War does not change.
Its venue changes.
Its weapons change.
Its players.
But the goal remains.
War does not change because people do not change.
Excerpts
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This is wisdom: when the computer consistently beats you at playing chess, don’t try to be a better player of chess. Change the rules. Better yet, play a different game altogether. In other words, cheat. And then don’t tell the computer. Because that is the essence of what a computer is—rules. It can only continue to get better at playing chess and nothing else. It can’t comprehend anything other than chess. That is why it is incapable of knowing why it no longer wins.
Mind over matter. What is the body without the mind but a lump of clay? The clay does not perceive its form. But it is the potter who sees the vase before it exists, and thus, makes it so. It is the mind of the potter that commands the hand which shapes the clay.
Rabbit runs blindly into the trap, induces the wolf to chase.
Turtle meditates upon these things; and taking but a single step, wins the greater race.
A crisis does not build character
Crisis reveals character
This is wisdom: The only difference between a flower and a weed is your perception.
A stone in the hand
In the sun, optimism
In the palm, pessimism
Sinks in the reality of water.
Power
Do not mistake currency for wealth.
Do not mistake brutality for power.
Do not mistake station for leverage.
Do not mistake status for dignity.
A politician who confuses "power" and "authority" soon finds out that he cannot build a wall by himself no matter how much he tells others to build it for him.
A politician who confuses "power" and "authority" is like a child who tries to grab the ocean and hold it in their fist—the tighter they squeeze, the more tenuous the grasp.
There is more power in an infant's hungry cry than in the loudest dictator.
There is more energy in a hurricane's raindrops than in an atom bomb.
The dishonest farmer who plants tares in neighbors' fields in order to gain the better profit will soon find that weeds spread easily.
This is wisdom: those in the highest positions of authority are those most controlled by their fear of losing it. Thus the wisest person knows how to topple empires.
A political ally is a friendly face with a hidden dagger.
A rainstorm cannot be stopped with a sword or gun.
A mountaineer never conquers the mountain.
The mountain allows the mountaineer to live.
The best chance to subvert a strong liberal government is to make its subjects believe in populist democracy.
Thus the wisest knows how to turn civil rights from a shelter for the disenfranchised into a weapon of war.
Strength in numbers is useless on lemmings.
Democracy's most effective power is to turn one dictator into a million.
Machiavelli is useless when there is more than one Prince.
Nietzsche is dumb when every person is Superman.
Revolutions
A farmer cannot unplow a field.
Anarchy is the form of government with the most predictable outcome.
Fishermen's Revolt
Fishermen
Captain orders all far out at sea
Typhoon winds rage and rend
Survivors no longer want to fish.
Fishermen
Fighting wind and wave, a hail of bullets
Reaching the shore, tear up boats, rend nets.
Tired of water, throws away the cup.
Fishermen
Find plowshares hard work
Find no trading market, no fish soup
Find thirst in the hot sun
Fishermen
Build new boats
Weave new nets
Make new cups
And following a new Captain, fishermen travel out to sea once more.
———
The first day after disaster, the people pull together
The third day after disaster, the people tolerate
The fifth day after disaster, the people grumble
And on the seventh day, god rests — this is the time for opportunity
Patriotism
A true soldier performs the greatest duty not when the uniform is worn, but when it is no longer worn.
A true soldier never fights.
A true soldier looks ahead to prevent that the fight even begins.
A soldier who ever finds war inevitable has already lost.
The unarmed person who stares down an enemy displays more bravery than the man armed with an assault rifle.
A true patriot improves the lives of his or her fellows without glory, lest by prideful gloating undoes the work.
This is wisdom: The nationalist who flamboyantly displays pride in his or her country with the loudest voice is most likely to betray it. Thus the wisest person knows how to subvert governments.
Speaking up without reflection is a tactic used by those who have nothing to say.
One does not starve the tiger by feeding the bear.
The Parable of the Zealot
Do not fear the zealot of your enemy. Meditate upon these observations, and see how to use these people to your advantage.
You will know the Zealot by their battle cry: "He who does nothing is worse than the enemy!" and "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality" and "If you aren't with us, you are against us".
These kinds of people, no matter their professed politics, do not actually do well with democracy and diversity. They dwell on the false dichotomy of "us verses them". This polarity benefits them and energizes their recruits. Binaries are easy. They don't require much thought. The zealot will encourage their audience to "just have faith", which is passive and relies on the zealot to be their prophet.
Democracy is messy. So is diversity. Actually engaging in them takes work and open-mindedness. They are complex and difficult. To zealots, the enemy is not really an enemy, but a tool used to control their base recruits—whether they are aware of that consciously or subconsciously. When a march of radicals brings out the counter-protester to incite violence, both the radical and the counter-radical are only entrenching their kind, not changing minds. And, as stated elsewhere in the Book, is where our opportunity to control our opponents lies.
So, likewise, do not become yourself a demonstrative, vocal zealot waving the flag that supports your ideals as an opposition to your enemy. Such a tactic is only good for using two opposing forces to achieve the obtuse objective of which neither should be conscious. It is better to
control zealots than be the zealot yourself. That way, you can stay in the shadows and wield the actual power.
By all means, encourage your opponents to believe that it is easier to do nothing, particularly when it disrupts their lives and makes it more difficult and inconvenient—when it threatens their jobs, food, clothing or shelter, peace, security, etc. Alternatively, make your opponents believe that there is nothing they can do; that they are powerless.
Encourage your opponents towards passivity by invoking faith, hope, and charity. Encourage pseudo-activism among the patriotic and the eager-to-please by soliciting information on the nonconformists, vigilance and surveillance against the creative disruptors, separation of the agitators, and violence against the marginalized. Remember that your true opponents are creativity, diversity, critical-thinking, collaboration, and communication.
