As I type these words, auto workers are on strike at three major auto companies: Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. Unlike the CEOs of these three companies, a US Civil War veteran, inventor, and businessman named George Westinghouse, Jr. (1846-1914) never had to experience a worker strike, despite being in the "robber baron" age when worker strikes were common. Why? Because Westinghouse paid his workers higher, made their work week shorter, provided them disability insurance if they get hurt, and many other benefits. Westinghouse operated at a different level than other business leaders.

Workers didn't have to threaten him to gain those benefits. He did it because it was the right and human thing to do. In essence, he treated others -- such as workers -- with respect. His example trickled down to his managers, and the Westinghouse companies continued on that managerial tradition even decades after he died.

The workers in turn treated Westinghouse with respect such that during the financial crisis of 1890, his employees at Westinghouse Electric proposed to work for half pay until the crisis subsided. And when after he died, they built him a memorial costing over $2.5 million in current dollar value, a structure that still stands today. I cannot envision any CEO in the modern corporate world whose workers would do that for him or her, certainly not the CEOs of Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.

Sure, George Westinghouse had over 360 patents and founded some 60 companies, bringing to the world immeasurable comfort and safety, but it's through his magnanimous treatment of the countless people who he came into contact with that made him a great man. And I'm a fan of individuals of magnanimity such as Westinghouse. They are as rare as letters fully handwritten by Westinghouse himself.

Therefore, it is with great joy to announce I have recently acquired a second fully-handwritten letter from George Westinghouse (see photo above). Last year, I acquired the first letter.

Westinghouse was a private and reserved man who shunned publicity. Biographer Jill Jonnes believes there are no more than 20 photographs of George Westinghouse, versus his contemporary Thomas Edison who has hundreds of photographs. Few of his external correspondences survived to this day, and known surviving external letters fully-handwritten by him are rarer still, perhaps fewer than half a dozen. At the ​Detre Library & Archives, where historical Westinghouse documents are kept, there are only two external handwritten letters (one to his aunt, and the other to a lawyer). All other handwritten letters at the archive -- 31 pages in total -- were to his wife Marguerite.

​Unlike the first letter dated October 9, 1909, when George Westinghouse was 63 years old, this recently acquired letter was dated March 1, 1871, which means Westinghouse was only 24 years old. At such a young age, he was leading the Westinghouse Air Brake Company as president.

For those who cannot read cursive, the letter says:

According to George Westinghouse's biographer Dr. William Huber who I consulted with just today, Westinghouse opened a factory on Liberty and 25th Street only a year before this letter. So it's not surprising for him to personally thank a major customer for their prompt payment, given cash flow is critical to any start up company to keep it going. (Coincidentally, it was also cash flow that was the cause of Westinghouse losing his electric company in 1907.)

There is something else that happened in 1871, the same year as this letter: our 24-year-old Westinghouse gave his employees Saturdays off, which was unheard of for major employers. In fact, Andrew Carnegie was upset with him for doing so because Carnegie was working his employees seven days if he could (and underpaying them, too, which he did). What Carnegie probably didn't know was that when Westinghouse was a young man working in his father's shop on Saturday, he was heard saying when he runs his own company, he would give workers Saturdays off. Then in 1870 he was reminded of his promise when visiting England and Europe, where workers had Saturdays off. True to character, Westinghouse kept his promise.

Carnegie even admitted Westinghouse could’ve been richer if he paid his employees less -- who he paid five times more than the average railroad worker -- and the American Federation of Labor founder Samuel Gompers once said, “If all business leaders and moguls treated their employees as well as George Westinghouse, there’d be no need for any labor unions.”

Why isn't Westinghouse more well-known today? Because he wasn’t a showboat, such as leaving foundations in his name. Although he and his wife Marguerite gave away a lot of money anonymously, Westinghouse once said giving money to those who didn’t earn it usually does more harm than good. Instead, he said he would rather use that money to provide safe, high-paying jobs to people at dozens of his companies. His aim was to improve people's lives, not to improve his image, reputation, or legacy. This is honest, practical philanthropy. This is how business leaders of true magnanimity act. Their mission is to improve society.

But believe it or not, young George growing up was anything but magnanimous. He had terrible temper tantrums and would bang his head onto hard surfaces until he got his way. When he wanted something, he had to get it. Yet that extreme stubbornness was a trait necessary to push a new technology through despite extreme difficulties and doubts. And that extreme stubbornness was a trait necessary to gain victory over extremely powerful personalities like Thomas Edison and JP Morgan.

