A Recommended Sunzi Book: Mark R. McNeilly's Sun Tzu And The Art of Modern Warfare

The Compass360 Consulting Group highly recommended Mark McNeilly's interpretation of Sunzi Art of War.

We will post our book review sometime in the future.

More on Assessing Strategically from the Perspective of Sherlock Holmes

Wikipedia

Sherlock Holmes Quotes
'My name is Sherlock Holmes.  It is my business to know what other people don't know.'
-The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

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'I am the last and highest court of appeal in detection.'
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 1: "The Science of Deduction"

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'There is nothing like first-hand evidence.'
-A Study in Scarlet

 ---
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."
-The Hound of the Baskervilles

Chapter 3: "The Problem"

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'You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.'
- A Scandal in Bohemia

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'It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.'
-A Scandal in Bohemia

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'I never guess. It is a shocking habit,—destructive to the logical faculty.'
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 2: "The Science of Deduction"

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'You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.'
-The Bascombe Valley Mystery

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'There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.'
-The Bascombe Valley Mystery

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"'Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?'

'To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.'

'The dog did nothing in the night-time.'

'That was the curious incident,' remarked Sherlock Holmes.'"

Exchange between Inspector Gregory and Sherlock Holmes
-Silver Blaze

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'Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.'
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 1: "The Science of Deduction"

 ---
'How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?'
-The Sign of Four

Chapter 6: "Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration

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'...when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
-The Blanched Soldier

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'It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
-The Beryl Coronet

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'Come, Watson, come!' he cried. 'The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!'
-The Adventure of the The Abbey Grange

 ---
"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."
-The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

  ---
'I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?'
-The Sign of Four

---
'They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains,' he remarked with a smile. 'It's a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work.'
-A Study in Scarlet

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'There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before.'
-A Study in Scarlet

 ---
'I ought to know by this time that when a fact appears to be opposed to a long train of deductions it invariably proves to be capable of bearing some other interpretation.'
-A Study in Scarlet
Chapter 3: "Light in the Darkness"

  ---
'Which is it today,' I asked, 'morphine or cocaine?'
He raised his eyes languidly from the old black-leather volume which he had opened.
'It is cocaine,' he said, 'a seven-per-cent solution. Would you like to try it?'
An exchange between Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 1: "The Science of Deduction"

 ---
'I never make exceptions.  An exception disproves the rule.'
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 2: "The Statement of the Case'

---
Holmes took his revolver from his drawer and slipped it in his pocket.  It was clear that he thought that our night's work might be a serious one.
Observation of Dr. Watson
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 3: "In Quest of a Solution"

---
So silent and furtive were his movements, like those of a trained bloodhound picking out a scent, that I could not but think what a terrible criminal he would have made had he turned his energy and sagacity against the law instead of exerting them in its defence.
Observation of Dr. Watson
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 6: "Sherlock Holmes Gives a Demonstration"

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'I listen to their story, they listen to my comments, and then I pocket my fee.'
-A Study in Scarlet
Chapter 2: "The Science of Deduction"

 ---
'What one man can invent another can discover.'
-The Adventure of the Dancing Man

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'The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.'
-The Sign of Four

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 'I think that there are certain crimes which the law cannot touch, and which therefore, to some extent, justify private revenge.'
-The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton

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 'What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear?  It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable.'
-The Cardboard Box

 ---
When I glanced again his face had resumed that red-Indian composure which had made so many regard him as a machine rather than a man. 
Dr. Watson Observing Sherlock Holmes
-The Crooked Man

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 'Having gathered these facts, Watson, I smoked several pipes over them, trying to separate those which were crucial from others which were merely incidental.' 
-The Crooked Man 

 ---
 He [Holmes] loved to lie in the very centre of five millions of people, with his filaments stretching out and running through them, responsive to every little rumor or suspicion of unsolved crime.
Dr. Watson's Observation of Sherlock Holmes
-The Resident Patient

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 'My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces because it is not connected up with the work for which it was built.' 
-The Man with the Twisted Lip

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"My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession,—or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world."
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 1: "The Science of Deduction"

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 'When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals.  He has the nerve and he has the knowledge.' 
-The Adventure of the Speckled Band

