as pets in the same house. They were great friends and were constantly in all sorts of mischief together. What they seemed to think of more than anything else was to get something to eat, and it did not matter much to them how they got it.

One day they were sitting by the fire, watching some chestnuts roasting on the hearth. How to get them was the question.

“I would gladly get them,” said the cunning Monkey, “but you are much more skillful at such things than I am. Pull them out and I’ll divide them between us.”

Pussy stretched out her paw very carefully, pushed aside some of the cinders, and drew back her paw very quickly. Then she tried it again, this time pulling a chestnut half out of the fire. A third time and she drew out the chestnut. 

This performance she went through several times, each time singeing her paw severely. As fast as she pulled the chestnuts out of the fire, the Monkey ate them up.

Now the master came in, and away scampered the rascals, Mistress Cat with a burnt paw and no chestnuts. From that time on, they say, she contented herself with mice and rats and had little to do with Sir Monkey.

-Aesop for Children (translator not identified), 1919. Available online at Project Gutenberg.

Now before moving to the moral of the story, let’s answer a few questions.

WHAT’S A CAT’S PAW?

Noun: Cat’s-paw: “A person used by another to gain an end.”

So, if the other strategies don’t work for you, consider this question: Do you have a foe in common with the political leader?

Most politicians have enemies who frustrate them beyond measure. And sometimes they find it difficult to do something about it.  They can’t hit back.  Why can’t they hit back? It is possible that the person who is trying to pick a fight with your potential benefactor is someone far below them in rank.  

If they hit back and they win, people would consider it  using disproportional power to kill a fly.  If they hit back and miss, they still lose because their power would unravel and become undone.  

This makes the person to become a bigger foe and even truly formidable.  In other words, they have established the political career of their enemy.

What to do?

This is where Robert Greene’s Law 7 of Power kicks in, which also illustrates the first moral of the above fable: “Never do yourself what others can do for you.”

And this is where you come in.  Some people adopt this strategy to get attention of the benefactor, irrespective of their initial feelings about the person they want to attack.

But for a decent person, it is better if you also hate the politics of this common enemy, making your fight both effortless and convincing.  And you would be easily noticed.  What if you do the dirty work and you’re left with burnt paws, unrewarded like the cat?

That’s where the second moral of the story is significant.  If you take benefits from another person’s work and you do not compensate him after giving your tacit approval, he would look for his fortune elsewhere and you’ve lost an ally.  The fable says:

“From that time on, they say, she [Cat] contented herself with mice and rats and had little to do with Sir Monkey.”

 Concluded. 

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