Regarding his temper tantrums when he was a boy, Westinghouse said: “I have always known what I wanted, and how to get it. As a child, I got it by tantrums; in mature years, by hard work.”

​I further discussed the two Westinghouse letters in a video below:

Lastly, I would like to update you all on something interesting about the first Westinghouse letter:

In the letter, Westinghouse wrote, "Nothing that has been said about me in print ever gave Mrs Westinghouse & me greater pleasure than your congratulations on my birthday published in this weeks [sic] issue."

So what exactly was in Life Magazine that delighted him and Mrs. Westinghouse? I did some research and found the exact birthday wish by Life Magazine:

Notice the sentence "Men like you are of more value to a State than others I could mention." In other words, a la Sun Tzu's Art of War, Westinghouse is the "nation's treasure." As a proud US Civil War veteran who was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Westinghouse fit the mold well.

In summary, I think the world of George Westinghouse, Jr. I believe he is severely underrated in history, especially by the modern business world. They laud personalities like JP Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, etc. But George Westinghouse is a name with so much character that it is "beyond reproach." No other major industrialists both past and present can be truthfully and accurately described in the same way because they aren't at the same level. ☯

My other Westinghouse blog entries are below:
​
The most underrated businessman of all time

Handwritten letter from George Westinghouse

Interview with Dr. William Huber (biographer of Westinghouse)

George loves Marguerite
​
Formless but full of force

Open AI just released their new version -- ChatGPT-4 -- today!

I've already heard many wonderful things about it. The upgrade is supposed to be exponential, not linear. So I'm already expecting great answers to questions I have some knowledge on: Sun Tzu's Art of War.

So let's start with the first one:

Well done. This question requires some objectivity and subjectivity and ChatGPT-4 performed admirably.

​Next question is more subjective:

For a subjective question, the answer can't be much better.

​Next question is tricky but wholly objective:

As Alex Trebek would say: "Correct!"

This is the most common question about Sun Tzu's Art of War:

I absolutely agree with #1, Thomas Cleary. I cannot argue with #2, Griffith, a very popular version since the 1960s. It was Griffith’s book I first came across the word Sonshi. Huang is an interesting #3, but still not off, because Huang was the first to divide and discuss The Art of War verse by verse, making his translation quite open and transparent. Not bad, especially for your different way of thinking, ChatGPT-4!

Here's a question that is from left field:

You won me over, ChatGPT-4. Completely.

​Do you know me?

Thank you, ​ChatGPT-4.

Today I would like to discuss the topic of kindness.

But I think it's important I define what kindness actually is, and what it isn't.

Kindness isn't superficial greetings and simple gestures, like saying "Good morning," opening doors for people, picking up our own trash, not stealing, donating our surpluses, being understanding of mean people, and other similar actions. They are behaviors of maturity and necessary for organizations, communities, and societies to function properly. 

Kindness is helping someone even when it is most inconvenient to us. Kindness is helping someone even when there is a real cost to us. Kindness is going out of our way to help because someone is suffering. (Whether they are truly suffering is another matter for another day.)

So kindness can come from the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak to the richest of the rich and the strongest of the strong. Kindness can come from anywhere by anyone at anytime. 

In other words, we may have little left or a lot more but we unhesitatingly help, cutting through all our greed and selfishness. This is true strength. We are strong not because of what we have but who we are. The producer is much more valuable than the product. This is how men and women rise to the level of gods. And gods are immortal for a reason.

Therefore, seriously consider where we want to go. How and whether or not we'll succeed are inevitable because both are pre-determined by the kind of person we choose to be when we make that decision. ☯

I'm sure many of you are wondering why am I continuing to discuss about George Westinghouse in a Sun Tzu site. It's because they parallel each other so well. For example, they were both unconcerned about their personal fame. This is an extremely rare trait, especially by those who have risen to power in society, yet refuse to continually seek validation of their power from others. They already know their true worth internally. And because of that rarity, it connects them both despite their separation of time and geography.

​This trait is explained in an excerpt from George Westinghouse's biography by Francis Leupp published in 1918, just four years after Westinghouse's death:

Another biographer, Jill Jonnes, thinks there are probably no more than 20 photographs of George Westinghouse. Compare this with at least hundreds if not thousands of photographs of Thomas Edison, who was born within a year of Westinghouse's birthdate.

Both biographers Francis Leupp and Henry Prout claimed George Westinghouse left virtually no personal letters (outside of the letters to his wife Marguerite).

Given that George Westinghouse died over 100 years ago, one can understand why he is mostly unknown by the general public today. But those who are educated know he existed. Now imagine if a similar personality lived 2500 years ago who shunned publicity in the same way. Even the educated might claim he never existed, which would be a great shame.

