As announced yesterday, we have acquired the domain name NoWar.com, which was originally registered in 1998, a year earlier than when Sonshi.com was founded. I still can't believe how we ended up with the name and can only attribute our luck to the heavens.

The phrase No War has tremendous significance to me because it represents Sun Tzu's ultimate goal and mark of the "highest of excellence." No War also challenges the common notion that war is a viable option. Instead, a war is a sign that things have been poorly managed by those in power.

According to Sun Tzu, a leader must be so adept at handling conflicts that the conditions from which wars get started could never take hold. That is because prevention is his or her focus, when conflicts are easier to manage. This skill requires a keen sensitivity to tackling small issues before they become larger ones.

Leaders can see what others cannot, and thus can do what others cannot. If problems are such that everyone can see them, then that is when we know the people in power have failed the organization, community, or nation. A small problem solved clumsily is vastly superior to a big problem solved efficiently. (Imagine how much more costly if large problems are mishandled!)

Therefore, the wise understand that there is no glory in fighting a war. To the general populace, however, there is no glory in preventing a war either, for they can't possibly fathom what never transpired. That's ok, because students of Sun Tzu can't possibly fathom doing anything different regardless. The benefits themselves are good enough.

​Thank you so much for your support and confidence through the years.

[Before we begin, I would like to make a quick announcement. Today we have acquired the domain name NoWar.com. This name is important to us because of Sonshi.com's purpose. Like ☮.com, NoWar.com represents Sun Tzu's highest accomplishment. I hope you join us in the cause.]

Recent headlines in the news have brought to the forefront the need for me to discuss the topic of power, namely the abuse of power.

In 1887, British politician Lord Acton wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

​The key phrase Acton used was "almost always," to which he had plenty of empirical evidence to back up his general belief, yet astutely left himself room for rare exceptions to the contrary.

So let's talk a little about power and why it likely leads to corruption.

When people see a person caught in a crime, it isn't unusual for them to express shock and disdain. "We would never," they would proclaim, "do such a terrible thing."

But is their statement entirely true? For how would they know for sure they wouldn't do such a thing if they aren't in this person's position? If given the same circumstances, would they fall into the same trap? What are the chances that this criminal is sufficiently different from the rest of the population?

In other words, is it possible that people don't do bad things not because they are necessarily good people but that they simply don't have the opportunity? Lord Acton would seem to agree with this sentiment.

I don't blame those who have this cynicism. They probably have seen it too many times in life where bad people succeeded. When morals aren't considered a factor in effectiveness, wouldn't it make sense to only focus on the tactical and technical aspects? There are books written where morality isn't even a factor but how cunning the strategies must be. To consider morality would seem naive.

Fortunately, Sun Tzu disagrees. Of the five factors of victory in war, the very first is the Tao (or Way): the alignment of the leader's interests with the people's interests. In contrast, corrupt people in power don't share the interests of others.

Furthermore, Sun Tzu discusses the winning five attributes of the leader: wisdom, trustworthiness, benevolence, bravery, and discipline. Abusive people possess little to none of these attributes since they cannot go beyond their impulses and selfishness.

When people with power abuse their position, they can nonetheless be effective for some time. They are able to continue their abuse as long as they benefit the right people around them. They share the interests of a relative few, not all.

However, as the saying goes, the only constant in life is change. Historical records prove that no matter how powerful, entire dynasties were toppled over and over again, never mind one abusive individual. For example, Sun Tzu mentions in The Art of War two dynasties that started out benevolent but their own people enabled their destruction after the rulers became corrupt:

The standard bar that leaders clear is significantly higher than what is expected of the average person. The training to be able to clear such a hurdle is long and difficult, a steep price that people in power "almost always" aren't willing to pay. Lord Acton is correct in more ways than one. 

In what ways are leaders extraordinary? Leaders don't call themselves out as leaders, and so they are hard to identify. They get satisfaction from the results achieved, not the praise or recognition from others. They can pass tests of hardship as competently as tests of pleasure. Throwing punishment or luxury in their way would matter little. They are still human and indeed feel perturbed and tempted ever so slightly, but they too strong to be taken.

