Just as Luke thought Mr. Eisen would finally share the details of the "accident" he and his wife encountered, Mr. Eisen steered the conversation in a different direction.
"Luke, do you know what power is?"
Power?
That's a pretty broad term. Without setting some boundaries, it was hard to answer right away. However, Luke suddenly realized what Mr. Eisen wanted to discuss today.
"Would it be accurate to say that power is influence in the broadest sense?" Luke offered.
"That's an interesting answer. I'll just share what I've learned in my sixty-plus years; just listen to an old man rambling from his high horse. In my view, power is the ability to control resources."
Control?
Not possession? Or ownership?
Seeing Luke's confusion, Mr. Eisen elaborated:
"We won't get into the national level; everyone understands that stuff. Let's talk about power in a broader context."
"A company CEO isn't the owner of the company; he's just a highly paid employee. But within a certain scope, he has the ability to control the company's resources. Most of the time, he can decide which non-executive employees to hire, who to fire, and what salary to give them."
"Wouldn't you call that a kind of power?"
Luke nodded. He understood why Mr. Eisen said "control" and not necessarily "ownership." Even if it's not your wealth, when you possess the authority to control it, you possess power.
"Let's use a rougher analogy. A madame at a nightclub has a group of young women who depend on her for a living. They listen to her, take her assignments, and get their 'wages' from her hand. She might not be respectable, but does she wield power?" Mr. Eisen pressed.
Luke thought for a moment and nodded: "I have to admit, she controls the distribution of 'sex resources.' That ability to control is certainly a form of power."
"I won't give any more examples. In my opinion, when you have the ability to control a certain resource, you gain power. And you, Luke, now have control over more and more resources. Have you learned how to use the power you hold?" Mr. Eisen asked.
At this point, Luke completely understood the theme of the conversation. Over the past year or so, Luke has rapidly grown, acquiring vast fame and money. But he's currently like a nouveau riche—holding a massive pile of resources but not knowing how to effectively manage them. Luke had tried to make some plans himself, but he was just an average guy in his past life, and there were inevitably gaps in his strategy.
"I've been thinking about this too, but I'd like to hear your advice," Luke said.
---
## Wealth, Power, and the Next Step
"We live in a commercial society where most resources can be measured by money. So, normally, it's fine to view money as an equivalent to resources. But do you know why we describe the wealth of the upper class using net worth, and not just the amount of cash they hold?"
Luke was familiar with the concept. When the media reports that a billionaire has tens of billions of dollars, they're talking about their net worth, not that they actually possess that amount in cash. In fact, if you asked them to produce even a twentieth of their net worth in cash right now, they might not be able to. If they were forced to sell assets, their net worth would likely shrink drastically.
But this doesn't mean net worth is imaginary. A billionaire with a net worth of ten billion dollars might control a public company valued at a hundred billion. The social resources they can control are in the hundreds of billions—this is the effective leverage of using personal wealth to control larger resources.
"Because money is only a means, never the ultimate goal," Luke answered.
"No true top-tier magnate holds the majority of their wealth directly in currency. When the vast majority of someone's wealth is in the form of cash, they're usually headed for trouble," Mr. Eisen stated.
"It means it would be easy to steal from them, and the cost of doing so is very low," Mr. Eisen continued.
"I understand. We have an old saying: 'A child carrying gold in the marketplace sees everyone as a devil.' Having vast wealth without the ability to protect it only arouses greed in others," Luke agreed.
"Look at every country in the world; every magnate with enormous wealth must be deeply invested and tied to the means of production in certain industries. Their money must be converted into real-world control and must affect the lives of a significant number of people. That is the root of the wealthy class. There are plenty of nouveau riche who just have cash, but the money can't be too much. You, today, have crossed that boundary. You need to start thinking about how to deploy the money you have," Mr. Eisen advised.
Luke completely understood Mr. Eisen's point.
He needs to tie his success to the interests of more people. If the livelihoods of "a million workers depend on you," then you won't be allowed to fail. His social contribution must match his wealth, or else he is seen as undeserving of his position.
"I see. For the next while, besides planning new movies, I'll start taking action in that area," Luke replied.
---
## Planning for Succession
"I'm getting old. I might be able to guide you for some time, but I can't be with you forever," Mr. Eisen said.
Seeing Luke about to speak, Mr. Eisen waved his hand, signaling him to listen.
"You need the power I currently control to continue protecting you. But the resources I manage can't be directly transferred to you."
Luke knew Mr. Eisen was right. Luke is Asian American, not white. Mr. Eisen can manage those resources, but Luke cannot.
"I don't have children. I need to figure out a way to pass them on to you. It would be a shame for these resources to just rot with me."
Luke laughed at that. "I thought we were just friends, but you want to be my father?"
"Let's stick with mentor or elder. I'm more than three times your age, and with all the help I'm giving you, it's a good deal for you to see me as your elder!" Mr. Eisen countered.
"You said you wanted to walk this path with me. Why are you already thinking about retirement and handing over the baton?" Luke asked.
"This is a long process. You need to bring me a person, and I will spend ten years slowly bringing them up to speed. That way, in ten years, someone can continue in my place to guide you forward," Mr. Eisen explained.
"You want me to find the person?"
"Of course. They'll be serving you in the future, so I shouldn't be the one to find them, should I? But I have two requirements."
"Go ahead."
"First, they must be white, and preferably Anglo-Saxon."
"I understand," Luke nodded.
"Second, they must be someone you can absolutely trust. I suggest you find a woman."
"Why does it have to be a woman?"
"If you don't secure her heart and mind at the same time, how can you expect her to be completely loyal?"
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