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. 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 unhesitatingly ripped up the contract. Westinghouse would pay for Tesla's living arrangement at the Hotel New Yorker for the rest of Tesla's 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.