entertain

The Art of War by Sun Tzu (Master Sun) still remains one of the most
unmistakable, powerful pieces of literature. The book was written in the
“Warring States Era,” when warlords of China fought for land and
supremacy, by a warrior-philosopher called Sun Tzu. The book was written
as guidelines to fighting a war, strategies to win, rules of capture and
use of soldiers, etc. The Art of War is structured in general strategies,
guidelines for war. The book itself does not only apply to war, as the
title may suggest, but can be used in an everyday manner, from arguments
to war simulations, such as checkers, chess, Chinese chess, Starcraft and
the like.

Although the world is fairly peaceful now, the book still applies today,
through business and competition in general. One of the main points that
The Art of War stresses is “Victory over battle:” winning a war without
fighting, without harming the opposing army much. The victor in any war
has wisdom, benevolence, credibility, courage, and discipline. Making
himself invincible through preparation and defense, looking for cracks and
flaw in his opponent, the victor wins with ease.

There is a tale, once told in ancient China: there was a lord who asked
his physician, who was born among a family of doctors, who was the
greatest among them. The physician said this as his answer, “My eldest
brother senses the spirit of the illness before it afflicts anyone, so his
notice of his work does not get out of the house. My elder brother cures
any sickness when it is still has affected the victim at its lowest, so
his work is not known out of the village. I prescribe potions, cures,
mixtures and massage those in pain, so my work is often heard and spoken
of amongst lords and kings.” This means that warriors were known for
courage in battle, not for the lack of a great battle.

“Draw them in with the prospect of gain, then take them by confusion.” I
think that this section of the first chapter says to lure the enemy into a
point of weakness. Luring infamous bank robbers into an unguarded vault is
a good example of “Draw them in with the prospect of gain.” Having
someone capture them by walking through the walls of the vault is a way to
surprise them. Leaving an entire camp alone stocked with food supplies and
weapons is a way to get the enemy’s guard lowered, making them overly
confident, perfect for a surprise attack from behind.

“In a chariot battle, reward the first (warrior) to capture at least ten
chariots.” This, I think means to offer a reward to one, so that the rest
of the camp will be eager to receive that reward. Thus, the camp will be
filled with ready men and high morale.

“In ancient times, those known as good warriors prevailed when it was easy
to prevail.”
This applies to the story above, except for the word getting out of the
good warriors, not known as great.

The Art of War has no need for an introduction, it has no need to employ
tricks to keep its reader interested, it displays itself to the most
simplistic degree, only giving general guidelines in its pages, provoking
profound passages of thought, such as “Perhaps it means this, or maybe
that, but it does mention the …”. Its re-read value is tremendous: the
more one flips through the pages of this book, the more thoughts become
present and the more pathways to the mind become clear.

With no smoke and mirrors or lighting effects, The Art of War is what it
is and always will be- a classic.