This law especially pertains to those who enjoy being alone, such as myself. It applies to people who often find themselves slipping into bouts of solitude filled with the daily grind of life. In other words, this law is critical for those who have a tendency to be a recluse. Many artists and entertainers lean on this tendency in order to cultivate their creativity.

Frank Ocean

When you’re constantly building and refining projects it’s very easy to lose contact with the people close to you. By maintaining minimal contact for weeks and months on end you can fall into a very detached state from the surrounding culture and it’s people—AKA “the streets”. It’s clear there are many benefits to to having such tendencies, though the setbacks should be outlined.

Imagine one day popping your head out of the cave that you’ve created for yourself to find the people around you have dramatically changed. Imagine the feeling of missing countless opportunities because you were too busy in your tunnel. You may be one of the many that happily accept this fate in exchange for the peace and silence. Or you may not be comfortable with the feeling of missed opportunities and information. Whichever camp you lay within, it’s more often than not intelligent to poke your head out of the cave every now and again keeping your ear to the streets and remaining aware of your changing environment.

Observance Of The Law

In the 1660's Louis XIV had the palace of Versailles built for him and his court. He purposefully designed the palace so his nobility remained close to him. The king’s bedroom occupied the literal center of the palace as the focus of everyone’s attention.

Every single morning he would see individuals and groups of people in a precise order, first the king’s illegitimate sons and his grandchildren, then the princes and princesses of the blood, and then the physician and surgeon. There followed the grand officers, the king’s official reader, and so on and so forth from government officials to entertainers. This ritual was known as ‘the lever’. By the end of the ceremony the room would be packed with over a hundred people. The day was organized so that all the palace’s energy was directed at and passed through the king. Louis XIV kept a very close ear to his surroundings. It’s much more difficult to plot an assassination of such a king.

“There was no possibility of privacy in the palace, not even for the king — every room communicated with another. Everyone’s actions were interdependent, and nothing and no one passed unnoticed”

Interpretation

“Louis XIV very early grasped the truth that for a king to isolate himself is gravely dangerous. In his absence, conspiracies will spring up like mushrooms after rain, animosities will crystallize into factions, and a rebellion will break out before he has the time to react.”

Now this is all well and good, but you’re not a king, I’m not a king, I don’t imagine there are any actual kings reading this. Regardless, this message is relevant to anyone who has attained any respectful level of power and authority. Whether this be within an organisation, team, or social group, it can be dangerous to isolate yourself.

We’re not just talking about the physical isolation, but rather the mental and emotional isolation of not listening to those who surround you. You separate yourself and build distrust once you begin to disregard what even the lowest ranks of your group believe and think. If you are someone with significant power over others isolate yourself with tact, find ways to remain connected to ‘the streets’ in small ways reminding people you still care and appreciate them or risk being undermined and overthrown.

Keys To Power

“Machiavelli makes the argument that in a strictly military sense a fortress is invariably a mistake. It becomes a symbol of power’s isolation and is an easy target for enemies”

King’s and Queen’s are not the only one’s to have fortresses, we all do — our home is our fortress.