Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 4:4 "Hence the saying 'one can know victory and yet not achieve it.'"

I hate this verse. Can you say 'story of my life?' I always know victory. But, oh, oh, how often have I not achieved it. Once would be too many times. But me, thousands and thousands. I hate this verse.

Hence? That means we have to review the previous verse. We can achieve our own invulnerability, but cannot bring about our enemy's vulnerability. We can balance ourselves, but cannot imbalance our enemy. We have to wait for our enemy to imbalance himself.

So, how do you know victory, but not achieve it? Easy in concept. You fail to make yourself invulnerable. You fail to secure yourself, to be balanced. You fail to wait. You attack too soon, or too late. Or worse, you don't attack at all. A dedicated enemy must be attacked.

Let's go back further to verse 4:2. Invulnerability is your own thing, vulnerability belongs to the enemy. Do you buy that? Can you truly be invulnerable? Are you absolutely certain your enemy will become vulnerable, sooner or later? I do. I buy both sides of the equation.

Remember, when attacking, you will be vulnerable, and so will your enemy. Remember, if you naturally strike from high right to low left, you're most vulnerable at high left. Try to picture that. If you're able to ward off an attack to your own high left, where will you strike?

Slowly, so slowly, visualize. You're right handed. You raise your sword up, high. You strike down. What are your striking at? Your enemy's greatest weakness, his own high left. Picture it clearly, carefully, slowly. When I can, I'll shoot a video for you, so you can see it.

The tradition I study is German Longsword. It counsels the opposite of Master Sun. My tradition wants me to attack first, and then follow with a second, continuously, until you make a mistake and then I kill you. It is very intense, and it works. It's good.

There is a trick. As I enter in, as I step forward, you will demonstrate an opening. That is, there will be a place where, if I attack, you will have to defend. The moment I get you to do that, you will demonstrate another opening. If I then, second, attack your second opening...

It's fun to learn the German terms for timing in all this. Vor, Indes und Nach. Indes means during, or while it's all happening. Vor means before. Nach means after. If I follow my tradition's advice, I get in the first strike, the vorschlag. Then, you're in the nach, the after.

I can assure you that if I get you into the nach, follow your openings, and continuously attack, your openings will get wider and wider. Not good for you. Sooner or later, instead of moving your sword around, which is great fun, I will actually hit you, yourself.

It all has an assumptive start, though. I have to know how to stand, I must have a solid stance. I must know how to enter, and not give up my balance when I do. Do you see? My tradition and Master Sun's counsel are in perfect accord. Before I attack, I must be invulnerable.

By the way, if you want to work on your stance, it's really easy. Center yourself on your feet. Drop down a bit, knees flexible, waist flexible. Now, just have a friend push you here and there. Your body will automatically move, as little as possible. That's stance.

Also, if you don't fall down when your friend pushes you, or even move your feet, then force your friend to push harder until you do. You can't know balance if you don't feel, and know imbalance. The more times you do this, the mightier your stance will become.

One more drill. After your friend pushes and shoves you all over the place, while you're just standing there, be bold. Tell your friend you're going to take a step forward, and have him shove you the very moment you lift up your foot. I guarantee you'll fall down!

And that means you'll start learning how to fall down. You'll learn to roll around and limit the floor's power to hurt you. You'll learn how to get back up again. Your heart will pound, too. It's amazing exercise. And then, your body will start to learn how to not fall.

When you can get hit while in motion, and not fall, you're becoming invulnerable.

Please contemplate that. Invulnerability is what you want. And Master Sun teaches us that we can gain it for ourselves, but never cause it in our enemy. But that's okay. We can have it ourselves.

If you haven't done so recently, please read or re-read the Declaration of Independence. Its beating heart is the three rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights inhere within your body, as a living creature. They do NOT come from society.

Whenever anyone attacks your life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness, they are attempting to breach your rights, but you don't have to let them. Even if they're pointing a gun at you, even if you must surrender your liberty to keep your life, it's okay.

Nothing can take your rights from you. Yes, they can be breached. No, they cannot be taken. Your rights inhere within you, that's what makes them rights. Someone can kill you. That does not remove your right to life. Rights inhere. They are invulnerable.

The way to know victory yet not achieve it is to forget your rights, to abandon your invulnerability, or to attack others when they are invulnerable, not waiting for their openings. Secure within yourself, you cannot be defeated. This is #MAGA.

Okay, so maybe I don't actually hate this verse so much. Go figure.

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

64 verses completed, 358 to go. And also, be sure to purchase John Minford's translation, here:

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