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'Nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person.' 
-Silver Blaze

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'I think that you know me well enough, Watson, to understand that I am by no means a nervous man. At the same time, it is stupidity rather than courage to refuse to recognize danger when it is close upon you.'
-The Final Problem

 ---
 'I confess that I have been blind as a mole, but it is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn it at all.' 
-The Man with the Twisted Lip

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'A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library where he can get it if he wants.' 
-The Five Orange Pips

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'I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.  A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands on it. Now the skillful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.  He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.  It is a mistake to think that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent.  Depend uon it - there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before.  It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.' 
-A Study in Scarlet
Chapter 2: "The Science of Deduction"

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'It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.'
-A Case of Identity

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'It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.'
-The Copper Beeches

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  On this page are some of the most famous and perhaps not so famous quotes from the Sherlock Holmes short stories and books as written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These quotes and sayings are from the great Detective Sherlock Holmes, his friend, Dr. John Watson, and others.  For each quote, the name of the person speaking and the short story or novel the quote was copied from have been provided. More of the quote is provided to show context for some of the more famous quotes. There are hundreds of quotes and we seek to be the most complete source of s on the Internet.  Feel free to share any quotes and sayings that we may have missed. Dont forget to provide the source of any quote you submit.  All quotes on this web site were written or spoken by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle unless otherwise stated.

--- Robert Downey Jr,  Benedict Cumberbatch . 

Source: Sherlock Holmes Quotes 

When the crime case arrives to the front door of Sherlock Holmes, the complexity of the crime has already exceed the skill set of the pseudo experts.  They have met the standards of the Peter Principle.

After some rounds of inquiring and assessing, he triumphs at the conclusion of of the story by questioning the quality of certain obvious points while identifying the non-obvious points.

You could say that Holmes usually searched for the zebra not the horses.


Suggestion
From reading Sherlock Holmes, the observant strategist realized that knowing a collage of strategies and the act of assessing strategically are worthless if one is not mindfully observant of the specifics behind the factors. 

Identifying the key performance indicators (KPI) for one's strategic situation is the easy part. Pinpointing the prevailing tactical factors behind each KPI for your situation is the real challenge.  We presumed that you definitively know the reasoning behind that point  If not, contact us.

Assessing Strategically from the Perspective of Sherlock Holmes

Source: Sherlock Holmes Quotes
updated at 5.26.14 1:23 hr

In previous posts, we have discussed the importance of centering oneself before assessing and the actual act of assessing.

Understanding the significance of deduction is the next step for the ambitious strategist who is operating in a complex strategic situation where non-transparency (disinformation and misinformation) is pervasive.

One could learn the generality of the "deduction" process from reading Sherlock Holmes.  

The following set of quotes are from SherlockHolmesquotes.com 

#
Gleaned from the stories of Sherlock Holmes written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are these quotes from Mr. Sherlock Holmes regarding his techniques and methods for solving mysteries and crimes using deductive reasoning.

Simply Stated - Deduction is Reasoning Backwards 
"In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practise it much. In the every-day affairs of life it is more useful to reason forwards, and so the other comes to be neglected. There are fifty who can reason synthetically for one who can reason analytically...Let me see if I can make it clearer. Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. There are few people, however, who, if you told them a result, would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. This power is what I mean when I talk of reasoning backwards, or analytically."
-A Study in Scarlet
-Chapter 7 - Conclusion


Do Not Theorized Before Gathering Data
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment."
-A Study in Scarlet

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.  Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."
-A Scandal in Bohemia

"Let me run over the principal steps. We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind, which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations."
-The Adventure of the Cardboard Box

Do Not Reason From Insufficient Data
"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can't make bricks without clay."
-The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

"I had," he said, "come to an entirely erroneous conclusion, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data."
-The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Data 
"There is nothing like first-hand evidence."
-A Study in Scarlet

Notice Trifles 
"You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles."
-The Bascombe Valley Mystery

"They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains," he remarked with a smile. "It's a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work."
-A Study in Scarlet

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."
-A Case of Identity

Obvious Facts Can be Deceptive
"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
-The Bascombe Valley Mystery

Don't Just See, Observe!
"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."
-The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chapter 3: "The Problem