You can even say both Sun Tzu and Westinghouse are so well hidden they are formless. As any diligent student of Sun Tzu knows, being formless is powerful.

​So what is hidden cannot be forgotten when there is so much force behind the personalities of Sun Tzu and Westinghouse. As a movie title goes, they are crouching tigers and they are hidden dragons. They can't be held back. There is an undeniable desire to tell their stories. The power of their lives -- their humanity, wisdom, and accomplishments -- is simply too good to let go. They are national treasures that now belong to the world. ☯

Sun Tzu's Art of War is still being studied by military forces all around the world. And we know people also read Sun Tzu's Art of War to be successful in competitive environments like business.

Having started over 60 companies, George Westinghouse (1846-1914) is nothing short of an extraordinary businessman.

However, Westinghouse wasn't perfect. He took too much risk with credit and naively believed bankers had his interests and values in mind. After the financial crisis of 1907, Westinghouse would eventually lose control of his prized company, the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.

But what Westinghouse didn't lose was the respect and admiration of his employees. Unlike the robber barons of the time, Westinghouse never had to contend with worker strikes because his workers were well paid, worked in safe plants, had weekends off, among other benefits. During the earlier financial crisis of 1890, his employees even proposed to cut their pay in half. After he died, his employees fully funded a memorial costing $3.5 million in today's dollars.

To learn more about Westinghouse, I highly advise you to read George Westinghouse: Powering the World, a brand new biography published this year by Dr. William Huber.

Westinghouse wasn't only admired at work by men like Nikola Tesla and his 60,000 employees; he was also admired at home by his wife of 47 years, Marguerite Erskine Walker Westinghouse. Like charity, success starts at home. A happy wife is a happy life. I have more clichés but I think you got the gist.

Modern leaders speak of work-life balance. Well, here is a man who lived well over 100 years ago who was a master of that balance. It would benefit many of us to learn how he lived his life.

Previously, I shared with you a handwritten letter from Westinghouse. I later learned from the Detre Library & Archives, who safekeeps Westinghouse documents, there is only one other surviving handwritten letter to a recipient outside of his family (it was to a lawyer in 1874). It is believed that Westinghouse, a private person, had many of his personal letters destroyed before he died. Luckily, the ones that were saved were the best ones: the letters to his wife Marguerite.

"I hope you will get on nicely and when I arrive I may find you feeling well. Now darling I will close with fondest love and many kisses for little Georgie and for you. Ever your devoted husband, Geo."

"My darling wife I will now close this with fondest love for you and baby and please kiss him for me."

"I wrote you some days ago that if you could come here by May 20th I would like it; for darling I am so lonely I love you so fondly all of the time."

"Oh what a long day this has been to me and how I have desired to be with you and to see our little boy. I am sure you are both happy and that you are progressing well. I was very glad to get your telegram last night for I had not (and have not yet) got your letter. I think of you so often and wish you were here where the things look so lovely."

"Now darling sweet wife I will close with very fond love and affection for the sweetest and best wife that ever blessed man."

"It is bed time and I will now close with the best love a man is able to give a devoted and loving wife. Ever your own loving husband Geo."

In chapter 11 of The Art of War, Sun Tzu said: 夫吳人與越人相惡也，當其同舟濟而遇風，其相救也如左右手, which means "The men of Wu and Yueh hated each other, however, encountering severe winds when crossing a river on the same boat, they assisted each other like left and right hands."

If you see someone is hitting his own face, we can all agree he needs psychological assistance. Yet at this very moment, nations are threatening other nations with war. This action isn't too far away from my analogy.

First, these nations aren't too far away geographically from each other. Second, even if they are far away, there isn't a city on Earth that isn't connected to at least another city, making isolation a myth. And third, living on Earth is tough enough. Big problems and other bad storms happen naturally. We all have to deal with them. Why create more storms artificially and create more trouble for ourselves?

Our world is indeed small. It's "a pale blue dot" is what the late astrophysicist Carl Sagan used to say. We are all on this same dot, i.e., boat. Therefore, it's foolish not to try to understand each other and help each other along, because we would also be understanding and helping ourselves as well. ☯

Do you know why George Westinghouse didn't have enemies? Because he was too big of a person to have enemies. He was too busy creating, helping people, and preventing conflicts to be fighting battles. His position was impossible to attack.

In short, Westinghouse achieved Sun Tzu's ideal position.

