Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 3:8 "The skillful strategist defeats the enemy without doing battle, captures the city without laying siege, overthrows the enemy state without protracted war."

Skill. I could spend our entire session today discussing that one word. I have to honor my grandfather, no matter what. He emigrated from Italy, an illiterate peasant. He became one of the most skilled me in the history of railroads. Ask me and I'll tell you the full story.

My grandfather was not, by any means, a strategist. He'd be very proud of me if he still lived. I am. I defeat enemies without doing battle all the time. But I digress.

Why oh why do we fail to ask our generals if they're skillful strategists?

My wars are wars of business, of capitalism. I am, I brag again, a skillful strategist.

Follow me. In the movie the Godfather, if we listen to Sollozzo, we learn that blood is expensive. A good strategy, clearly, doesn't include the cost of blood.

Turning another direction, skillful? We're discussing standards? Quality? Excellence?

Oh yes!

If Master Sun is about anything, he's about excellence in leadership, and in the prosecution of war.

We turn again. There's nothing new here. Master Sun has already gone over all these points many times before. Hmm. Interesting. Why is he repeating himself?

BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT!

Winning is not about killing. It is not about destruction. It is about transformation. How do we parse this? It's both easy and simple. There are leaders, and there are followers. The followers outnumber the leaders by, let's guess, 100-to-1. 1 leader, 99 followers.

Winning means that the leaders serve the followers. Read the Declaration of Independence and you'll know my statement is true.

When a leader leads, strategically, he does not destroy. Not enemies. Not cities. Not enemy states. He wins without fighting.

One last avenue of attack. The great elite, those who make money off of guns and ammunition used in war. They love protracted war. Master Sun teaches us to NOT surrender to them. He teaches us to win, efficiently, effectively, rapidly.

Or to not fight.

Who knew that there were standards within warfare? Certainly not me. But that, that is, learning, is why I study Master Sun.

49 verses completed, 393 to go.

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

amazon.com/Art-War-Pengui…