MEDITATIONS: SUN TZU’S THE ART OF WAR, CHAPTER FIVE

Energy

There is no virtue in merely trying hard. Effort is not in itself valuable and in fact can be harmful when misapplied. The truth is that energy spent—whether through bodily labor, expended resources, or even mental focus—is spent moving one in a direction. Which direction depends on the aim of the man; and which direction is correct depends on his time and vantage point.

That the impact of your army may be like a grindstone dashed against an egg—this is effected by the science of weak points and strong. . . .

The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along in its course.

The quality of a decision is like a well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.

Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. (Sun Tzu 50-1)

Whether an army, a state, a family, or an individual, the correct conception of energy is necessary to secure success. And what is the correct conception of energy? It is an economy of motion.

In a world of natural entropy over irreversible time and active enemy sabotage, it is imperative that each unit of energy spent produces the greatest yield reduced by the least resistance and that this assessment include the variable of time. One does not win a war in a single battle, nor does one win a war with a single maneuver. Goals are accomplished through practice and process. There are moments of passivity, moments of evasiveness, and then the decisive opportunities during which overwhelming progress can be achieved.

But to know when to act, when to wait, and when to avoid requires understanding oneself, one’s allies, one’s opponent, one’s environment, and one’s temporal circumstances. These conditions relate closely to the five constants factors:

These are: The Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, Method and Discipline. (15)

In regard to each factor, there is an economy of energy. The Moral Law—elsewise named the morale of one’s friends, family, or fellow citizens—is not something infinite or to be taken for granted. Eventually, after too much time in making a decision, or after too much time wasted in executing on said decision, even one’s closest companions will being to waiver. They will doubt, and in doubting, will not be capable of mustering as much courage and willpower.

The same can be said of oneself. One must know himself, his virtues, and his limitations. He must lean into his abilities and avoid his vices. In a fight, the skilled wrestler wins by turning combat into a wrestling match. Likewise, the boxer wins by keeping his opponent at punching distance and the untrained ruffian wins through exploiting greater numbers, unsuspected weapons, or the environment. Draw a parallel with the state: a wise ruler of productive, obedient people will reward their productivity and take advantage of it; meanwhile, a wise ruler of self-sufficient and disobedient people takes advantage of their prosperity by leaving them alone and allowing them to cultivate in accord with their natures.

Knowing one’s opponent is really no different than knowing the terrain, and this is really no different than knowing what factors Earth provides for exploitation. A taller, bigger man wants to fight a smaller man in a wide open space, whereas the smaller man wants the opposite, a cramped area with lots of obstacles to prevent a larger opponent from bringing his full power to bear. Even a family is like this. When certain family members have strengths and weaknesses, it is best to mold the environment to fit. If temptation toward gluttony is a household sin, one removes the culprit foods. If one parent over-indulges the children, it becomes the opposite parent’s duty to allocate proportions.

The clever combatant looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require too much from individuals. Hence his ability to pick out the right men and utilize combined energy.

When he utilizes combined energy, his fighting men become as it were like unto rolling logs or stones. For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, bit if round-shaped, to go rolling down.

Thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height. . . . (51)

In all of these case, each individual is seeking his most efficient position, where he will exhaust himself least and benefit most. The last two, “Heaven” and “Discipline” have to do with energy economy’s relationship to timing. The factor of Heaven regards those things outside one’s control. These are windows of opportunity in which energy can be spent effectively. Outside of these windows, efforts are inefficient at best and at the very least wasteful.

Consider the weather. Trying to grow a plant out of season will not only result in no plant, but time, hope, and sweat will have been lost as well. A potential something else was passed up for a futile endeavor. This is so often the case in life. One seeks his path too late or early, like a twitchy or hesitant general. The anticipation proves too much, and so he either attacks prematurely, before his men are in the correct position or after the enemy has covered his exposed his weak point—a fatal error, for victory is not attained by grasping:

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by our enemy himself. (40)

Another example wasted energy more applicable to the modern man is the pursuit of family—specifically of a wife and children. These are rewards of Heaven given to those who cultivate Disciple, and so when one aims for them at the wrong time, he spends his energy pursuing an end which he does not possess the means to attain or sustain. Disciple comes first, for it is the practice of constraining on what energy is spent. In other words, Method and Discipline is what allows one to invest energy for the future so that when the time is right, one can reach with the full length and strength of his arms.

Sun Tzu. The Art of War, translated by William Ridgeway, Sweetwater Press, 2008.