Commentary by: Marti

THE ART OF WAR & PEACE

THE ART OF WAR is a jewel of wisdom and tactical advice, written thousands of years ago by the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu. Today, the tactics outlined in his great treatise can be applied to the Art of Peace, negotiations, and leadership in general.

In his introduction Sun Tzu states: 

War is a grave affair of state. It is a place of life and death, a road to survival and extinction, a matter to be pondered carefully. 

Sun Tzu outlines and explains that in any deliberation, five fundamentals need to be considered. He describes them as qualities, or virtues of the WAY. They are wisdom, integrity, compassion, courage, and discipline. Together they constitute what he calls < one mind >. These are the highlights and interpretations of his discourse.

COMPASSION

Compassionate leaders esteem and defend their teams. They value hard work and have sympathy for the enemy as well as their own troops. They know that compassion, above all, is the strongest virtue of a leader, but that it must be coupled with wisdom to be truly balanced. 

WISDOM

Wise leaders recognize the importance of necessary change and act in accordance with it. They know that an excess of wisdom can lead to rebellion because untampered compassion causes weakness and a lack of clarity and understanding of reality. Observing the context with keen eyes and ears and a clear mind is the key to survival and success.

INTEGRITY

A good leader inspires his troops never to question rewards or punishment but to do what is right and to act in good faith. Integrity demands that we assess the implications of our acts. A good leader knows that moral superiority alone does not assure success. Absolute integrity may cause folly. Integrity must be coupled with a clear anticipation of important material and psychological needs. Integrity requires that we pay attention to details and that we do not put our teams to unnecessary risk. It’s not about being heroes, but doing what is grounded in awareness and clear reason.

COURAGE 

Courage is about seizing the opportunity to achieve success. It is about fearlessly facing the unexpected and knowing how to assess a situation. Preparing and acting at the right moment are paramount. Brute or blind courage can result in unnecessary violence, excessive severity, carelessness, cruelty, and failure. It is not about having nothing to fear, but it is rather about harnessing fear and overcoming the obstacles that exist. This is not about miracles or blind pride and heroism, but acting because we are fully aware of the situation and our choices.

DISCIPLINE

Discipline (or severity in ancient Chinese) is about clear organization, vigilance, and being alert and true to the common good. When teams are well-trained and understand why discipline is important, leaders are likely to be respected and supported, sometimes with the very lives of their troupes.

For Sun Tzu, these five elements are the essentials of good leadership and good decision making. In addition, in The Art of War, according to Sun Tzu, any tactical situation requires certain conditions. The first requirement is to know oneself:

“To know others is wisdom; 

to understand oneself is enlightenment.

To conquer others requires force, 

to conquer oneself shows strength.”

Once we know ourselves, the second requirement is to understand the enemy, or obstacles we face. (This might be another person or people, an opposing team, an environmental condition, a struggle with resources, our perspectives of time, or some other challenge.) A famous quote is relevant here: “Hold your friends close, but hold your enemies even closer.” This means we need to understand what or who we are facing, the enemy’s character, disposition, and their intentions, so that we are prepared for any eventuality. This requires, as well, that we assess the enemy’s physical strength and mental acuity, their determination or power over us, the strength of their allies, or any cross-currents that denote serious obstacles or possible consequences. Then we know the how, when and why before we act.

Sun Tzu provides us with excellent examples. If our opponent is on a mountain and we are in the valley, no matter how many troops we have, we are at a disadvantage and are likely to suffer significant losses. If the opponent’s troops outnumber our own 10 to 1, immense creativity and waiting for an optimal moment will be necessary or perhaps impossible. If we don’t fully understand our enemy’s intentions, we will falter in the dark. If the opponent has strong allies, we need to consider their potential impact on the situation.

THE WAY 

Sun Tzu further describes THE WAY and how it engenders awareness and creates one mind. He explains that an outstanding leader:

acts without action, 

does without doing,

makes the little great and the few many, 

tackles the hard in the easy, the great in the small.

This requires observation and patience, knowing when it is appropriate to wait, and how and when to strike. In this way, nothing is superfluous, no details are left unconsidered. There are no futile acts, no exhaustion of strength, no useless arrogance. As it is said when observing nature:

“To see sun and moon is no perception; To hear thunder is no quickness of hearing.”

Shi Kuang, the blind musician, was said to be able to hear a mosquito or an ant move. This is about observing well and listening carefully and moving beyond the apparent.

THE WAY teaches us that difficult affairs are dealt with when they are easy. Great affairs are dealt with when they are small. It cautions that those who use brute strength, strong and skillful as they might be, are likely to be defeated and suffer great losses in the long run. Those who judiciously look into the unseen and discern conditions that are not yet manifest are more likely to be victorious over time. 

THE WAY teaches us that a commendable sage or leader never acts out of ego or makes decisions out of pride. Good leaders always succeed in accomplishing the task at hand out of concern for others. Sun Tzu points out that in ancient China the best leaders were humble and remained unknown. He says that the victories of the skillful warrior are not done for merit or praise. With the task accomplished, people will be empowered to consider that victory or success happened because of who they are and what they stand for. And they will honor and respect their leaders for that.

Sun Tzu recognized that there is always a fragile equilibrium between action and nonaction. His message is to be patient, flow with nature, be like water, take paths of minimal resistance, blend with what is already there, know the terrain before acting, and strive to leave only a small imprint. 

Sun Tzu reminds us that war is costly beyond measure and advises us to go for negotiation whenever possible.  

*My commentary is adapted from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War & Peace in a beautiful translation by eminent scholar John Minford, Penguin Books, London. I have tried to remain true to its content while summarizing and expanding its implications for us in this moment in time.