Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 7: 9 "March ten miles for some gain, and the commander of the vanguard will fall; only half the men will arrive."

Yet another thing I adore about Master Sun's guidance is his use of simple math. Some credit has to be given our translator as well. There is no detail Minford has failed to attend to, and he has perfected translation of ancient Chinese units of measure, numbers and number usage.

Master Sun's real mastery is practical ratios. In yesterday's terrifying verse, he told us only one in ten would arrive at battlefield after their double time, forced march of thirty miles. And all for some gain, some elusive and illusory gain. 90% of our forces dead or lost.

Keep yesterday's numbers in mind, now:

* 30 Miles
* Double Speed
* All Commanders Lost
* 90% Force Lost

Today's numbers:

* 15 Miles
* Normal Speed
* Vanguard Lost
* 50% Force Lost

Please take your time, slowly working through the differences carefully.

Allow me a study discipline point. I imagine our translator how 100s and 100s of such worksheets he created in developing his translation. It looks easy, but it's hard work. Of course, far harder for him than for me, as I benefit from all he did. In any case, how about you?

Another time, I'll tell you the story of how I did not graduate from college and never won myself a degree. Right now, I share, an early epiphany came after I dropped out. Having no degree, I would never be able to think my studies were finished. I had to keep studying forever.

During my short time of political activism, there are three main bases of experience that have come together, all under the term "leadership." My coaching clients, fellow political activists, and military souls, most especially veterans. In each, I find study practices lacking.

In fact, to my eye, the commitment to lifelong study and self-improvement is one of the weakest elements of leadership practice in America, and even in the leadership literature. I ask again, who does such things as make worksheets, study worksheets out of Sun Tzu?

And with all honest respect to specialists and academicians, my real question is what active leaders in the field construct practical, real world applications taken from their deep and dedicated study? Here's a list:

1) Study
2) Application
3) Leadership
4) Execution
5) Study

There are plenty of exceptions by which to attempt to disprove my judgment. Most of them, I imagine, are on active duty in the military, and I don't see how hard the leaders work at just the steps listed above. There is clearly NO place in America where leadership is as strong.

One of the things I pride myself upon is the pledge to each of my clients that I will open up the world's library for them, so that they may study anything they desire, with no limits, always able to master any topic, any time. All my clients read and read some more. And apply.

Since I can see that Master Sun is getting bored now, I must return to his lesson. So, I'll make my comments on business leadership and study in general another time. Sorry Master. But for your own leadership, please dedicate yourself to a higher form of study and application.

Looking at yesterday's horrible story, I can see a surviving leader, the one who gave the order, in the After-Action Review session with Master Sun receiving the order for beheading. Inexcusable. In today's verse, I don't quite feel execution would be the result, but I'm a softy.

Well, Officer, at least you only marched half the miles, at half the speed of our recently departed ignoramus.

WHOOPS! I just found an error in my worksheet!! We show our work in this classroom. New worksheet to follow!!!

Verse 7: 8 Numbers:

* 30 Miles
* Double Speed
* All Commanders Lost
* 90% Force Lost

Verse 7: 9 Numbers:

* 15 Miles
* Normal Speed
* Commander of the Vanguard Lost
* 50% Force Lost

Amazing. I must admit. I can't feel the death of all the commanders from yesterday. All is too large a number for me to attach real emotion. But now that I discovered my worksheet error, today, I have just one commander lost, the commander of the vanguard, no less.

Who remembers Walt Whitman's poem, Oh Captain My Captain? We lost the leader of the vanguard of American history, who completed the union of our Constitution with our Declaration. All men are created equal. We lost our leader. Have we ever fully healed from that lost?

Who remembers what happened on November 22, 1963, Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX? I had to look it up. Everyone living back then remembers where they were. As I was three years old, I don't remember the exact moment. I do remember watching the funeral procession on TV.

But these leaders of our vanguard lost are NOT who Master Sun is referring to. I just had to root myself in what it means to lose the leader. No, the fictional story that captures today's verse best is the phenomenal movie The Last Samurai. I start to weep just thinking about it.

I'll give you no spoilers you can't already see for yourself from the name of film. I will tell you, no exaggeration, I wept for days after, and cannot think of it without tears to this moment. I did not weep over the honorably fallen for a proper cause under proper leadership.

No, I don't weep over the necessary sacrifices made, even the ultimate sacrifice. Rather, I weep over the terrible causes, unjustified, under terrible, dishonorable leadership, sacrificing men for gain, laziness or stupidity. Those are the unnecessarily lost warriors.

Today's verse is not about dishonor or evil causes. It is, however, about stupidity. And now, I can see that there are, as opposed to leaders lost, still half the men lost unnecessarily. I can't feel their loss in the same way. I too am a hero worshipper, watching the movie.

Yet every one of those lost created a sonless mother, a widow, orphans, and a community bereft of his contribution from the rest of his life. His life forfeited, each lost soldier buried far from home, his spirit stolen from the local repose of the ancestors.

Master Sun does not smile at me, today. He does not weep as I do, either. He has known the evil of this world for millennia and cannot be surprised. He has completed his grieving and has accepted the world as it is, utterly. Yet, he still cares to transfer his wisdom.

A book is a dangerous thing. Perhaps the most dangerous thing we humans have yet created. We're told the pen is mightier than the sword. He won't answer the question, but I suspect Master Sun agrees. Perhaps that's why it is his penwork, more than his swordwork we follow today.

163 verses completed, 259 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.

CORRECTION: The verse posted at the beginning of today's commentary is the WRONG verse. It is #SunTzu 7: 10, NOT 7: 9. I will post the correct verse below...

John Minford, #SunTzu 7: 9 "March fifteen miles for some gain, and the commander of the vanguard will fall; only half the men will arrive."