Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 7: 38 "He meets exhaustion with ease."

I abhor confessing it, but I am often exhausted. I brag that I work too hard, but that's no excuse. I know how to balance my life. I know how to exercise and rest. My tiredness is a sign of my own NOT living up to the health practices I really do know.

So, you can imagine, reading today's passage put me in the wrong mode of thinking. I'm NOT supposed to be the exhausted guy. Rather, I'm supposed to be at my ease. My enemy is supposed to be the exhausted guy, not me. Alas.

Perspective. Master Sun NEVER allows anything other than the mindset of the winner. He has no truck, no patience with a general who is tired. Rest, he commands. Do NOT bring tired troops to the battle, nor allow yourself to be a tired general.

I believe I've come to understand Master Sun's subtle understatements. He is absolutely commanding me to master my own cycle of rest and replenishment better. I hate how right he always is, don't you?

Here is a happy confession. Due to my own personal perspective, I needed both Giles and Griffith to unpack today's verse. I'll quote them each, below.

Lionel Giles, #SunTzu 7:31 (Giles' numbering differs from Minford's) "To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy is famished - this is the art of husbanding one's strength."

Samuel Griffith, #SunTzu 7: 24 (Griffith's numbering is different from both Giles and Minford.) "Close to the field of battle, they await an enemy coming from afar; at rest, an exhausted enemy; with well-fed troops, hungry ones. This is control of the physical factor."

We've discussed reading before, reading method. Me, as you know, I need multiple translations, obviously. But more, I must read each text, each verse, over and over again. Each time, I must visualize its meaning. Nuances can be powerful. But the principles are deep and equal.

Try to imagine our three translators from today. John, Lionel and Sam. How many dedicated years of study, how much brain braking work did they each invest into their masterful translations? To be frank, I can hardly imagine it, myself. How many classes did they take, and master?

I think I have to give the point to Griffith, today. Listen to the simple words, in all their power: "at rest, an exhausted enemy." You're rested. Your enemy is exhausted. Is that not the hallmark of victory itself?

I don't know, Minford is awesome. He meets exhaustion with ease, he says. Who do you know that does that? I'm thinking...James Bond. Hey, do you know what Ian Fleming mapped out as Bond's favorite exercise?

Cigarettes and coffee in the morning. Then, run a mile fast as can on the beach. Swim the same mile fast as can in the ocean back. Cigarettes, a perfect martini and a Bond Girl afterwards. How can you argue with that? Then he meets his stressed out, tired enemy. Amen.

Full disclosure: I only have ONE Bond Girl, she's @KateScopelliti. I love coffee. I love martinis. I love swimming. I only walk, I don't run. And I have never smoked a cigarette. Nope, that's not on the list. But still, I respect Fleming and Bond!

@KateScopelliti Let's apply. The left is exhausted. Their ideas are tired and old. Old as in decrepit. Our ideas are old. Old as in proven, established, and will live forever. Watch any of their MSM shows and you'll see the exhaustion for yourself.

@KateScopelliti Where Griffith has the best phrase, Giles ends up the winner. "To be near the goal while the enemy is still far from it, to wait at ease while the enemy is toiling and struggling, to be well-fed while the enemy is famished - this is the art of husbanding one's strength."

@KateScopelliti Can you feel it? We are - we in the #MAGA movement - we are near the goal. The enemy is still far from it. There isn't a single Democrat candidate that impresses anyone. They're all opportunists, just happy to run, and maybe win the nomination.

@KateScopelliti Bring it down to yourself, your mission. Like me, you too must learn how to rest. If you do, together with your righteous mission, your enemy will be more exhausted than you. Imagine that!

@KateScopelliti One of the great tools in coming to terms with Master Sun's counsel is the famous Rock, Paper, Scissors game. Forget random outcomes. Rather, focus on the power of dominance over surrender. Rock crushes scissors, they surrender. Yet, scissors cut paper, and paper covers rock.

@KateScopelliti I promise you from the bottom of my heart. The left is exhausted, worse than ever before. When did their tiredness commence? 'You can keep your doctor or program.' It was an hellacious and 100% knowing lie. That's the moment their tiredness began.

@KateScopelliti Hear me when I tell you we can win, we shall win the #WarForAmerica2020. There is no question. Trump is easy. They are exhausted. Hallelujah. Amen.

@KateScopelliti 191 verses completed, 231 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.