Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 2:16 "The fighting for booty stems from a desire for reward."

Quick, check your emotions. Do you feel a little shame? A little dirtiness? Forgive my language, but how about the phrase: cheap, easy slut? Push deeper. Have you ever been corrupt? I have. In fact, I learned corruption as an art form.

Yes, Officer, I know I was driving too fast, and I'm sorry. No, I don't want to go downtown tomorrow. Rather, if it were possible, could I take care of it right now, here? What's the fine? Oh, I'm afraid all I have is...

And that was me, getting corrupted by the Cancun police.

How did I learn? Why they taught me. "I can see you're an American, and have an American driver's license." Their English is beautiful. They all sound just like Antonio Banderas. Many of them look just like him. I hate them. I'm not that good looking!

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to confiscate your driver's license and you'll have to go downtown tomorrow to take care of the fine," Antonio explains. "But, if you wanted to take care of it right now, we could do that. Do you have any funds you could pay your fee with right now?"

The price is 200 pesos. $20. If I was a Mexican, the price would NEVER be more that 50 pesos. I didn't know that at first, but I soon learned. Corruption is a learned behavior, and I assure you, if you ever live in such a place, you too will learn. There is no not learning.

I always found it funny that I had to actually drive too fast before they pulled me over. There is a logic to corruption. Here's a law. You broke it. You pay. You pay me. I handle it for you. All good. Little smile. I like you. All good.

You can believe me when I tell you I learned how to NOT disobey the law. I never actually cared about the $20. It was the time, and the dirty feeling. I hate corruption, and I hate it nowhere more than in myself. Please know, I tried the "go downtown" route. 2,000 pesos.

Believe me, they know how to teach you to be corrupt.

The word "reward" has been corrupted. As if it were a bad thing. In war, you win your reward by winning the battle. Booty. Do you see it? It is clearly a type of corruption.

Obviously Master Sun knows this, at the deepest level of knowing. There is much corruption in war. And yet, there are ways to make reward NOT corrupt. We'll soon learn about them (hint, tomorrow). So we have to see that the desire for reward is corruptible, but also good.

In the Old Testament we're taught the following. You must not muzzle the ox that helps you harvest your crop. Your ox must eat, too. So also with soldiers. They desire rewards, naturally. All of us do. The answer is? Adam Smith. Capitalism. The customer's profit.

I'm not saying that this is Master Sun's point. He simply states that fighting for booty stems from the desire for reward. But I'm saying this. When the competition over who creates the greatest reward is what you fight for, you're good, you're not corrupt.

Perhaps the most important thing is this. Like wrath, desire for reward must be controlled. It's not a bad thing, as it is. But, if it controls you, you're going to die in battle. Why? Because your enemy can use it against you. He can trick you. Your desire is his power.

Master Sun wants you to be the winner. Your enemy's desire is your power. Allow him to seek satiation for his wrath. Allow him to seek reward for his desire. In this allowing you may lead him wherever you wish, like a bull with a ring in his nose.

To return to previous sections in our #WarForAmerica2020 and #SunTzuForMAGA series, don't forget to head over to @WarForAmerica21.

And also, be sure to purchase John Minford's translation, here:

amazon.com/Art-War-Pengui…

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