Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 6: 14 "If I do not wish to engage, I can hold my ground with nothing more than a line drawn around it. The enemy cannot engage me in combat: I distract him in a different direction."

It's not finished, as it needs - desperately - to be severely edited. But I have written a book on Master Euclid. He's younger than Master Sun by a couple hundred years, but roughly from the same era. Master Pythagoras was a contemporary of Master Sun.

I don't quite know, exactly, how to place Master Sun as an influence in my life. I've enjoyed the teachings of four other Great Masters, each rising to the position of Greatest Influence in turn. Here they are:

1) Freud
2) Nietzsche
3) Descartes
4) Euclid

My personal Freudian Era commenced in 1980, first term as a Sophomore at San Jose State University, during my Psych 101 course. Father Freud reigned absolute until around 1994, or so. As Master Sun showed up in 1987, he arrived smack in the middle of my Freudian Era.

I don't know if Master Euclid and Master Sun like each other or not. Respect, of course and to be sure. But like? I rather guess not. I suspect Master Sun deems me prejudiced, as a fellow Greek with Master Euclid, but admits, non-hypocritically, that he is a proud Chinaman.

Fellow Greek? Yes. The Scopelliti are those who, during the era of Magna Grecia, left the island of Skopelos. If you like ABBA, and the movie Mama Mia, you can see our island featured. Check it out: Skopelos. It is the Greek Island my family emigrated from 2,500 years ago.

Where'd we head? Calabria. Yep. That's where Master Pythagoras did his work and created his commune. And again when? Yep. About the same time Master Sun was doing his best work. Small world, eh? I've heard there's a village in Calabria that still speaks ancient Greek.

Okay, I confess, I am digression's child. Still, this all connects and here's how! How do you draw a line? Master Euclid gives us his method, and oh, don't let me get going. He is, after all, my current greatest influence. Well, so also does Master Sun. Here it is, today's verse.

Here's a little story, stolen from one of the 11 Great Commentators on Sun Tzu. A general discovered his 100 cavalry men were surrounded by 10,000 enemies. He orders release of all horses, and his men lay down, as if in ambush. The surrounding army leaves. A line was drawn.

Can you see the horses ranging free? Can you see the warriors laying low? Can you see the approaching general's line of view? Can you see the line laying out where the 100 cavalrymen are laying down? Can you see the fake ambush?

Now that is drawing a line.

Alas. My favorite joke in the entire world is this. A rich Italian is driving his Maserati in the Apennines. He rounds a corner, and a poor Polishman, driving a VW Bug is headed straight towards him. They crash. The Maserati is totaled. The Bug, unscratched.

The Italian, unscathed, exits his wrecked chariot, and in his rage, pulls the Polishman from his Bug. Although they don't speak the same language, the Polishman understands as the Italian draws a circle, stands the Polishman in it, and indicates not to leave.

Giovanni returns to his wrecked car, miraculously pulls out a sledgehammer, and staring at Ivan, begins to pound away on the VW. Having smashed headlights and made a few dents, Giovanni turns, only to see Ivan chortling. Enraged even further, he returns to work of smashing.

Windows and mirrors now destroyed; Giovanni turns again, only to see Ivan bending over in uncontrolled spasms of laughter. Head exploding, Giovanni continues pulverizing everything he can, only to discover Ivan almost on the ground with fits of laughter. Not able to stand it...

He approaches Ivan, who, in pigeon Italian splutters out, "I've been jumping in and out of this circle every time you turned your back!"

If you're not laughing right now, our friendship may be at risk. I love Ivan. Ivan understands the meaning of a line.

A line is a decision. A decision executed in the real world. You draw a line to express where you stand. What side are you on? Master Sun teaches us that, in combat, with proper strategy, nothing more than a line is needed to defend against even the greatest enemy.

Personally, as Master Euclid's student, I know how to draw lines. I do so in analysis. I do so in my everyday life. I do so in my political activism. I am a @realDonaldTrump man. I support him completely, no holds barred, I'm on his side, 100%. That's my line.

I am a #MAGA man. I have 10 spokes, leading to the hub of my wheel. Each is a straight line. Each is a line I have fought over, and will again, and again, until we truly and completely make America great again by these 10 lines.

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

What's your line? What's your line of work? Where do you stand? Whose side are you on? What's your team? Will you dare me to step over your line? If I do, what then? Do you throw a good punch? How do you protect your line? What will you allow; what disallow? What will you do?

124 verses completed, 298 to go.

To return to previous sections in our #WarForAmerica2020 and #SunTzuForMAGA series, don't forget to head over to @WarForAmerica21. You'll find the digital table of contents for this series, there.