It is such strength that is required to win without fighting and achieve lasting peace. It is such wisdom that followers believe they did it themselves and even enemies feel they have won, too. It is such benevolence that no war is possible around the world in due time.

If decisions are made with a flip of a coin, pure randomness can achieve a 50 percent chance of being correct. But it is difficult to be completely random because it is human nature to meddle in situations where too often we have no practical knowledge. So it would not be unusual to be wrong more than 50 percent of the time because the opponent isn't one side of a coin but rather a skilled and experienced competitor.

Therefore, only make a move when there is a gain to be had, and only make that move when we know exactly what we are doing. If not, stop. Take the default position of defense to gather sufficient strength and avoid unnecessary risks. As such, one can operate in a chaotic situation and not fail to secure safety.

The direction and unity of movement are important. If each team member does his or her part, albeit small in comparison to the total, there will be progress toward the goal. If each team member does his or her part, although chaotic in total when compared to the clear individual tasks that must be done, victory will be achieved.

In summary, strategy is the leveraging of randomness where we can actually tip the odds in our favor, if only by a little. If we were to run at 51 percent, and do so consistently over time, who do you think will win the race?

Sun Tzu's The Art of War can be read in an afternoon but without guidance can take a lifetime to fully understand. Take for instance Sun Tzu's seemingly clear principle of deception. Yet it is far from obvious.

I see many people quoting Sun Tzu regarding deceptive tactics but what a rare sighting it is to see them used in their proper context and perspective.

What is their proper context and perspective?

Sun Tzu's sole aim on employing deception is to avoid outright confrontation. Deception isn't used for its own sake. To Sun Tzu, it is used to create formlessness in difficult conflict and competition, minimizing loss and grief for himself and his enemies. In other words, he planned to not only prevail but also prevail with as much gain as possible because All-Under-Heaven would be intact. 

In our modern world, this is analogous to Lebron James going for a lay up in basketball. Due to his size, he could knock people down but he would probably get a foul and still fail to achieve his goal. Plus, he's much more skilled than to simply take the obvious path. The more elegant and effective solution would be to deceive his opponents to move to the right when he goes to his left and then straight to the basket untouched.

Other examples might include a parent coaxing his or her child to eat vegetables shaped like dinosaurs, a teenager pretending he doesn't want those new Nike shoes because his single mother can't afford them, or a friend emphasizing a small improvement for encouragement and so purposefully left out the rest.

Therefore, deception isn't always bad and is applied in countless benevolent endeavors that are considered skillful, intelligent, and humane.

​Sun Tzu's ultimate goal in warfare isn't to win 100 battles but to win without fighting. To transform the most violent human activity into a peaceful one would seem to require a little bit of magic, which itself is a matter of deception that often produces many smiles and cheers.

And more smiles and cheers are sorely needed in a world that can barely take care of itself much less have time and resources to waste on fighting and destruction. With both heart and mind engaged, we can all think beyond the obvious and become more effective.

My last blog entry discusses Musonius, a stoic of impeccable reputation and logic. Unlike many of his peers -- ancient Roman men, wise and refined themselves -- Musonius supported advanced education for women. Wouldn't a husband, he argued, want a wife who is smart and capable of making the right decisions in life?

In other words, Musonius implied that only a man who is weak and insecure would want a woman who is uneducated in philosophy and thus can't think for herself. Men who are of superior stock would naturally want women who are superior as well.

​Since the founding of Sonshi.com in 1999, we believe that the readers who would benefit most from Sun Tzu are women. Because women are usually in disadvantaged positions, Sun Tzu's The Art of War teaches them how to leverage what they already have and think more strategically to win the challenges they face. With calmness and consistency, victory isn't out of reach for those inclined to work hard and persist through the ups and downs of life.

It is with that belief that Sonshi.com is powered by ♀.com, which means we are not giving up anytime soon.

Of course Sun Tzu can be of assistance for men and minorities in similar disadvantaged positions. Timeless philosophy like The Art of War helps everyone level the playing field. Although Sun Tzu doesn't guarantee a win, because as any good student knows that victory lies in the hands of the competition, Sun Tzu does guarantee that you will be at your best if you study his lessons well.

And being at your best, which is entirely under your control, is good enough. There is little stress when there is logical strategy.