Now I have the privilege to introduce to you Dr. William R. Huber, PE, who is Westinghouse's biographer. His book George Westinghouse: Powering the World (published by McFarland in 2022), is the first full biography of George Westinghouse since 1921. So it's a big deal.

Read our interview with Dr. Huber here.

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting." Sun Tzu

For the last couple of blog entries, I have written about George Westinghouse. Here was an accomplished man who didn't like the limelight.

For example, during the opening ceremony of the Niagara Falls power plant project -- one which marks the complete victory for his AC electrical system and the defeat of Thomas Edison's DC electrical system -- he stood in the background while individuals like Nikola Tesla gave rousing speeches.

And near Westinghouse's death, he decided to not set up foundations in his name because his charity was largely done anonymously and through his lifetime of benevolent treatment of his employees, providing them opportunities in his more than 60 companies instead. Andrew Carnegie admitted that Westinghouse could have made a lot more money if he didn't treat his employees so well.

Indicative of his nature, Westinghouse also hated to be photographed, so there are few original examples outside of the same old recycled ones.

In fact, he hated the most famous photo of him called "Westinghouse at Work", and told the people involved to not use it. The photographer, commissioned by the New York Times, hid in another room and took a photo of him in his natural working state. It was a pose his employees had seen of him hundreds of times. Yet he specially told them to not publish it once he found out about the photograph. And so it wasn't published until after his death.

​The image, ironically, was front and center in the $200,000 memorial given to him by his 60,000 employees in 1930.

However, Westinghouse wasn't the only one not interested in the limelight. I would argue Sun Tzu was the same way:

This is exactly where Westinghouse and Sun Tzu intersect. Their works were different but they both improved society in their own way. Their aim was for people to benefit, yet how Sun Tzu and Westinghouse would benefit is still up in the air.

Why do I say "still"?

As I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, Westinghouse as a man has been largely forgotten. Everybody knows Edison, Rockefeller, and even his partner Tesla. But Westinghouse? Probably not, except perhaps the appliances that bear his name.

And although Sun Tzu and his Art of War are well-known, Sun Tzu's existence has been questioned since antiquity. Even today I see scholars who should know better by now question Sun Tzu's existence. The claim was and still is absolutely ridiculous especially when the Chinese historian Sima Qian mentioned Sun Tzu by name. Why would scholars refer to the Records of the Grand Historian whenever it suits them but question it when it comes to Sun Tzu?

Having said all that, if we can ask Westinghouse and Sun Tzu how they feel about their legacies, they would emphatically say, "It's all good!" As long as society is still benefiting from their work -- in Westinghouse's case, AC power everywhere and safe railroad travel, and in Sun Tzu's case, potential peace wherever there is a threat of conflict -- they are more than happy to be inconspicuous.

So I reluctantly say that if they are happy, then I am happy, too. ☯

Yesterday, I wrote about the legendary George Westinghouse. For the young people out there, Nikola Tesla admired Westinghouse. That should say it all.

Today, I’m the proud caretaker of an incredible handwritten letter from George Westinghouse (see photo above)!

To hold in my hands the same piece of paper that Westinghouse held in his hands and who then took the time and effort to express his thoughts on is just surreal to me.

The letter reads:

What's incredible about this letter is that, first of all, it is fully handwritten. It's not a typed letter with a simple signature. Second, the letter mentions his wife Marguerite of 42 years at the time. It subtly shows how close they still were. And third, Westinghouse left very few written materials. He was a private man. This letter gives us a rare window into his personality, which is one of sincere appreciation and friendliness.

As the steward of this amazing piece of history, I will continue to tell others about George Westinghouse. He serves as a perfect role model for the modern, technology-driven world. But it's not for what you probably think. Westinghouse was an innovative man, to be sure -- he has 361 patents to his name -- but what truly separated him from the rest and what made him legendary was that he also understood the importance of humanity to accomplish great feats in life. It's a timeless lesson that all wise people end up learning and living. ☯

George Westinghouse (1846-1914) is the most underrated businessman of all time. But he was more than a businessman. He was also a military veteran and an inventor. He created new industries with his innovative inventions. He brought good ideas and people together to create great ones. He believed in those ideas and people, investing heavily in them and risking his own fortune each and every time, a character strength as well as his sole fault.

Westinghouse's invention of the railcar air brake saved countless lives. He went into the natural gas business when nobody even knew how to cap, channel, or meter natural gas. Then he lighted the world using AC electrical current -- overcoming intense competition from Thomas Edison and JP Morgan's DC electrical current -- helping to transport power to homes from hundreds of miles away, including rural areas. He ended up with 361 patents that he personally worked on. Unlike Edison, Westinghouse allowed employees to use their own names if they worked on patents at his company. The last patent given to him was for an automobile shock absorber.

