The Art of War
Thoughts on Sun Tzu’s the Art of War
The Art of War is a book of philosophy relating to tactics and strategies, written by Chinese General, philosopher and scholar, Sun Tzu.
Though its teachings originally applied to warfare, they can also be adapted and implemented into any situation where one or more individuals are in harmony, conflict, or any state of relation that sits in-between. It is at once the first ever military treatise, and the most widely read.
Despite having been written in the 6th century B.C.E., it continues to inform world leaders and organizations to this day, and remains a cornerstone of 21st century strategic thinking.
The following section touches on two elements that Sun Tzu identifies as being essential to strength, both in individuals and in groups. Those two elements are focus and unity.
On Focus
To focus is to consolidate your forces and direct them onto one objective.
To focus is to achieve unity within yourself, thereby maximizing your power.
Individuals focus by directing the entirety of their power onto one task, thereby maximizing their power.
On Unity
Groups focus by attaining unity. In such instances, individuals of various philosophies and self-interests (for, ultimately, the actions of all humans are informed by self-interest — even one who dies for his cause does so because he feels that the cause is in line with his personal beliefs) rally around a common mission and focus their power to that end.
Consequently, the most powerful force in human history has been — and continues to be — the unification and resulting consolidated power of large groups of people. (This unity is the core strength of empires, historical and modern, as well as corporations, social movements and all other forms of social organization).
Unity, whether present in an individual or in a multitude, equals strength.
Similarly, division — in both cases — equals weakness.