'You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is clear.'
-A Scandal in Bohemia

Avoid Emotion
"Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner."
-The Sign of Four

'The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.'
-The Sign of Four

Recognize Vital Facts
 "It is of the highest importance in the art of detection to be able to recognize, out of a number of facts, which are incidental and which vital. Otherwise your energy and attention must be dissipated instead of being concentrated."
-The Reigate Puzzle

Eliminate the Impossible and What Remains Is Truth
"Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth."
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 1: "The Science of Deduction"

"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
- The Sign of Four

'...when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
-The Blanched Soldier

---
'It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'
-The Beryl Coronet

Additional Notes
"Nothing clears up a case so much as stating it to another person."
-Silver Blaze

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"I have already explained to you that what is out of the common is usually a guide rather" than a hindrance."
-A Study in Scarlet
-Chapter 7 - Conclusion

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'"The more outre' and grotesque an incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined, and the very point which appears to complicate a case is, when duly considered and scientifically handled, the one which is most likely to elucidate it."
Sherlock Holmes
-The Hound of the Baskervilles
Chapter 15 - "A Retrospection"

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"Any truth is better than indefinite doubt."
-The Yellow Face

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"I never guess. It is a shocking habit — destructive to the logical faculty" 
-The Sign of Four

# Sherlock Holmes Expounds on Logic, Inference and Deduction
  Then I [Dr. Watson] picked up a magazine from the table and attempted to while away the time with it, while my companion munched silently at his toast. One of the articles had a pencil mark at the heading, and I naturally began to run my eye through it.

  Its somewhat ambitious title was "The Book of Life," and it attempted to show how much an observant man might learn by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way. It struck me as being a remarkable mixture of shrewdness and of absurdity. The reasoning was close and intense, but the deductions appeared to me to be far-fetched and exaggerated. The writer claimed by a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a glance of an eye, to fathom a man's inmost thoughts. Deceit, according to him, was an impossibility in the case of one trained to observation and analysis. His conclusions were as infallible as so many propositions of Euclid. So startling would his results appear to the uninitiated that until they learned the processes by which he had arrived at them they might well consider him as a necromancer.

  "From a drop of water," said the writer, "a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other. So all life is a great chain, the nature of which is known whenever we are shown a single link of it. Like all other arts, the Science of Deduction and Analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study nor is life long enough to allow any mortal to attain the highest possible perfection in it. Before turning to those moral and mental aspects of the matter which present the greatest difficulties, let the enquirer begin by mastering more elementary problems. Let him, on meeting a fellow-mortal, learn at a glance to distinguish the history of the man, and the trade or profession to which he belongs. Puerile as such an exercise may seem, it sharpens the faculties of observation, and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man's finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs—by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent enquirer in any case is almost inconceivable."

  "What ineffable twaddle!" I cried, slapping the magazine down on the table, "I never read such rubbish in my life."

  "What is it?" asked Sherlock Holmes.

  "Why, this article," I said, pointing at it with my egg spoon as I sat down to my breakfast. "I see that you have read it since you have marked it. I don't deny that it is smartly written. It irritates me though. It is evidently the theory of some arm-chair lounger who evolves all these neat little paradoxes in the seclusion of his own study. It is not practical. I should like to see him clapped down in a third class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow-travellers. I would lay a thousand to one against him."

  "You would lose your money," Sherlock Holmes remarked calmly. "As for the article I wrote it myself."

  "You!"

  "Yes, I have a turn both for observation and for deduction. The theories which I have expressed there, and which appear to you to be so chimerical are really extremely practical—so practical that I depend upon them for my bread and cheese."

  "And how?" I asked involuntarily.

  "Well, I have a trade of my own. I suppose I am the only one in the world. I'm a consulting detective, if you can understand what that is. Here in London we have lots of Government detectives and lots of private ones. When these fellows are at fault they come to me, and I manage to put them on the right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I am generally able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of crime, to set them straight. There is a strong family resemblance about misdeeds, and if you have all the details of a thousand at your finger ends, it is odd if you can't unravel the thousand and first. 
-The Sign of Four
Chapter 2 - "The Science of Deduction"

All quotes on this web site were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle unless otherwise stated.