Not bad for a boy who had bad temper tantrums when he didn’t get what he wanted, and who later learned to channel that violent energy through military service (US Civil War), hard work, discipline, and persistence. Sun Tzu would be proud.

Unlike many businessmen of his time, such as Edison and Carnegie, Westinghouse didn't promote himself. In fact he didn't like to be photographed or give speeches. He simply treated people close to him -- his wife and workers -- with simple dignity and without fanfare. In a time where worker strikes were common, there was none while he was in charge.

How Westinghouse took charge wasn't through swagger but substance. For example, when there was a revolt during the annual meeting of 1891 at one of his companies, the Union Switch and Signal, the position of president was given to someone else by the Board of Directors. However, when stockholders soon realized the company's business was so dependent on Westinghouse's relationships with customers and bankers that they quickly fired the new president and replaced him with Westinghouse's candidate.

Many students of history know the story of how Thomas Edison cheated Nikola Tesla out of his bonus after Tesla helped to improve Edison's DC electrical system. Tesla later went to work for Westinghouse. Westinghouse was so generous to Tesla that when Westinghouse later asked if Tesla could lower his royalty fees, Tesla claimed he unhesitatingly ripped up the contract. Westinghouse would later pay Tesla over $216,000 in lieu of royalty fees and Telsa’s living arrangement at the Hotel New Yorker for the rest of his life.

What's most interesting is that although he might have received worldwide recognition for his work while he lived, Westinghouse the man is somehow relatively forgotten today when compared to Rockefeller, Edison, Carnegie, Morgan, Vanderbilt, etc.

His lack of fame today is probably because he didn't set up foundations under his name, but I suppose if you were charitable and fair and contributing greatly to society throughout your life, there would seem no need to set up a foundation. His employees were well paid, working conditions were designed to be safe, workers had the weekends off, and topnotch housing and insurance ensured workers' families were always taken of. These company policies were aligned with a leader who had the philosophy to do the right things first, and the money naturally followed.

Westinghouse didn't drink or smoke. He didn't even use profanity. When his future wife Marguerite hesitated to give him her contact information, he gave her several references, individuals who could vouch for his character. After marriage, he corresponded with his wife every day while traveling. They would be married for 47 years until his death in 1914.

On October 6, 1930, Westinghouse employees fully funded the Westinghouse Memorial costing $200,000 on his birthday. I can't think of another businessman who has this honor and distinction, especially one who lived through the "Robber Baron" age.

All business schools should teach students about who George Westinghouse was, how he managed his companies, and how he led people, because there is no better role model especially given today's technological and competitive environment.

There are many versions of Sun Tzu's Art of War and not because of different translations. These versions are re-interpretations of The Art of War to specific fields such as business, politics, and sports. There is even one version on dating!

Today, however, I would like to introduce to you Liam Shannon, the author of Sun Tzu Soccer. Read our interview with him here.

During my hiatus the last two years, I have missed writing to you about the death of my mentor, Dr. Thomas Cleary, an unparalleled scholar of the Asian classics. He was 72 years old. His achievements are well known. The New York Times wrote a nice obituary dedicated to him.

I first heard of Dr. Cleary in 1988 when he published his translation of Sun Tzu's Art of War (published by Shambhala Publications). It was indeed my first exposure of Sun Tzu in English. My experience reading the book was transformative.

His translation, in addition to showing me the Taoist side of Sun Tzu, showed me the humaneness of Sun Tzu, which brought the venerable classic all together for me. It was the last missing piece of the puzzle for me. Unlike the many previous translations and interpretations which emphasized battles, Thomas Cleary was the first modern scholar who revolutionized how we now view Sun Tzu -- who he really was: an idealist that dealt with a system that dealt out great suffering.

And because Sun Tzu isn't still widely understood, that same insufferable system exists to this very day, Chinese or otherwise. That is to say, China isn't less militaristic or direct than any other nation, just that it must go back to its ideals recorded by Sun Tzu. (I would argue America practices and devotes more time to The Art of War than China.) The Art of War isn't how war was conducted in China historically (although warlords like Cao Cao had tried to implement the principles). Instead, The Art of War is how war should be conducted, a manual and reminder for the military leader.

