69 The Pain in Pleasure

Two people stand at opposite ends of a digit on the floor. One sees a 6. The other sees a 9. They are both right. They are both alone.

69 — The Pain in Pleasure is a 106-page manual on the geometry of human conflict, written for the diaspora reader who keeps more than one country in their head at once. It draws on John Gottman's four horsemen, Clayton Christensen's innovator's dilemma, Fisher and Ury on negotiation, Zartman and Rubin on power, and three thousand years of scripture — from Amos to Esther to Daniel — to give you twelve concrete moves you can use this week.

For the husband who is tired of winning arguments and losing his wife. The founder negotiating a term sheet she does not trust. The diaspora daughter whose mother has not yet met her partner. The bishop with a divided deacon board. The senior partner who has stopped being told the truth. Anyone who has ever stood at the wrong end of a 6.

By Really Parables.