Law 18: Do not build fortresses to protect yourself - Isolation is dangerous

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd. (Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power)

I had sworn off women. I had said to myself that I would focus on my career and lifestyle. I would lift, read, and create myself. And I did all this. Until Saturday night.

Saturday night as part of a networking effort, I arranged to meet two successful men at a bar. Beforehand I told them I didn't go out to meet women because I was working on myself. They said they were fine with that. At the bar, we met, spoke, and networked. About half an hour in, one of them says let's hit up another bar. I complied and off we went.

Throughout the night we ended up going to four bars and approaching multiple women at each one. And even though technically I was in "Monk Mode" and had no interested in fucking these women, I realized something. Doing this was good for me. It was healthy to go out with the guys and practice my approaching. I was living in isolation and according to the Law, isolation is dangerous.

From that night out the guys said I was being too rigid and needed to loosen up. I realized that the implications of this were not just with meeting women, but with business in general. If I wanted to do well with any human interaction, I had to be able to go with the flow and be loose.

I don't plan on going out every night. But I do plan to go out once a week because of this reinvigorating experience. I believe Monk Mode is bullshit in that you can't just focus on making your life better and swearing off the social aspects of it that help keep you sane, diverse, and in check.