​Something as serious as warfare could only be subverted by great wisdom that would last two and a half millennia. As Dr. Cleary wrote, the ring that is slipped around the monkey king's head (Journey to the West) to remind him to exude great compassion and serve the greater good is the same ring Sun Tzu slips on every reader wanting to find great success through his Art of War book. Those who understand will joyfully yell out "Eureka!" and those who don't will wonder what all the fuss is about.

I can't write a better obituary than the New York Times, but what I can share with you is my personal story of Thomas Cleary.

For those who don't know who Thomas Cleary was, he can be described as the J. D. Salinger of the translator world. He avoided the limelight, didn't want attention or recognition, didn't want to be associated with any organization, school, or association. He simply wanted to be left alone to do his work, which ended up to be over 80 books.

Trying to reach him, I first contacted his publisher Shambhala Publications. But the editor told me even he couldn't get a response from Thomas Cleary. It had been months since he last heard from him. It seemed I was out of luck.

But through a confidential source, I was given his home phone number. I dialed the number. He picked up. I inquired whether it was Thomas Cleary on the other end. He said yes. Then I went through my shpeel about how much I admired his works. I likely went on longer than he had the patience for. Finally I had the courage to ask for an interview with him for Sonshi.com. He flatly said, "No." He added he was "too busy with a current project and need to get back to it."

I mentally panicked. Oh no! Here was my only chance and I blew it. It was like the whole world was crashing down on me. Then I started to stutter, which I rarely do. The more I talked to save myself, I worse I sounded. I was pathetic. I was in free fall.

Silence on the other end of the line.

"[Sigh] Ok, tell me about the interview," Dr. Cleary said.

Looking back on this, Thomas Cleary felt sorry for me. I was a just a poor guy on the other end of the telephone asking for a break. He empathized. He had compassion. He understood Sun Tzu's wisdom.

Despite Dr. Cleary's many years as a famous writer, Sonshi's interview was the very first interview he ever accepted.

There were matters he never shared in public until that interview. Like how he shoveled raw asbestos when he was young, which contributed to his health problems later on. He was able to mitigate some of it through meditative practices.

Dr. Cleary and I worked on several other projects later on, including the Preface for Sonshi's Art of War book, published exactly 20 years after his own Art of War in 1988. It is an incredible honor I will never forget for as long as I live.

On one of our projects, I read a sentence he translated and had a question about one of the words. He immediately looked at the source. After a few minutes, he then said, "You're right -- it should be this." It was a small correction but I felt like I was on equal footing with a master, albeit just for that moment! And he was gracious and wise enough to make the correction so easily and without any care whatsoever.

Today, I feel I have an obligation to continue Thomas Cleary's work to promote Sun Tzu's humanity that is accepted much more now than back in 1988. More work needs to be done to apply those principles in the real world.

The way I look at issues is that if a problem is possible, then its solution is possible. If conflict is possible, then its resolution is possible. And if a world war is possible, then world peace is possible. If stumbling and stuttering are possible, then empathy and compassion are possible. This dualistic view is absolutely Sun Tzu's view. It's the way of the universe. Look for the right moment, the right opportunity and we'll wonder why we worried at all. Sun Tzu understood, Thomas Cleary understood, and we can understand, too. ☯

Biology indicates that the purpose of an organism is to pass on its genes. In short, survival is the goal.

But does this apply to humans?

The obvious answer seems to be yes. We are organisms after all.

​However, we are organisms whose strength is our mind -- our thinking ability. Athletes in sports might brag they are the fastest or the strongest, but they all pale in comparison to any cat's sprint or mule's kick. They aren't very impressive against these common animals.

So where we truly excel at as human beings is in our capacity to think. No other animal seems to come close.

As such, thinking allows us to see different options. Thinking allows us to plan and choose our destiny. Thinking allows us to make wise decisions despite our fight-or-flight instincts.

Therefore, thinking even allows us to decide on an option that runs counter to our survival. But this decision is no doubt rare. Not everyone is wise enough to think beyond ourselves. I presume some of us will do whatever it takes to survive, no matter how shameful or immoral. History is replete with examples.

My thinking on this is simple: Why would anyone -- once they realize what they are truly doing -- want to choose life over a worthwhile choice? What is the worth of a life filled with decisions one is ashamed of? What is the point of living a life if it means doing what any savage animal would do? We would cease to be human.

For example, the general fear in directly confronting Russia after it invaded Ukraine is that Russia would use their nuclear weapons, thus destroying everyone else in the process. But if society would rather allow such evil to exist so it could preserve itself, what, in fact, is it preserving? A system that allows for such a evil to exist. Then why is it worth preserving? So it is a no-brainer that we must act against Russia's aggression directly and immediately, NATO boots on the ground and stopping the carnage quickly.

