Understanding how the philosophy behind The Art of War can apply to your life can be tricky. Though the book is fairly accessible, it is easy to miss the philosophical depth and practical wisdom behind the aphoristic or common-sensical style of the text.
The truth is, Sun Tzu's philosophy is based on the successful strategies of skilled warriors throughout Ancient Chinese history. It is based on tried and true methods that offer practical insight for everyday life. In studying and applying Sun Tzu's The Art of War for over twenty years, I've come to realize that his battle-tested philosophy is built on three simple, yet fundamental propositions, or claims, each one building off the one before. These propositions can be stated as follows:
Let's look at each proposition in greater depth. Proposition I: All life is struggle. For Sun Tzu as well as the Ancient Chinese, all processes and systems in the universe are essentially governed by chaos (luan). Such chaos, however, is not the absence of order. Rather, it is the absence of stable orders. A great example of this is the weather (what Sun Tzu calls Tian, or "Heaven"), which, though unpredictable, produces powerful orders of force like hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards. Some orders in the universe may be short (such as the life of a fly), and some may be extremely long, like the life of a star. But regardless, any order in the universe is transient and ever-changing, the result of an underlying chaos - the random movement and interaction of atomic particles. Scientifically speaking, chaos can be defined as an overall expression of the second law of thermodynamics - i.e. that all processes tend towards equilibrium, increasing the level of entropy, or disorder, in all systems. The continual increase of entropy in a system creates instability within the system, causing the system itself, as well as any systems connected to it, to continuously change. Such instability inherent in the world produces continual challenges, conflict, and competition for all living beings, including human beings, who are both dependent upon the system in which they live and agents with a degree of control, however small, within this system. These struggles occur for the individual both internally (physiologically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) and externally (survival, relationships, government, etc.). We struggle with our coworkers, our spouses, our children, our bosses, our competitors. We struggle with organizing our lives, staying productive, getting healthy and fit, overcoming anxiety and self-doubt, controlling our finances, starting and finishing projects, staying focused, finding time for ourselves, and so on. Life, therefore, is a daily, unceasing war. Proposition II: Achieving and maintaining true happiness in life comes from cultivating an - that is, a deep sense of peace, calm, and security with the place one is at in life. The goal of philosophy - it is generally agreed - is to guide one in living a truly happy, fulfilling life. Ancient philosophers have argued about what makes one truly happy - from following a life of pleasure (Epicureanism) to living a life of virtue (Stoicism) to harmony with one's environment (Taoism) to enlightenment and self-discipline (Buddhism). The Sun Tzu Way introduces a new way of understanding the path to happiness, one that stems from Proposition I above - that life is struggle. As animals that have evolved within this system of chaos and struggle called life, we have a deeply embedded need for a sense of stability and control in our lives, what scientists refer to as allostasis. We all strive to feel a sense of peace, calm, and security in our lives - what Sun Tzu refers to as an. This need for an forms the basis for our sense of happiness and fulfillment. In general, when we do not feel in control of our lives - over our relationships, our circumstances, our future - we feel miserable, which is both psychological and physiological. When we do not feel in control of our ability to satisfy basic needs (shelter, safety, comfort), our personal needs (love, growth, certainty), and our spiritual needs (purpose, self-actualization, contribution), we feel unhappy and unfulfilled. On the other hand, when we feel in greater control over lives - over our ability to manage and satisfy these human needs - we feel happier, calmer, more stable, more secure. In short, happiness is not the result of following a life of pleasure or excitement. Nor is it about achieving great things or even having mastery of oneself. While these aspects are valuable in enhancing our sense of happiness, the goal of life is producing a stable state of an - of calm, peace, security. Of course, an is not something one achieves once and it remains one’s whole life. Rather, it is something that needs to be cultivated and deepened regularly as change is a constant part of life. Proposition III: Cultivating a strong, stable sense of an in one’s life requires adhering to the code (Fa) of the skilled warrior (shàn zhàn zhě). The big predicament we face in striving to cultivate an is that life is constantly changing. Resources become more or less available, competition increases, and thus, maintaining a sense of stability and control can be tricky. As such, if philosophy is going to be a guide towards living a happy, fulfilled life, then we need a philosophy that realistically allows us to increase our sense of control over lives. This is where the Sun Tzu Way comes in. Sun Tzu's The Art of War was written to guide rulers and generals in managing their nation in the face of chaos and instability. At the time the text was written, China was broken up into different states, with each state shifting alliances and attacking each other due to survival (if a smaller state) or power over the other states (if a larger state). Thus, a state is in a constant state of anxiety, especially if they are smaller. As a ruler, you would never know who your ally or enemy was. Alliances were constantly forming and threats could loom from anywhere. If you were a small state, you could easily be swallowed up by a larger state if you were not careful. For this reason, The Art of War was written to give rulers the principles for conducting war under these conditions, particularly if you are a smaller state. It advises rulers, and their generals, to follow the path (fa) of the skilled warrior (shàn zhàn zhě). The phrase "skilled warrior" is Sun Tzu’s term for generals in the past who were able to achieve subtle, simple, and relatively bloodless victories that ultimately served to make their nation stronger and more secure. Sun Tzu calls these types of skilled victories quan sheng - or “total victories.” Sun Tzu's military philosophy serves as the basis for understanding our own lives. Like the rulers in Sun Tzu's time, we also face a dynamic competitive, ever-changing world. We struggle to maintain a continual sense of stability and control that satisfies our mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. By analogy, therefore, we can benefit from also following the principles and tools of the skilled warrior. This is the source of the Sun Tzu Way. With the Sun Tzu Way, following the way of the skilled warrior in life means determining which struggles are worth one's time, which to avoid, and how to deal with any struggle one must face so that one ends up better, more secure than before. This is how you consistently create total victories, or quan sheng, in your own life. In its deepest form, the way of the skilled warrior follows a distinct code, which has five key components:
The way of the skilled warrior serves to ensure that we achieve, in all our major struggles, quan sheng - that is, victories that leave us better off after a challenge or struggle than we were before. This is key to cultivating and enjoying a life of an - peace, calm, and security. Such is the Sun Tzu Way.
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