Today’s Just Be thought
This one is about war.
Now, why would anyone focused on contemplative thinking ever think about fighting? War, especially?
It should happen more than you’d think. People in groups act weirdly, and almost never to your advantage.
It’s important then, to consider calmly the possibilities that can happen when masses of people begin acting in ways that can surprise you.
This doesn’t mean to panic or worry that everything is crashing. Quite the opposite.
When you study the art of war – and it is an art – you can be more confident in dealing with surprises. You’ll learn how to influence others in ways that are beneficial to you and to them. You’ll understand how an ally is different from a friend.
You will learn to lead with grace and confidence in any given moment.
I’ve read and studied a text from ages ago called “The Art of War”. At first reading it seems to not have a lot of relevance in my daily life.
I mean, I don’t lead troops of horsemen to possible doom in weather and terrain conditions that could kill them and me on this spot.
But I have raised a family, and have guided each of you through scenarios that could devastate us if things had gone badly.
I’ve needed to understand when is the right time to call upon an ally and when to call upon a friend.
I needed a peace of mind and understanding of human behaviour in troubled times that comes from taking input from those who’ve fought actual battles.
Here’s a link to a site that I found tonight. It contains the translated text from the book I read. Next to the passages it explains in modern terms what is meant by the words. Ha, I could have used that years ago!
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/warfare/art_war/sun_tzu_annotated.htm