Conflict

 “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” ― Oscar Wilde

Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” is often applied to many areas of life beyond the military, including business, sports, relationships, and leadership. Many of the principles outlined in the book, such as the importance of strategy, adaptability, and understanding your opponent, can be applied to everyday life. For example, the concept of “knowing your enemy” can be translated into understanding the motivations and actions of others in personal or professional relationships. The idea of being adaptable and flexible in the face of changing circumstances can also be applied to many situations in everyday life. Ultimately, the principles outlined in “The Art of War” can provide valuable insights and guidance for navigating challenges and achieving success in many areas of life.

Here are some examples of how Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” can be applied to everyday life: 

1. Conflict resolution: avoid conflict whenever possible and seeking to resolve disputes through diplomacy and negotiation. This principle can be applied to personal relationships, as well as in the workplace or community and can be applied to relationships by seeking to address issues before they escalate into conflicts and working towards mutually beneficial solutions.
2. Decision making:  careful planning and consideration before acting. This principle can be applied to decision making in everyday life, by taking the time to gather information, consider options, and make informed choices. Know yourself, know your adversary.
3. Adaptability: being able to adapt to changing circumstances and respond to new challenges. This principle can be applied to everyday life by being open to new experiences, learning from mistakes, and being willing to change course when necessary and can be applied to relationships by being open to change, willing to compromise, and able to adjust one’s behavior in response to the needs of others.
4. Leadership: several key qualities of effective leaders, including wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness. These principles can be applied to leadership roles in everyday life, whether in the workplace, community organizations, or personal relationships.
5. Self-discipline:  importance of self-discipline and self-control in achieving success. This principle can be applied to everyday life by setting goals, developing good habits, and practicing self-control in the face of temptation or adversity. This principle can be applied to relationships by practicing self-control in the face of strong emotions, setting boundaries, and taking responsibility for one’s actions.
6. Understanding others: understanding your opponent to anticipate their actions and respond effectively. This principle can be applied to relationships by taking the time to understand the motivations, needs, and desires of others, and using this understanding to build stronger connections.
7. Effective communication: importance of clear and effective communication in achieving success. This principle can be applied to relationships by practicing active listening, expressing oneself clearly and honestly, and seeking to resolve conflicts through open and respectful dialogue.  

Source: Adapted from Bing

 The Art of War by Sun Tzu (suntzusaid.com)  for detail and a summary below: 

Sun Tzu said:  The art of war is of vital importance to the State. 

It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. 

Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. 

Five Constant Factors 

1)    The Moral Law people to be in complete accord with their ruler; 

2)    Heaven night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

3)    Earth; distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and 

narrow passes; the chances of life and death. 

4)    The Commander virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness. 

5)    Method and discipline maintenance of roads by which supplies.  

 Comparison: 

1)    Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law?

2)    Which of the two generals has most ability?

3)    With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven & Earth?

    (4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced?

    (5) Which army is stronger?

    (6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained?

    (7) In which army is there the greater constancy in both in reward and punishment?

 All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, 

we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away;

when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy.  

Feign disorder and crush him.  

If he is in superior strength, evade him.  

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him.  

Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. 

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. 

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. 

The skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; 

he captures their cities without laying siege to them; 

he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. 

5 essentials for victory: 

1. knows when to fight and when not to fight.

2. How to handle both superior and inferior forces. 

3. Army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

4. Prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

5. military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

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. 

Put beyond the possibility of defeat, and then wait for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength, attacking, a superabundance of strength. 

A clever fighter is one who not only wins but excels in winning with ease. 

Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, 

unending as the flow of rivers and streams. 

The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy 

but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him. 

Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory, 

but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances.

Ponder and deliberate before you make a move. 

When you start a fire, be windward of it. 

Do not attack from the leeward.

It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, 

nor to oppose him when he comes downhill.

Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. 

After crossing a river, you should get far away from it. 

5 dangerous faults 

    (1) Recklessness, which leads to destruction.

    (2) cowardice, which leads to capture.

    (3) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults.

    (4) a delicacy of honor which is sensitive to shame.

    (5) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him

        to worry and trouble. 

6 several calamities, from faults for which the general is responsible. 

    (1) Flight (2) insubordination (3) collapse (4) ruin (5) disorganization (6) rout. 

On desperate ground, I would proclaim to my soldiers the hopelessness of saving their lives. 

Foreknowledge allows the good general to strike and conquer and 

achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men. 

Peace proposals unaccompanied by a sworn covenant indicate a plot. 

There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare.

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