Ultimately, however, the problem with choosing survival over a higher standard of conduct is that it is short-lived. When individuals scramble to survive on their own at the cost of others, they are nevertheless weak as individuals. They are doomed from that point on.

In contrast, fairness, decency, and teamwork are the glue that unites groups, communities, and civilizations, making them strong. Unlike selfish individuals, they are formidable and they last. 

Ironically and paradoxically, the more we are willing to die, the better the chances we can survive. The old expression, "Fortune favors the bold" holds true. I would argue that the more we are willing to stick up for others, even at our expense, the more fulfilling our lives are. Now we are living for more than ourselves. We are living a life we are proud of. We live without fear, for even death doesn't scare us. The only thing that should scare us the most is to die without redemption, our penultimate and last acts falling well short of where we want to be.

Because if we always choose a higher standard of conduct, regardless of whether we live or we die afterwards, we are always happy with our decisions. And, in turn, we are always happy with our life, even toward death.

The basis of economics is people making decisions for their own self-interests. Makes sense. We all get it. Until we realize that living life is much more than economics and people don't act that way at all, especially for leaders. It's not even close.

Let me explain.

Take an example of a father. He usually gets up early. He gets ready for work. He thinks about his boss. He thinks about his coworkers. He thinks about the clients. In addition, he thinks about his family; he thinks about his spouse and children. He even thinks about his dogs and cats. What's more meaningful to him than his family? Nothing else.

Same goes for the mother, if not more so.

In short, we think about others all the time. Our self-interests seem like an afterthought. If there is any self-interest at all, it's to achieve heartsease or peace of mind knowing others will be fine.

Economics is important for a higher standard of living. It's how resources can be efficiently allocated. But the way people make decisions is ultimately based on how they can obtain the most benefit for others in their everyday lives. They are vastly more important.

In Chapter 10 of The Art of War, Sun Tzu sums up the main objective of a leader: 

So not unlike any modern-day leader, Sun Tzu's decisions were every bit selfless. After all, it doesn't take much to take care of yourself. But it takes the skills and wisdom of a Sun Tzu to take care of people -- holding back our emotions, extending and risking ourselves for the safety and comfort of others.

A friend is someone who over time and situations remains your friend. A friend is someone who somehow thinks about you at the same time as you think about them. A friend fixes your faults and strengthens your strengths. A friend is time and life itself, a connection of memories between the past, present, and future.

Dr. Jeremy Black has written an incredible 180 books, mostly on British history, European politics, and, of course, warfare. His answers might surprise you, especially when he said, "too much of a focus on Clausewitz." Click below to read more!

Interview with Dr. Jeremy Black

The worries and concerns we have in life are often caused by the incorrect application of our time and energies.

For example, we worry about others do, how they'll view us, and the decisions they will make that might negatively affect us.

While those are valid concerns, the relevant question we must ask ourselves is whether it's worth our time and energy to think about them.

The answer, if you think about it, is no. And here's why.

The obvious answer is we don't have control over what others do. We have influence but that's far from having control. And that's actually a good thing. Because we don't want anyone else to control us either. We might allow others to influence us through reason, but not control.

The less obvious answer is we should spend more time and energy on our own actions. They are absolutely things we can control. Complete control. And we can take those actions now. No need to worry about how, what, when.

Sun Tzu emphasizes the importance of being proactive and take preventative measures. Whose responsibility is this? Ours. He understands we ourselves can make a positive impact on the future if we act in the present.

So even though Sun Tzu strives to create results favorable to us through the decisions of others, the basis of that calculus lies in our own early initial actions.

For instance, if we want another person to listen to us, and nobody is listening to each other, then we must take it upon ourselves to start listening even when nobody else is listening. Extend an olive branch. Taking the initiative and being an example won't always work, but we have a much better chance of success than doing nothing and letting things happen as is.

Therefore, we must ponder and be careful about how we approach matters and how our actions affect others. As for what other people do, we can be confident they will do what they do, problems and all, as it should be, not as we wish them to be. Fortunately, we don't need to wish and worry about what we ourselves will do, and what we are doing now. We have full control. So take it.

When I read reviews of our Art of War book, it's actually to see if there is any dissatisfaction with the book. If there is dissatisfaction, I promptly offer a full refund. I don't argue because that's how the reviewer felt, so there's no denying. How someone feels is always right.

Sometimes, I must admit I do feel satisfied when I come across a heart-felt review. Below is one of them, which I saw on Goodreads, an Amazon company. I'll take his or her high-five today!

