Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 6: 15 "His form is visible, but I am formless; I am concentrated, he is divided."

Who knew? Formed is bad. Formless is good.

Admit it, your brain does not work the Master Sun's brain does. If you don't read this verse, and the rest of Master Sun's counsel on topic, you would never ever have this thought.

Formed vs Formless? It's a brain breaker for sure.

There's a great deal more here, in this short statement. As Master Sun tells the enemy's form is visible, we may immediately derive this little layout:

Form = Visible
Formless = Invisible

Invisible is obviously superior to visible, right? So that begins to help!

There's more!

Form = Visible + Divided
Formless = Invisible + Concentrated

That's interesting. Very interesting. Still, just looking at the information in this verse, no matter how well broken down, I'm not able to crack its code, yet. What to do? CHEAT! Read ahead.

My linear Western minds has a rule. It says, "I must understand sentence one before I read sentence two. I must understand each idea, in ordered sequence, before I move onto the following idea, sequentially. 1, 2, 3; A, B, C and etcetera." So, for me, skipping ahead is cheating.

Actually, for many years, I thought I was somewhat impaired, intellectually. I felt that I had to read a book twice before I could even really understand it, and I imagined that everyone else was able to get it right the first time. I'm not dumb, but I honestly thought I was.

I was clearly wrong. I had no idea that the ability to read a book through, once, learning its basic layout, first, and then reading it a second time for deeper comprehension was an extraordinary study skill set. Now I know I'm special! Ha!

Here's why you want to learn to study the way I do. Some ideas require their consequent before they, themselves, make sense. Following this out. One of the most powerful ways we come to understand what the number one is, is by this simple statement: 1 + 1 = 2.

What is a one? It is that which when added to itself makes a two. What is a two? It is that which contains within itself the combination of two ones added. It's almost as if you can't even know what a one is, if you don't know what a two is. What's a three? Whoops! Skipped ahead.

Today's verse is precisely such an idea. What's more, it is absolutely pivotal to our endeavor. It is one of Master Sun's absolutely most fundamental concepts. Let me say it this dramatically. If you don't get this idea, you do not get Master Sun's counsel. It's pivotal.

The thing is, you can't get it. No, don't defend, I'm not attacking your intellect. This is just a one, and you need its two, three and four, etc., to follow BEFORE you can actually get it. So again, you have to cheat. You have to read ahead. Read ahead and then return.

How far ahead? This is a more powerful question than you might guess. I had no idea of the answer before my study and preparation this morning. What you'll require is the entire rest of chapter 6. We're on verse 15. There are 44 verses in all. 44 - 15 = 29. And that is a passage.

We have a long way to go before we arrive home, having studied all of Master Sun's counsel. I have no real idea what's ahead, no matter how many times I've read the book before. What I can tell you is at least this. There will not be too many passages more important.

So, allow me ask, seriously, do you think you have the study chops to read 29 verses all at once, and then return and reread verse 15? Please share. Comment. And there's a subgroup of you I have to speak to now. Bible readers. How many times have you read the book of Genesis?

Follow me out, here. You need Noah by which to understand Adam. You need Abraham by which to understand Noah. You need Jacob by which to understand Abraham and Joseph by which to understand Jacob. You can't read the book of Genesis just once. It won't work. Potato chips?

Who remembers Lays potato chips; you can't eat just one? Master Sun is cracking up right now, laughing his head off. Even he never thought of himself as a potato chip writer, but that is precisely what he is. 29 verses, each a potato chip. You'll surely be carbed up!

Believe in yourself. You too, like Master Sun, can master every concept he offers to teach you. No, you can't be linear. It won't be A, B, C; 1, 2, 3. You'll have to learn how to see the whole within the part, and not understand the part until you see the whole. So it goes.

Divided vs Concentrated? Formed, your enemy has to protect front, rear, left and right flanks equally. Formless and invisible, you concentrate your troops to attack wherever you see his weakest point. Yes, I read ahead. That's what we will soon learn.

125 verses completed, 297 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.