# Source: http://www.sherlockholmesquotes.com/

The Conceptual Connection to the Sunzi's Essay
and Other Strategic Classics 
Being observant is not enough, comprehending the "Dao of the situation" by assessing the prevalent factors of the situation is a requirement.  

It usually leads to good planning and efficient execution. 


Identifying the Factors
“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the confrontation, they resolve in their conference room that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the confrontation they resolve in their conference room that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.

If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor?

When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.”

- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation

Know the Cyclical Effects of Certain Strategic Factors
"The Sage observes signs from the movements of Heaven and Earth and knows its principles. He observes the movement of the sun and the moon and understand their seasonal activity. He follows the cycles of day and night, taken them as his constant. All things have life and death in accord with the principles of Heaven and Earth. Thus it is said that if one fights before understanding the situation, even if he is more numerous, he will certainly be defeated."  - Six Secret Teachings   

Comments From the Compass Desk
To be a successful strategist, one must be capable to achieve the following objectives:

• Know how to center oneself;
• Becoming mindfully aware of one's strategic situation and beyond; 
• Knowing when to be assessing, positioning and influencing strategically; and 
• Knowing how to deduce the specifics of a non-transparent object.

Side Notes
The chapter on data deduction might be included in our Strategic Assessment book project and/or the "Scripting" book project. 

Please visit Cook Ding's Kitchen if you are interested in the practice of centering oneself. 

# # # 

Fantasizing in the Information Economy with The "Art of War "Cult (1)

The Cult of The Art of War are in love with the concept of preaching and teaching the principles from Sunzi The Art of War (AoW).  ... They reminded me of a Sunday school's bible class where the teachers constantly recite the individual quotes without ever discussing the specifics behind the quotes in terms of a particular situation. 

An inspirational message can only go so far. ... Heaven helps those who are following these idiots. 

Beside not knowing the approach to connecting the right practices to the principles, these pseudo experts do not know how to assess a situation in terms of risk, uncertainty and volatility. 

Q: So, why are they teaching this fluff to their flock? 

A: No one cares about their reasoning. They just wanted to inspire their flock.

Side Notes

We have personally felt that there are numerous bogus experts who have tainted the true message of the Art of War.

Some of these bogus experts believed that the Art of War essay (or The Prince essay) is the absolute answer to outwitting their competitors. They also spent an abundance of time, emphasizing on the message of  "rah-rah" leadership  and self-empowerment while presenting an amateurish view of planning. 

This perspective indirectly means that these people could barely assess the predictability and the complexity of a situation without ever knowing how to assess its disposition, its momentum of change and the reality from the abyss of illusions.


Some of the serious strategy professionals quietly viewed this perspective as a moral hazard.  . . . However, these "thoughtless carbos" have served the immediate wants of the mindless masses. 

Why do some of these pseudo experts claimed that they know the Art of War when they do not comprehend the process of assessing their strategic settings?  After awhile, we stopped wondering about the reasons of that behavior.  ... In the information economy, deception is the norm.  ... The masses love the message of a "simple but irrelevant"  solution in a complex world.   ...  The flock that followed these pseudo experts, deserve the obvious  

Happy April Fools Day!

Interesting Trivia on The Best Practices of World Class Strategic Thinkers and Achievers

Following is our abridged list of proven and unproven trivia that we have researched:

Beethoven

• Rewrote his music composition constantly until it was visually perfect

Bill Walsh

• Always scripted a gameplan before proceeding on anything.
• Usually implemented a starter script of plays that barely had any connections from any recent games.
• Always had the minimum of one more scripted play than the competing coach.
• Believed in the concept of the system over goals. (If one believes in the system and follows it, the score takes care of itself.)

Jiang Tai Gong  (known as the Father of Strategic Studies)

• Emphasized on the practice  of creating a situation that lures the "intended and willing" target toward the fisherman 
• Emphasized on the practice  of catching orcas and sharks not goldfishes and guppies
• Emphasized the practice of reading the situation, profiling the principals in a situation and identifying their configuration before ever deciding on the objective and the tactical approach.

John Nash (Nobel Prize Winning Economist)

• Brainstormed his ideas while cycling in a figure eight pattern and humming J.S. Bach's The Art of Fugue.

