Strategy is your advantage

7/15/2017

Whenever we show people the photo above, inevitably we get responses like, "That's crazy! She's going to die!" However, what they see is only what is obvious. What they see is an enormous bull about to attack a harmless girl.

But are we all certain that is the case?

"Perceiving a victory when it is perceived by all is not the highest excellence ... For lifting an autumn down is not considered great strength, seeing the sun and the moon is not considered a sign of sharp vision, hearing thunder is not considered a sign of sensitive hearing." Sun Tzu (Chapter Four)

A good litmus test question is: would you bet your house on who would win in this battle between the bull and the girl?

Because what is not obvious is actually more relevant. What is not obvious is the girl's strategy. What is not obvious is the bull's state of mind. What we don't see is what or who is behind the girl. (This is similar to our Art of War book cover with the sole piece on the chessboard surrounded by numerous opposing pieces.)

Consider another principle in The Art of War:

"In warfare, numbers may not necessarily be an advantage; do not advance aggressively." Sun Tzu (Chapter Nine)

The Art of War usually advises the reader. But in this case, the above quote applies to the bull, not the girl. With strategy, the girl is confidently standing firm as if tempting the bull to make an aggressive move. If angry, aimless, and easily moved, the bull takes the bait, would it be a good result for him? We wouldn't bet on it.

The bull might have the "numbers," as in strength, but what good is strength if he is controlled by others?

So hopefully your viewpoint of the above photo now becomes clearer. And the lesson we can learn from it becomes clearer as well -- that no matter how seemingly formidable the problems we face, it is with this little girl's level of care and strategic thinking that we all need to employ if we want to win each and every day of our lives.

6 Comments

Mike

7/15/2017 09:59:24 pm

Great post. I had not closely looked at the cover. The web link was greatly appreciated. ~ m

Marv Kramer link

7/16/2017 10:48:02 am

You're 100% right. She can win. But her organizational goal MUST be peace not unilateral victory as you have so eloquently been teaching for a very long time.

Thomas Huynh link

7/16/2017 10:53:46 am

Let us say the bull is outside of its pen. And the girl is guiding it back to its pen without any harm to anyone involved. If the angry bull stays out in the streets much longer, more drastic actions would have been taken by people less kind.

7/16/2017 10:50:51 am

Re the book cover, our publisher originally had the Great Wall but I suggested that chess pic. It was immediately changed because everyone was in agreement it represented Sun Tzu so well: winning despite a seemingly tough situation.

7/16/2017 11:02:15 am

Thanks Thomas,

Lately I have felt an internal push to re-read the Art of War. Never has a book been needed so much.

On an aside note, I attended a screening of the Movie, Chasing Coral, Jamie Redford was the MC and the director, Jeff Orlowski did a Q&A session afterwards.

If one see's the chess board as the environment, then it ties in nicely with your very prudent choice of book cover.

~ m

7/16/2017 01:07:12 pm

That is why The Art of War has survived for 2500 years. People find it useful enough to make sure it survives, even the Chinese emperors who burned countless books -- we cannot fathom what we might have lost.

An effective strategy follows the path that benefits not just the strategist but all involved.

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Strategy is your advantage

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