Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 4: 21 “The victorious army is victorious first and seeks battle later; the defeated army does battle first and seeks victory later.”

If I were a student in this class, there'd be no way I hadn't read the entire chapter already. Well, I'd have read the entire book, of course. I really did do that, too, when I was in college. After buying my textbooks, which I hated, I would go to the library, which I loved.

The greatest trick I ever learned was to read the primary sources for any class. If you're in college now, give it a try. It may well be the difference between a B and an A. Seriously. I'd check out 5 primary sources and I'd always end up finding one that was my favorite.

How would I discover it? I didn't think about that when I was a student. But, in the decades since, the question has intrigued me, greatly. I finally cracked the code. Basically, each chapter is the best chapter, while I'm reading it, until the next chapter which is even better.

I never intended to focus on ancient Chinese wisdom texts, it was never a purposeful decision. In fact, it was Japan that interested me as far as Eastern thinking went. I read Shogun, by James Clavell, when I was 19, and it hit me harder than I can explain.

I was 27 when I first read Master Sun's book (in the Giles translation), and somehow, I knew I'd be studying it for many years, but my young mind wasn't ready, yet. I think I read Sawyer's translation when I was about 32, and it hit me harder than Giles' had.

By the way, if you're a James Clavell fan, like me, his edition of the Giles' translation is a must-have for your Sun Tzu library. Check it out!

amazon.com/Art-War-Sun-Tz…

It was 1994 when I first directly applied Master Sun's guidance for one of my coaching clients. My focus in that moment was the first verse of chapter 5, and we'll talk about that when we get there. Ah! But the verse that has always broken my brain the best is today's, 4:21.

As a boy, I detested homework. I detested everything my teachers wanted me to do. I detested their power, although I had no way of understanding that back then. I rejected homework. And I made terrible grades in school. Yet I loved reading. I loved thinking.

When I first read today's verse in 1987, I had no clear idea that I was doing homework. Of course, I was. But, my relationship to study, preparation, planning, etc., had not clarified itself. I didn't realize, yet, that I am he who plans. I show up at the temple and calculate.

Why the personal history? I really do think that today's verse is actually my favorite, the single most important verse of all 422. Something snapped in my soul when I first read this verse, but I didn't know what it was. Years later, I started to figure it out.

Stick tight now. A general meditates. Have I won already, he asks? No? Do NOT go to battle. Yes? Okay then, deploy the troops. Bit by little bit, I started to ask myself, why did you fail to win? Ah! You didn't win BEFORE you arrived on the battlefield. You hoped.

As the father of an Autistic boy, I was trained. Hope is the enemy. Here's a cure. There's a cure. Everywhere there is a cure. No. Your son is Autistic. Really. You must accept this. Even if there were a cure - there isn't, not yet - it would still not win your boy his life.

But my son does NOT need to win his life. He has it, as he is. I must stop hoping for magic, I learned. Hope. It can be the worst thing there is. Rather, accept. See your son for the miraculous human he is, as he is. Stop hoping. Start loving. Actually, loving him as he is.

The victorious army shows up having won already. This is no mystical, magical thinking. 500 against 5, the victorious army shows up. 5 against 500, slip away in the dark of night, the guerilla 5 escape. Choose your battles. Know your victory before you start. Or, don't start.

What are we really discussing? Decision. It is a decision to commence battle. If you haven't won already, don't commence. Commence ONLY AFTER you have already won. Thousands upon thousands of times, I have analyzed this decision. Shall I support my client's decision? Yes or no?

Victorious first, seek battle. Not so? Do NOT seek battle. Decision. But wait! What is victory? Holy Toledo in the Midwest. If you haven't so much as envision victory, you have NO basis for your decision. Victory. Vision of victory. Master Sun demands it. Oh my.

As a lifelong student I attest the following to you. You will NEVER find a more important lesson. Master Sun will give us much more wisdom in passages to come. NONE of it will be more important than this. Victory is already determined by the time battle commences. Holy cow.

Already won? Show up. Already defeated? Do NOT show up. Choose your battles. Everyone knows that! What I didn't know, and maybe you didn't either, is that you have already won or lost before you show up. Imagine that. That imagining is the entire point of this book.

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

81 verses completed, 341 to go. And also, be sure to purchase John Minford's translation, here:

amazon.com/Art-War-Pengui…