People always remember Conan's answer to the Mongol general: Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women.

They never mention the first answer which the general's son gave: The open steppe. Fleet horse. Falcons at your wrist. Wind in your hair.

His answer is immediately met with wry smiles from the men and a loud "WRONG!"

This illustrates the difference between boys and men.

Most Males Want to be Boys

You know the differences between pleasure, satisfaction, and purpose.

Boys chase after sensory pleasure. This is what the general's son seeks. Thrill and exhilaration. Freedom. Fast horses and swift falcons.

This is because he has no responsibility. He does not command an army. Neither does he command respect.

The same things boys seek after today. Women. Fast cars. Trophy collections.

The older men know this is not what is best in life. At least not if you are aiming for greatness.

To Be a Man is to Risk Destruction

The defining characteristic of power is risk. To seek power, to become dominant, is to become the enemy of many.

This is what conquerors knew. Diplomacy when it works. When it does not: ride hard, and crush your foe. Falter, and be crushed yourself.

You will not be killed in battle in this day and age. But the same principle applies to any sort of power. In business, the ruthless succeed. In politics, there is no quarter.

Diplomacy is a tool, not an end in itself. Because ultimately you are competing with other men: powerful, experienced, and hungry for more. As Ferdinand Foch prophesized, the treaty of 1919 was not peace, merely a cease-fire for twenty years.

If you spend your life working for others, you may well earn enough for a spectacular life and not need any more. The moment you seek to carve out a piece of the world for yourself, you step foot into war.

Something to Defend

One day you may find yourself with a piece of the world you call yours to defend from others. A business. Academic accomplishments. Political power. This marks your transition from the Hunter to the Lord. You are no longer living carefree off the land. You are carried forward by those you command. If you fall, you fall far.

I was a military man. I knew the gravity of command and the terror of failure.

You do not need to be military to experience the same. There is a reason why Sun Tzu's Art of War applies so naturally to business; it is the same.

When you own something, you must defend it against others seeking to take it from you. Because market share, political power, and sovereign territory share one thing: they are finite resources. It is a zero-sum game.

To Strive for More

At the same time you are seeking more power, more prestige.

The Red Queen hypothesis is that for a species to simply maintain its viability, it must constantly improve. For prey species, its predators are getting ever stealthier. For predators, their prey get ever swifter.

To choose this life is to continually strive. To simply maintain your position, you must constantly improve against countless others. Older men who have had more time to amass power. Younger, hungrier men.

I mention politics and business. But this is true in all fields. If you want to make a name for yourself, you pit yourself against all others. Many will be weaker. But some will have the power to triumph over you and break you.

Is it Worth It?

Maybe it is best to be like a boy after all. True power is so difficult to obtain, and the risk of destruction so great, that pursuing a career in politics is not worth it. Enjoy the decline.

Business, wealth, and money are still good ways to accumulate power without drawing too much attention to yourself. Be prepared against lawsuits from men and women trying to exploit you. It only takes a moment of carelessness to make an opening for others.

Ultimately it may be the best hedged bet to accumulate wealth, retire young, and seek a life of pleasure.

I cannot tell you what is best.