Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, SunTzu 6: 3 "The Skillful Warrior stirs and is not stirred. He lures his enemy incoming or obstructs him from coming. Exhaust a fresh enemy; starve a well-fed enemy; unsettle a settled enemy."

If you listen to motivational speakers and self-help gurus very much, you can't help but blunder into the term "empowerment." I use that term a great deal also. In so much of our lives we aren't empowered. In so many relationships and situations, we are disempowered.

Today's verse is the cure. How do you take advantage of its empowering tonic? Hear Master Sun beating his drum of analysis, again and again. Boom, analyze. Boom, boom, analyze. The ultimate basis of Sun Tzu Class analysis is the identification of strengths and weaknesses.

Who disempowers you? In what circumstances are you most constrained and what is the source of the constraint? If you are weak, who or what is strong? In any such context, you must make a searching inventory of your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those outside you.

You must NOT stop there? What are your strengths? Where do you enjoy advantages that you're not employing? And what are the weaknesses present in those who constrain you, stealing your power, fencing you in, defeating your progress, limiting your proficiency and learning?

At the end of today's discussion, we'll review the Four Ancient Laws of Friendship. Right now, you must embrace the term "enemy." If you are disempowered, then you have an enemy. Maybe many. Maybe till now, worst of all yourself in your surrender. But you must say "enemy."

Analysis in hand, disempowering enemy(ies) identified, turn now to your cure. It begins with the dedication, or if you're not ready yet, the visualization of becoming the who stirs, forswearing the role of he who is stirred. My own rule for this is No Flinching, No Pouncing.

No matter the provocation, do not react. Maybe step out of the way. Maybe purchase time. Here a couple of tactics to illustrate. "I can see your point, and I hear your passion, and I respect that. I'm going to need some time to really think about what you're saying."

The principle to remember in real time is this. You own your own mind. No one can force you to agree. No one can force you to state your disagreement. You ALWAYS have the right to take your time to think. Being the one who is stirred, you give this right away. Do not be stirred.

Sometimes the battle is thick, and you can't buy a day or more's time, you must react in the present moment of verbal combat due to the nature of the encounter. Still, do not be stirred. Here's the real time tactic: "Please, give me a moment."

A respectful opponent will immediately comply, and grow silent, instantly, patiently waiting. Few opponents are so gracious. Many if not most will not hear you, will keep talking, making their points, pressing you to react, attempting to stir you. Do not let them.

Raising your voice, a little, "Excuse me, I said I need a moment."

If you're still not heard, "If you're not going to let me think about what you've said, then there's no point in continuing this discussion. Are you able to allow me a moment of silence to think or not?"

Somewhere in the rising intensity of your demand, something will happen. Whatever it is, you are now the one doing the stirring and are no longer being stirred. You have flipped the encounter and have taken the moral high ground. You always have the right to think, in silence.

You also enjoy the tactical advantage now. Safe within yourself, you have all the time you need to repair to your inner temple. You may engage further, or you may disengage for now. You may smile. You may frown. You may take the stage and speak. Your options are infinite.

I have never discovered a more empowering tool. It must, however, be combined with dedication to winning Master Sun's blessing. To that end, go again. You lure your enemy into coming, or obstruct him from coming at your will, in your time, by your decision, unstirred.

Here's a business example. "Hey, when can we get on calendar for a meeting, there's a lot to catch up on, and some fast-moving items to cover. Got any time tomorrow or the day after?" Or...

"Drats, I'm just not going to be able to make this week's meeting. Do you have any openings next week or the week after? Oh man, I forgot, I'm going be off next week, and insanely busy the week I get back. Can we look at your schedule for the first week of next month?"

I'm sure you can see that I could multiply examples, so happily. I LOVE what I call GOING TACTICAL! Here's a way to exhaust a fresh enemy. "Yeah, that sounds great in theory, but I have to say, I see some major pitfalls you don't seem to have addressed."

Here's a way to starve a well-fed army. "Aren't you tired of being number 2 in this industry? Our enemy gets most of their profits from this one key account. Let's turn all our capability to winning it away from them. And let's start poaching their best reps right now!"

To unsettle, at the end of a mind numbingly boring, standard meeting, going over all the same old, same old, you stir yourself. You stand up and take visual command of the room. Everyone wakes up a bit and grow a little nervous as you hold the silence a bit too long for comfort.

"Forgive me everybody, I can't hold it in any longer. We can do better. Hell, we can do SO MUCH better than we are. Doesn't anyone agree with me? What if we decided to raise the bar a bit higher? I know, I don't know exactly what I'd do different, but there has to be something."

As fabulous as tactics are, and THEY ARE! You always have to have a strategic plan. That's why Master Sun demands so much analysis. If you take my tactics, go off half-cocked and have no plan for victory, you'll just get yourself labeled a hot head, and that's not good.

Still, even then, it's far better to be a firebrand, with some heat emanating off of you, than an also-ran who'd never stir so much as an eyebrow raise from anyone, ever. But back to strategy. You must name your enemy, envision his defeat, and commit to your strategy.

In coming weeks and months, Master Sun will walk us through infinite strategies. We'll imbibe everyone. For today, though, please contemplate again the Four Ancient Law of Friendship. Once you own them, you will always have a route to stir, and not be stirred. Meditate on it.

The Four Ancient Law of Friendship

1)The Friend of my Friend is my Friend
2)The Enemy of my Friend is my Enemy
3)The Friend of my Enemy is my Enemy
4)The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

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

113 verses completed, 309 to go. And also, be sure to purchase John Minford's translation, here:

amazon.com/Art-War-Pengui…

The local MAGA leader’s library needs three other books. The first is by my great friend, hero, and today’s greatest constitutional scholar, @shestokas. His most important work so far is:

amazon.com/Creating-Decla…

The second is available free. It is the combined Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

uscis.gov/sites/default/…

Last is my own book. I'll give you the link here, and then conclude with its ten MAGA principles:

amazon.com/America-First-…

1. Remember The Forgotten Americans
2. Rule Of Law
3. American Jobs
4. Quality Of Life For Every American
5. Heal Our Cities
6. Build The Wall
7. Make America Wealthy Again
8. Make America Strong Again
9. Make America Safe Again
10. Make America Great Again

CORRECTION:

John Minford, SunTzu 6: 3 "The Skillful Warrior stirs and is not stirred. He lures his enemy into coming or obstructs him from coming. Exhaust a fresh enemy; starve a well-fed enemy; unsettle a settled enemy."