Thread by @ThyConsigliori

John Minford, #SunTzu 7: 45 "This is the Art of War."

One of my current great challenges is collating and organizing all my documentation. For instance, with a good clean hour or so of focus, I could have a single, searchable file, to find out - is this the first time that phrase has been used? I think so, but I'm not sure.

I am very often wrong about such things. My mind works far better at the high level of strategy and logic, than over matters of small detail, much as I adore them. At any rate, allow me to imagine it is. If so, why might that be? I think I have a possible answer.

I think the answer might be Master Sun is referring to chapter 7, itself as a whole, but as a mini document encompassing his entire message. I'll quote William Blake again, below, on this topic.

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
"And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
"Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
"And Eternity in an hour"

Chapter 7 = grain of sand; entire Art of War = a world.

To be sure, it could be far more granular. It might be ONLY verse 7: 44 he's referring to. I think not, though. Allow me a wonderful seminar example. Imagine with me now, we're going to take 15 days and work on Master Sun together, let's say in Maui, okay?

Here's our curriculum, by day:

Day 1) Read chapter 7 out loud, together, in full and discuss.
2) Read chapter 1 and compare and contrast with chapter 7.
3) Read chapter 7 again, with chapter 1 in mind.
4) Read chapter 2, compare and contrast with chapter 7.
Proceed like so...

Here's what I assure you. By the time we'd have worked through chapters 1 - 6, we'd find each completely necessary. But we'd also find that they each point to chapter 7. And vice versa. Chapter 7 builds and expands on the previous 6 so there's no way to read it without them.

There is a term for the art of such study, and we might as well confess it. Biblical studies. I grew up in a deeply religious, protestant family, and bible debates were more than just a part of daily life, eternal life and death was at stake. We were serious.

Then I discovered Jews. Oh my. I confess, I have a very favorite Jew. He is Tevye from Fiddler On The Roof. He prays with song, dance and heartbreakingly wonderful argument. He and God argue. If I Were A Rich Man is one of the greatest counterfactual arguments in history.

Would it break some great eternal plan, if I were a biddy-biddy rich, daidle deedle man?

Can you do that shoulder lift thing, hands up, swaying to the beat? I can't, but I have such dreams.

And what would Tevye treasure the most? Hours in the synagogue debating scripture. More than any other form of wealth or glory, time to study scripture is his greatest dream. There aren't too many of us who grew up in the protestant tradition who could compete with Tevye.

Master Sun steps in, and strokes his long, wispy, white Chinese beard and I know what he's thinking. 'My beard is cooler than those Jewish beards poking out everywhere. We're more civilized.' He's a bit xenophobic, Master Sun is, and considers China the only nation, period.

Yes, Master Sun, I surrender. I will never study the Torah, or the Mishnah with Tevye's fervor or the way I study you. That's actually my point. When you tell me, Master, 'this is the Art of War,' I listen. With all my mind, heart and soul, I listen.

Oh, and back to you guys! It is the Art of...wait for it...WAR. It's NOT the Art of Peace. We really rather need that book, but I don't think it's been written. But oh my, all those people out there yammering and yammering about how Master Sun was against war. It breaks my brain.

Alright. I try really hard not to do this so much. But, Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is kind of, you know, sort of that book, The Art of Peace. It might have a subtitle: How To Win The Peace, After You Win The War. But that really is a digression.

Today's verse: This is the Art of War. That's it. That's all our taciturn master has to say, today. Can you flip it? Do you know when you're at war? Do you know your enemies are posing as friends? Do you know if you have the wrong lover?

Do you know when to quit a job, or how to get a new one? Do you know how to compete with everyone in the new place until you win, completely? Do you know when your run is done and it's time to move on? Do you understand how clicks work? Do you have social confidence?

Church, school, golf club, beer hall, dance floor, home, family - everything any country song ever explained - do you know how to tell games from skirmishes from fights from duels from all out-war? There is NO area of life that fails to benefit from the Art of War.

Obvious, obvious, so obvious: politics is war. It's not merely peace, I wish we had a bit more of that. But we'll never win the peace until we learn how to win the war. What war? Say it with me. The WAR TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, that war.

#WarForAmerica2020

Master Sun has given us the book. It's on us to read it, master it, apply it and Make America Great Again. I know you're up to the task.

198 verses completed, 224 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.