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

Attack By Stratagem

In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.

So, too, is it better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them.

Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

Thus the highest form of generalship is to balk the enemy’s plans (Sun Tzu 34)

Integration is always superior to suppression. To obliterate a threat requires an immense amount to time, attention, and energy. Likely, the victor will come away exhausted, scarred, maimed, and vulnerable to the next attack; whereas, he who turns his enemy’s strength into his own—or better yet, turns his enemies into his friends—stands an even better chance at surviving future obstacles and challenges which are inevitable.

This is the lesson of the archetype of the hero. The father, becoming senile, turns into a blind tyrant able only to grasp and squeeze harder for fear of loosing everything. This ultimately leads to a lack of adaptability. The circumstances change, and the tools and methods of the past don’t function as they once did. In these cases, it is the incorporation of a feared element by the son, the exploratory hero, which rejuvenates the vision of the father and restores proper order to a community, society, or state.

But this is easier said in mythology than done. Human ego, fear, or haste often drive one to seek victory for the pleasure of dominance in the moment. It is pleasurable and glorious to crush a problem or to place an opponent entirely under one’s power—in the short term. However, human beings live across the dimension of time. Eventually, exhaustion will set in while resentment by those defeated and fear by those yet conquered proliferates at the edges. Then, the once-victor shall tumble and fall at the vengeful hands which shall crush him as he did them.

This is true even within the individual. The complete suppression of aspects of the self which are undesired by the ego results in those instincts and drives lashing out and taking over. In this way, a man is like a kingdom in himself. He cannot live forever fighting direct conflicts with himself. He must instead take away the will and ability to rebel from his instincts—or, for a state, from its enemies.

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

He will win whose army is animated be the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign. (36)

Again we see Sun Tzu’s wisdom applying literally to military affairs, but also to matters of state, matters of interpersonal conflict, and internal conflict as well.

There is a time and a place for all things. This is the true meaning of the word, “appropriate,” or proper. It is that which applies to its circumstance to facilitate the fulfilment of a particular telos—function or purpose. Likewise, the significance of the enemy or obstacle presents circumstantial constraints on what ought and ought not be done. For instance, it is easy to fret about big problems which can only be completed later once preparations are made, but fretting in such a way prevents those necessary preparations from being made. Furthermore, such worrying gets in the way of other, smaller issues being solved. Better is it to know what are the proper tasks for today or even the hour. Better still is it to know how to approach problems big and small. Just because an issue is insignificant now does not mean it won’t grow to gargantuan size if left untended. Small problems ought not to be underestimated, nor should one procrastinate completing them. Big problems should be tackled when they can be, but not before, or else one is rushing in to be surrounded by a larger opposing army.

One’s state, army, community, family, and self should be integrated by a single highest aim. That which is valued most is what people orient themselves toward; thus, when working in cooperative endeavors, if everyone does not have the same objective, there is sure to be conflict. This is true even within an individual. If one’s desires, drives, and instincts run counter to the ego and in different directions, he will be like an army divided, easily surrounded and captured by the opponent piece by piece.

Instead of being disintegrated, one should focus on integrating himself. A state should first see to its own cultural strength and pride and values before thinking about engaging in external conflicts. Unified in mind, body and spirit, the whole of a person or peoples can join their powers together to accomplish great things. In a conflict with others, therefore, it is best to wait until oneself and one’s peoples are unified and in harmony while the enemy is busy fighting itself, culturally discordant, disintegrated.

And all of this can only be accomplished if the one responsible for his particular decisions is both capable and allowed to take responsibility himself. The great general whose post is de facto robbed from him be a nosy emperor can’t bring his abilities to bear. Likewise, a skilled athlete or artist under the thumb of a poor coach or patron can’t show his greatness. And one can go further, for even a talented individual can’t make those talents manifest unless his ego is willing to let go of control—to let go of its fear: thus does Sun Tzu wisdom wind back into capture and integration of opposing elements into a unified front.

Hence the saying: 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. (36)

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