01.001 Warfare is a great matter to a nation...

[educatorart]

quote: "Warfare is a great matter to a nation; it is the ground of death and of life; it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined"

Sun Tzu stressed that war was the most important matter to a nation, not because he was a warmonger, but because it was the deciding factor between life and death, the path between survival and ruin, and thus the most extreme form of competitive adversity that required deep contemplation and deliberation for the sake of its entire avoidance.

Thus Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War in order to better understand the underlying dynamics of warfare in order for it to be avoided, in a similar way that a doctor studies the underlying dynamics of disease in order for sickness to be avoided. Sun Tzu had an acute awareness of "prevention is better than cure".

In applying The Art of War to the field of education, I find that many teachers wonder why a military classic is prescribed, when the role of educators should be to promote peace and not war, especially in our troubled times. However, in the same way that war was an important matter for Sun Tzu because it represented the difference between life and death, education is an important matter for the teacher because it is the difference between who gets a good education and a good start to life in order to help others make the world a better place, and who, sadly, does not.

Still, education is but one of the many competitive fields beyond the battlefield where following attrition-based and self-centered paths to overcoming challenges based on impulse without insight obstructs the potential of finding resolution for, and avoidance of, conflict. It applies to all walks of life, to all professions and to all endeavors because adversity is universal and must be examined and deliberated upon in the same way that Sun Tzu examined warfare to avoid it.

So the doctor examines disease, the businessperson examines economic recessions, the teacher examines obstacles to learning, and just about everybody examines competitive adversity in their lives in order to learn from it and avoid past mistakes in order to succeed.

The Art of War is effective because, in essence, it is all about common sense, but common sense is usually the first casualty when adversity strikes (because it is wiped out by the surge of fear and anxiety that is embedded in ignorance, through the lack of truly knowing the nature of the adversity, and the surprise of its sudden encounter, that comes from not having examined it beforehand). Therefore, Sun Tzu's words: "Warfare is a great matter to a nation; it is the ground of death and of life; it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined" makes a great deal of common sense.

[gecko]

Warfare is a great matter to a nation; it is the ground of death and of life; it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined.

Fortunately we have the luxury of hindsight, warfare throughout history and even today is most definitely a serious matter - the cost in terms of human lives, environment and property can be very high.

Originally Posted by sonshi

Warfare is a great matter to a nation; it is the ground of death and of life; it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined.

Life is all about managing conflict. Individuals need resources to live and flourish and often we need to negotiate/compete with other individuals for these resources.

We need our resources but we also need each other. How we get the resources we need now determines our relationship with others and thus has implication on how we'll be able to get the resources we need in the future.

So if we bully, use deciet, cheat, or steal to get what we need now. Those who have taken advantage of will make life for us difficualte in the future. However if we don't get what we need now, we may not have a future. Thuse conflict is the way of life and death, survival and destruction.

[Machiavillain]

Forgive me if something similar has been posted, i read the first few pages and scanned the rest.

I think Sun Tzu is trying to emphasize that, due to our nature and political/socio dynamics, we humans are competing creatures. Weather it be in a large scale "war" where men kill or are killed, or a business where resources or profits can be gained or lost, or even in a simple relationship where opportunity is gained and hardship is inflicted.

"War" is inevitable and natural, and like all natural things it must be studied as a science so that we may benefit, instead of ignoring it due to its vulgarity.

That is why i love Sun Tzu and strategy or conflict resolution, it is the philosophy of the practical, and it's real.

When i was a kid i was disappointed with my philosophy class, while the classics are necessary and provoke thought, i though for the most part it was banal and obvious. But When i picked up the Sun Tzu in my early 20s, i was astounded by its legitimacy.

And that is the essence of the AOW, cut through the fluff and talk about reality. And the sage commander addresses it in the first sentence.

[aus_shi]

For me the essence of sun tzu is to avoid conflict, (It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on) if this is not possible, the to get it done with as quickly asafp, (There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare) and with as little damage as possible. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.)

As Malcom Fraser, ex prime minister of Australia once said, life wasn't meant to be easy.

[Yin]

Life is a crucial matter of position. The coverage is life and death. A path to victory and defeat.

[Yin]

Originally Posted by aus_shi

For me the essence of sun tzu is to avoid conflict, (It is only one who is thoroughly acquainted with the evils of war that can thoroughly understand the profitable way of carrying it on) if this is not possible, the to get it done with as quickly asafp, (There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare) and with as little damage as possible. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.)

As Malcom Fraser, ex prime minister of Australia once said, life wasn't meant to be easy.

The essence of the aow is to embrace all sorts of conflict and skillfully subdue it rather than avoid it.. Conflict is an inevitable part of life the only way to avoid it is to sleep for eternity

[Yin]

Originally Posted by sonshi

Warfare is a great matter to a nation; it is the ground of death and of life; it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined.

life, war and in chess is a matter of life and death