Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 6: 38 "Water shapes its current from the lie of the land. The warrior shapes his victory from the dynamic of the enemy."

Allow me to ask, can you imagine generating your own commentary? It might be of Master Sun's counsel, just like what I do here. Or, it could be any other source that begs commenting upon. It's not that difficult. You read. You ponder. You speak.

Most everyone knows, don't they, that in most cases the teacher learns more from the lesson than the student? Picture yourself teaching a course in Sun Tzu at your local community college (or any other topic). Picture your preparations for each lecture.

If you love your source, all you have to do is truly listen. Listen, ponder, respond. Let me show you right now. Master Sun teaches me, water shapes its current from the lie of the land. Current. A current of water. How small might that be? A rivulet flowing down a knoll?

Have you ever canoed down a river? Can you feel the force of the current? For a little while it's in the center. The lie of the land sets up a curve. Now the current is most powerful on the left. It bounces off the bank and next thing, it's most powerful on the right.

Who remembers Mark Twain's extraordinary book, Life On the Mississippi? He describes how river boat captains knew the currents of the Mississippi River around every curve and bend. Meditate. The currents take their shape from the lie of the land. I've always missed that before.

Can you feel the dynamic force of the water's flow? It's pushing this way. Oops, there's a bank. The bank is strong, the water is weak. So, the water's flow bounces off the bank's strength. It heads towards the center, where the lay of the land is lowest. Good for a while.

But soon, the other bank is mighty, the current weak, so it bounces off the opposite side. Rivers meander, back and forth, all dictated by the lie of the land. Earth commands water. Bowing, water flows around the Earth in its might and strength. It seeks the low, the weak.

Can you picture Sir Francis Drake? He is the river. Can you picture Queen Elizabeth? She is the Earth. He flows at her command. Like the river, the warrior shapes his victory from the movement indicated by the lie of the land, by the will of command.

If you've followed along, you know that the second debate in 2016 is one of my favorite moments, ever. Just one day before, HRC releases the Access Hollywood video. Everyone thinks @realDonaldTrump is done for. What does he do? He shapes his victory from the enemy's dynamic.

HRC reveals @realDonaldTrump's salacious sexual words. What does he do? He instantly invites Bill Clinton's sexual victims to sit front and center at the debate. Words vs actions. Now that's a warrior shaping his victory from the dynamic of his enemy. The current bends happily.

Allow me to express this lesson in my own terms. The enemy, if you listen, will always teach you how to win. If you watch carefully, you will see how the enemy leans to his strengths, dances around his weaknesses. What he dances around is precisely what you should attack.

In debating, few enemies have the honor to bow and recognize the strength of your point. Most often, they'll just disappear, and your only recognition is the silence of their failure to respond. If you watch the pattern, you'll soon learn your enemy's true weakness.

Respect. Respect and humility. If all you do is focus on your enemy's weaknesses, you will fool yourself into thinking victory will be easy. It won't. You must listen and respond, exactly as the current does to the banks, and find your enemy's strengths, not just his weaknesses.

Water shapes its current from the lie of the land. High is strong. Low is weak. Water flows away from the strong and towards the weak. This is war. It's a long verse, but we must review #SunTzu 1: 15. You need today's verse to unpack its extraordinary guidance. Here we go:

"The Way of War is a Way of Deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far appear near. Lure with bait. Strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him.

"If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected." He is both the banks of the river, and its lowlands, inviting the flow of your powerful current.

The socialists own our schools and teachers’ unions. They control higher education and its monetary flows. They are the riverbanks, yet, the provide the channel within which our current of truth and righteousness may flow. So also, in all of American culture.

That's the river that matters most to me, our children, our youth. But, you can pick any area and you'll find the same. The enemy shows his strengths and hides his weaknesses. His weaknesses are the path for your strengths. His strengths are the banks for you to bounce away from.

Let's conclude with just you, you yourself. There is no such thing as an enemy-free family. Those closest to you are the most powerful in their aid and support, in their opposition and enmity. Only a friend can betray you. Who are the real enemies in your closest inner circle?

Those closest friends and relatives who are actually enemies also offer banks and channels, strengths and weaknesses. You can take charge. In many cases you can heal wounds, converting enemies to friends, and win without fighting. Wow. Go figure!

But be it jealous, sell-out, fair weather friends, or evil family members, even spouses or children, let alone evil parents, all enemies have strengths and weaknesses, and there is no such thing as the undefeatable enemy. You are the current. Flow, and win.

148 verses completed, 274 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. Please retweet each entry you enjoy.