Dialogue: The Art of War

Dialogue: The Art of War

I told A that I was reading The Art of War and he asked, "why?" Which is a valid question. I joked by telling him that I am going to war; in all frankness, that is not a joke. Sun Tzu's The Art of War is more than a textbook guide to fighting in wars. It can be interpretted as a guide for being triumphant in human interaction or daily situations. Anything and everything is like war; two or more opposing positions exist, one of which, you occupy. You must work out something to emerge victorious, whether it is a job interview, getting a raise, dealing with a slacking co-worker, being bridesmaid to a bridezilla, bargaining for an item at a flea market, getting a booth at a fancy restaurant, babysitting a spoiled brat, or even dating.

I was breezing through the first few sections when I realized that this isn't like Glamour or Allure magazines; it needs to be read and each line must be reflected upon and thought about and studied. Or else, I won't be reaping it's beneficial wisdom. So I went back and I'm studying it bits by bits (I think I said all this before). From this point onward, my blog will now feature "Dialogues." It will essentially be my discussion of various literature. Actually, a monologue, rather than a dialogue, but I'd like to think that someone does read all this, so Dialogue it is.

Sun Tzu said:

We may know that there are five essentials for victory:
1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
3. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.
4. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
5. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

This is from the third chapter, titled, "Attack by Stratagem." One of the points emphasized is to know yourself and know the enemy, which makes absolute sense, however we do not always do so. If you are marching into your boss's office to ask for a raise, you must know your worth. Are you a valuable asset to your company? Do you work hard? What are your accomplishments that have benefitted the company? Why should you receive a raise and rather than your co-worker? If you got fired, would you be able to get hired with ease? Then you must know your boss's side of the story. Why should he pay you more? What are the company's financial situation like (don't march in there for a raise when the boss is planning to announce the downsizing of the company!)? Has the boss been able to depend on you for stellar performances on the job? Does this boss like you? There are many things you must analyze. After much analyzation, you can decide whether you will emerge a victor and get that raise, or not wage war at all and remain the same. But either way, you will not march in there unknowingly and get fired and become a loser.

This books gives wisdoms like that. Even positive conflicts, are similar to a battle. Even, say, dating. Both parties must know and read each other well enough to get a feel for the timing of things; trying to hit third base when the woman is obviously not ready for that stage will surely get a man kicked to the curb. Same goes for the reversed situation. If Omega is not ready to commit to an exclusive relationship, but Gamma puts pressure on Omega about commitment, Gamma may get the opposite of the intended. Their relationship may get further away from each other.

So this is a handy book to read if you are interested in wisdoms about resolving conflicts. And we face conflicts everyday, some minor, some major. Knowledge is power. Learning a lot of the things stated in this book will give you more power, thus give you ample control of various situations in your life. For someone who craves predictability, security, and control, it's the perfect book. I bought this book at a time when I was a bit low on funds, but I have not regretted actually purchasing this one. And for the froogle of all frugal beings, that says a lot.

Well this "dialogue" will continue. I'm sure I'll be writing more about this one, and hopefully other fabulous reads as well. Maybe an article about Bush Senior's birthday ritual of skydiving...