01.014 Therefore, if able, appear unable...

[sonshi]

Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.

[Aftermath]

Make them think your weak when your strong.

To sucker them into fighting a battle they cannot win.

Warfare is the way of deception...

[gonzo]

Guile is the best way to win a war.

Gonzo

[HALBLEU]

In military warfare, it is about finding "The Path of Least Resistance".

In the consulting biz, that same approach is called finding "The Critical Path".

Regardless of the term, the great strategists uses the element of deception to find the key weak point of the opposition.

[willatlasshrug]

If you can appear in a state different than you are, you increase your chances of your opponent 1) acting in a beneficial manner which you have prepared for, or 2) Becoming unsure of your actual state, which can cause hesitation or mistakes.

This stanza does not say "when weak appear strong," but something like this is said in chapter 6...

"If I do not wish to do battle, I mark a line on the earth to defend it, and the enemy cannot do battle with me. I misdirect him."

I worked with a guy with whom I was friends, sharing a common interest in martial arts.

He was Southern, and spoke slowly. He also cultivated the appearance of moving slowly, and thinking slowly. He wasn't slow by any means. He deliberately wanted to give the wrong impression. He was anything but slow.

Best Regards,

Rick Matz

[UV]

Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.

You cannot fully execute all shades of meaning of this strategy unless you are strong. If you are actually weak, then acting weak and exposed is not an option that is available to you.

Of course, if you are actually weak, then the way to apply this strategy is to convincingly feign strength and present that illusion of strength to your opponent.

However, I think that all things being equal, it is easier to feign weakness and exposure than to feign strength. Usually, humans more easily accept the idea that their opponents are weak and exposed than the idea that their opponents can swim circles around them and kick them in the pants.

Hence, if you wish to use this strategy effectively, you should first be competent and strong.

I think the duality that is found in Sun Tzu's admonishment : "If able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near," is very valuable for grasping the true nature of the use of orthodox and the unorthodox.

The above quote, of course, can and appropriately should be interpretated literally.

But not in every case. Or in every situation. The fluid application of this principle of strategy must be balanced against the factors of time and space.

And therein lies the importance of The Sun Tzu's teachings.

Sometimes, for instance, it might behoove a commander or a CEO or even an an employee or co-worker: "To be able and appear to be able. To be active and appear to be active. To be near and appear to be near. To be far and appear to be far."

The precise application of the strategy/tactic depends in part on the mission objectives.

In addition, the quote cited above serves to reemphasize Sun Tzu's recognition of the underlying importance of influencing the mind and perception of a foe to keep them psychologically off-balance.

An important and relevent example from military history that highlights the utility and application of Sun Tzu's suggestion that if one "is near, appear far," can be found by examining one of the most successful ambushes in military history. I am referring, of course, to The Battle of Lake Trasimeno (also spelled Trasimene) in 217 BC between Rome & Carthage. Carthage was led by the great General Hannibal.

Recall that Sun Tzu said that "all warfare is based on deception."

In the Spring of 217 B.C., Hannibal executed an ambush whose killing zone was about 3 miles long. Hannibal sent a detachment of his men and had them light fires in the hills of Tuoro in order to deceive the Romans that the Carthaginians were far away and the Romans were at a safe distance to continue their march.

Simultaneously, Hannibal ordered his troops to seize the high ground in the hills overlooking the narrow Chiana Valley and the narrow Malpasso Road, right along Lake Trasimeno. Apparently, according to historians, it was a pretty foggy morning and a dense fog settled over and near the lake.

Anyway, the Roman General, a guy named Flaminius, operating under the false "belief" that the Carthaginians were far away, issued orders to the Roman Army to begin marching in column formation along Malpasso Road which ran along the north side of the lake. The Roman general, Flaminius, also made a crucial mistake by failing to deploy advance flanking scouts along the route of the march. In other words, he had zero security.

Once inside the 3 mile long killing zone, Hannibals' forces charged and engaged the Roman lead elements and served as a blocking force that trapped the Roman's and prevented them from moving forward. The Carthginian cavalry attacked the rear of the Roman column. The Romans were trapped in the defile and did not have the time to adequately deploy. Most persihed where they stood.

Many Romans, unable to fight, simply ran and jumped into the lake and eventually drowned. About 15,000 Roman soldiers were killed and 10-15000 more were captured. Which, I think might lend some credence to the notion that Italians have a genetic defect that precludes them from becoming effective warriors (See especially WWII).

So, here, in the Battle of Lake Trasimeno in 217 BC, Hannibal was near but created the false appearence that his troops were far away.

-BingFa

[markb287]

"Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near."-Sun-tzu.

Again, Sun-tzu emphasizes deception and its various methods. If the enemy sees your able to defeat him, then he won't fight, therefore, we don't win. If the enemy sees that we are full of energy and always ready, then he may not attack, for he can't surprise you. If our is near his, then he may not fight because he is not ready. If our army is far, then he may not advance because then it would only get his army tired.

[MonteChristo]

If you appear unable the enemy might think that easy victory is waiting for them. Then it is possible they will launch an attack, which is not well prepared facing your well-defended positions.

If you appear not active the enemy might neglect your close presence and loose necessary vigilance and they will not be prepared for you rapid action. There is a chance you will fight with unprepared warrior.

Causing the enemy think wrong takes time, but this investment is worth to be undertaken. I would say this creates a dynamic advantage and when the opportunity is available it should be used as soon as possible.

War is about knowing your opponent. What his/her intentions are? How strong he/she is? What he/she is capable of? And eventually it is about creating the advantages and using them.

Some of the advantages last for longer period of time and some vanish very quickly. Believing the untruth is a state of mind and as advantage can disappear within seconds. It is the matter of having or not having the right information.

Originally posted by sonshi
[B]Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.

[Sensory deception] is one way of psychologically misdirecting the opposition into revealing their weak point or to position them into a state of comfort. Where a simple bait and switch tactic can overwhelm them.

[Theo17]

just like my last post, if you are strong and ready to attack, make the enemy come to you by acting weak, they will try to chrage you thinking they have it won, and will simply be sheep for the slaughter.

[Sr_Tokes_Alot]

Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.

While Sun Tzu gives us specific examples of verbs and adverbs that apply directly to moving troops in warfare, we can replace these with any position, strength, weakness, attitude, or intent. The idea is to keep your enemy guessing.

Maybe Saddam did not really pull his armies back into Baghdad and they are planning an ambush a few miles from the Kuwaiti border. When near, appear far.

The flip side is to realize that your enemy is trying to deceive you. If he sends you a strong indicator that he is not active, be prepared for him to move quickly. If he goes out of his way to give up his position, chances are he is waiting elsewhere in ambush.

Toker

Sun Tzu said, Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.

Do not give the opposition anything that can be used against you. Give the opposition the tools to ruin themselves. Control the situation by controlling what the opposition perceives.

Originally posted by sonshi
Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.

The best analogy I can get for this is a street fight. Act like your hurt when you are strong, and make your opponent regret his underestimation. I think that the passages are getting redundant and he is just trying to hammer the message of deception into the reader.