The stories of success are told by winners. The winners can say they won, but what they can't always say is that they won with kindness. That's why not all stories are good, some not worth telling.

Sun Tzu believes the highest ideal in victory is to win without fighting. That means winning without hurting anyone, keeping the most gains. It takes a person of great skill and wisdom to be able to pull off such a victory. It takes a rare amount of insight and creativity. It takes, in short, a lot of care and love. But it's not easy, otherwise everyone would do it.

And there are pitfalls throughout the endeavor: pain, temptations, apathy.

Overcome pain with reason. We can endure great pain if we understand why we go through pain to get to where we need to be.

Overcome temptations with reason. We can shun all temptations if we understand what nobility is. Nobility is forgoing the small even though everyone else thinks it's big.

Overcome apathy with reason. Apathy isn't doing anything. It's a sitting duck. So take one step toward being better and you are already running circles around apathy.

Achieving victory is passable, but the gains from that victory vary. For example, a pyrrhic victory is not really a victory.

Winning without kindness may be passable, but tainted. It's barely worth keeping, certainly not worth bragging about. Re-writing the story makes for good fiction -- it cannot bridge the ideal.

So great is the ideal that if we were given a choice between victory or kindness, we can automatically choose kindness. Obtaining a victory without kindness is common. How can anyone admire it? But the times we see people maintaining their kindness even in the face of loss or losing are few. They are always memorable. They are the stories worth telling.

P.S.: Sonshi is back after a two-year hiatus! I hope to tell more stories.

A doctor studies a disease not because she wants to promote the disease, but rather because she wants to understand it, manage it, and ultimately prevent it.

Similarly, the study of war is in actuality a study for peace -- the real objective. We want to understand war so we can bring about peace, which is the benefit we hope to secure.

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu tells us that our highest aim should be to win without fighting. Our aspiration isn't the enemy's destruction but the prevention of battle altogether. This makes sense because in the real world our resources are limited. Therefore, the gain from resolving conflicts and taking whole -- if we are wise enough to achieve it -- can mean the difference between surplus and insufficiency, affluence and poverty, survival and obsolescence.

It is with the above mindset I want to introduce to you Prof. Beatrice Heuser, Chair of International Relations in the Department of Politics at the University of Glasgow. Few people know more about war than she does. As such, Prof. Heuser can help guide us in the right direction and path to peace. 

Enjoy our interview with Prof. Beatrice Heuser!

Yesterday I had an insightful discussion with Dr. Paul R. Goldin, a professor of Chinese philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. He's about my age and he is exactly what a professor should be: he's friendly, his students all seem to like him, and he's passionate about his field of study. His deep knowledge is apparent as evidenced by his helpful demeanor and creative approach when questioned. A wonderful sight to behold.

And he has a new book out called The Art of Chinese Philosophy: Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them. Learn more about him and his new book in our interview with Paul Goldin.

Unprecedented times call for sensible cowgirl wisdom. Cowgirl Gay Gaddis exudes the wisdom, gravitas, benevolence, courage, and discipline that Sun Tzu demanded in tackling and succeeding in life's many challenges.

A successful businesswoman, mentor, author, public speaker, and artist, Gay Gaddis answers our questions regarding cowgirl principles, her life, and her advice for working men and women in the modern world.

Here is our interview with Gay Gaddis. Enjoy!

It's not every day I see a new Art of War edition I like. But when I saw ​Little Bo Illustrates The Art of War, I knew I was looking at a special book.

Whether I was looking at the scales of a dragon or the scales of a fish, the detail of the book's drawings was amazing. The person who put this delightful children's book together was L. H. Draken, a writer of Chinese-Noir. Working with the dichotomy between these two genres, combined with her knowledge of and experiences in China, L. H. Draken was able to make little Bo and The Art of War come alive.

It is with great privilege to bring you our recent interview with L. H. Draken where we discuss her new book!

Time flies when you're having fun. On August 12, 2019, we will celebrate our 20th anniversary of Sonshi.com. Much has changed since our humble beginning, but what hasn't changed is our commitment to educating the world on Sun Tzu's peaceful solution to war.

​What has encouraged me most for at least the last decade is the involvement of women learning and teaching Sun Tzu's Art of War. This isn't your father's Art of War anymore. It's now the strategy and leadership book of choice for many mothers, sisters, and daughters. When more people are educated in making smarter decisions and making things work more effectively, the world is better as a result.

So it is with much joy I have published our recent interview with Dr. Michael Nylan, a female scholar and translator of Sun Tzu's Art of War. Her amazing perspective is well worth the read.