Herd your opponents or tool-followers towards simplistic, limited, single solutions. Guide them towards authority, and you will reinforce authoritarianism. Reserve true action to your own authority and those who are completely loyal to your common goal. Dualism is much easier to control than a thousand communities, each with their own healthy agency.
This is wisdom: The louder a speaker shouts about their "truth" the more they are in need of being convinced of their own words and ideas. Thus the wisest person knows how to topple intellectuals.
Knowledge
Those who have all the answers are simply controlling all of the questions.
This is wisdom: Passion travels further, faster and deeper than reason.
Thus the wisest knows how to control speech/media/facts.
Data is the wind of ten billion butterfly wings.
The mind is a ship in its hurricane.
The best ships founder with an unskilled crew.
The best crews cannot outrun the gale with a pitiful ship.
Just because it is obvious doesn't mean that it is not hidden.
Just because it is known doesn't mean that it has no secrets.
This is wisdom: The scientist who abandons wonder and uncertainty for facts and laws is no longer a scientist.
Thus the wisest person knows how to do the impossible.
Only the illogical can find
Hidden flaws in a straight logic line
Only erratics recognize
Errors and faults in such a perfect disguise.
Put no trust in the one who says "I believe",
for their knowledge is passive without questioning.
Put no trust in the one who says "I know",
for their knowledge is arrogance without questioning.
Instead,
Put trust in the one who says, "I think", even if they have no answer,
for their knowledge is active and can find creative solutions.
Dismiss not the generalist who sees all of the connections and can be more valuable than the specialist who knows only one.
Dismiss not the one who arrives independently at a solution oblivious to the fact that the same solution had already been found previously by another. Their only fault is timing.
Meditate upon this: History is a weapon. It is sword. But it is also shield.
Mathematics
draws no breath, has no voice;
does not bleed, leaves no cut;
without color, casts no shadow;
counts, never counted;
describes, lacks its own form;
law-bound, enforces nothing;
lacks warmth, lacks coolness;
pure abstraction, untouchable;
Ultimately, the opposite of reality.
Educational Systems
Do not confuse
knowledge with
education.
The intelligent one who is allowed freedom to question and explore
Who is allowed to seek colleagues and collaborators on their own
Will gain the power of knowing the facts for themselves
Unchecked, since no one can monitor thoughts.
Such a person is dangerous.
Instead, bring the intelligent child into an educational system
Pick their mentors and teachers for them
Lay out their requirements, prerequisites, and curricula
Their peers will become their constant eyes,
Grades, ranks, and tests will cap their power
Such a person will become your greatest, staunchest defender of your "truth".
The best way to keep an educated population from questioning authority is not the imposition of ignorance,
but indoctrination and entrenchment through even higher education.
A little education opens the door to questioning of authority.
A lot of education entrenches a defense of the status quo.
A mountain does not care how much faith you have
It will move into the sea on its own accord.
Viruses don't vote.
To seek to "save" something, be it planet, nation or soul
Is merely arrogance dressed up in the disguise of humble self sacrifice.
This is wisdom: The more pious the devout, the more likely they worship a different god.
Thus the wisest person knows how to topple religions.
At the center of the statement, "I be
lieve" hides a lie.
Humor can be used in two ways. By using a joke and saying "I was just kidding" it can be used to cover lies. But beware of those who use humor to reveal truth and human nature. Satire on the side of the oppressed liberates, but satire on the side of the privileged is harassment.
A good criminal knows every detail of the law and follows it. The best criminals make the law.
A good thief takes what will not be missed. The best thief is freely given what they desire.
A good assassin will make sure their success is never discovered. The better assassin watches their target commit suicide. The best assassin convinces their target to willingly sacrifice themselves for a cause.
A good liar uses facts and truth. The best liar uses their audience to fabricate belief.
A good opportunist seeks hidden potential. The better opportunist seeks chaotic mess. The best opportunist turns stability into opportunity.
This is wisdom: Sow discord. Plant criticism. Fertilize complaint. Thus the wisest person will gain the most benefit out of society and never have to work again.
The poor and uncivilized will survive when everything has been taken and civilization collapses.
The meek inherit the earth because the bold make more rewarding targets.
To underestimate the weak is the real weakness. To overestimate the strong is foolishness on borrowed time.
A sign that says "Keep Out" makes the thief wonder what is so valuable.
To tell the enemy that you have a gun is to immediately reveal how you can be defeated.
The best way to avoid robbery is to have nothing of value that can be taken.
A conspiracy theory is a horror fantasy story people tell one another when the obvious and often mundane truth is far too frightening for them to accept.
It is said that "You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar."
But shit seems to work just as well, especially if you really want the flies.
A weed, deprived of direct sunlight, will twist and turn against its own nature to seek what it lacks.
This is why the most rational of men can be swayed to conspiracy,
which offers passion in an otherwise cold existence.
This is the most important wisdom: Wisdom itself is a container; its own system to be toppled.
Thus the wisest person of all knows when not to drink from their own vessel and thus masters all.
This is very clever. It’s got a subtle push towards anarchy, and uses truisms and quotes that are pulled from the original work and refitted for a modern age. Well done!
Thank you. Interestingly enough, I've never read the original Sun Tzu. I just know a taste of the practical philosophers of ancient Far East and attempts to evoke that style. It is a work in progress, and your comment about "subtle anarchy" gives me a thought. ;) Again, thank you.
Hey, no prob! IIRC, the Chinese adopted Confucian doctrine to the letter for a very long time, and Tsun Zu's work was incorporated in a similar manner. It's worth a read, if you have the chance.