Mike Shanahan (former coach of Washington Redskins) 

• Uses a 15 Plays starter script to determine the tendencies of the competition 
• Always took proud in possessing a larger playbook than the competition

Miyamoto Musashi

• Dedicated himself to his profession by practicing the art of minimalism.
• Utilized two swords in certain combat situation while carrying a minimum of three implements.
• Utilized a wooden sword once he realized his sword skill has reached the highest level of swordmanship.

Mozart

• Was known to use a standing table when writing his music
• Visualized the content of his composition before writing his music
• Wrote his composition in one attempt.  

Steve Jobs

• Always emphasize on simplicity and quality in his products.

Sun Bin

• Emphasized on the practice of being tenacious, guile and insightful in adverse situations
• Emphasized the employment of various bait and lure tactics for the purpose of influencing the competitor into a disadvantageous situation
• Able to recite the entire text of the Art of War essay

Sunzi

• Emphasized the art of strategic efficiency in his famous essay  (Art of War)
• Believed in the approach of prevailing in a competitive situation through the exploitation of unorthodox and orthodox tactics

Wang Xu

• Taught the development of one's foundation of awareness through the various exercises for the purpose of learning strategy 
• Focused on the process of assessing, positioning and influencing one's settings while becoming mindful of the objective of being strategically effective.
• Taught Jiang Tai Gong's Six Secret Teachings to his many students (Sun Bin, Zhang Yin and others) .

Wuzi (The writer of Wuzi's Art of War)

• Believed in dedicating oneself to the grand cause of his employer.
• Specialized in strategic efficiency

Zhang Liang

• Strategize on being positionally ahead of the situation through the implementation of a "complete" strategy.
• Famous for 
• Preferred to operate from a remote site. 
• Buried with his copy of "Six Secret Teachings."  It was  rumored that a copy of "The Three Strategies of Huang Shek Gong" was included in the process.

Zhuge Liang

• Understood many subject matters (agriculture, engineering, meteorology, geology, etc.).
• Relied greatly on certain circumstances before acting. 

#

Succeeding by Assessing Through An Assortment of Strategic Factors (The Example is from the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Movie) Part 1

Source: YouTube 

           
“These are the ways that successful strategists are victorious. They cannot be spoken or transmitted in advance. ... Before the confrontation, they resolve in their conference room that they will be victorious, have determined that the majority of factors are in their favor. Before the confrontation they resolve in their conference room that they will not be victorious, have determined a few factors are in their favor.

If those who find that the majority of factors favor them, will be victorious while those who have found few factors favor them will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in their favor?

When observing from this viewpoint, victory and defeat will be apparent.”

- Art of War 1 (Paraphrased from the Sawyer's translation)

The first chapter in Sawyer's translation of the Art of War, aptly titled “Initial Estimations,” which outlines five critical factors for assessment, initiated the thrust to undertake warfare on a calculated basis so closely associated with traditional Chinese military science. (The Art of War actually contains some forty or so paired criteria for evaluation purposes.)

Following is a general listing of strategic factors for this "specific" field tactical situation:

• The Configuration of the Terrain: The specific qualities of a terrain that could affect the remaining five strategic factors;
• Generalship (or Leadership)- Possessing the qualities to see the configuration of Big Tangible Picture while maintaining one's principles before capitalizing the opportunities and having the attentiveness to adjust and persist;
• Tactical Experience- Mastering a diversity of practical tactics that efficiently utilize the resources and the technology and having the comprehension that connects their approach, the executable of the means and the modes that support the means; 
• Resources- Possessing the access to quality resources;  
• Technology- Possessing the technology that offers a tactical equilibrium advantage; and   
• Strategy- Understanding the specifics of the current goal, the approach, the contingency plans, and the tactical options while having a direction once a tactical scenario is over.

The above video displayed two female fighters who are in positioned in a confrontation situation. Fighter A is dressed in white and Fighter B is dressed in beige.   (It is from Ang Lee's 2001's martial art fantasy movie "Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon.")

Profile of Fighter A

• Specializing the application of a double-edged bladed implement (jian).
• Possessing less tactical experience in properly utilizing the double edged sword 
• Possessing minimum emotional control
• Possessing a lighter double-edged sword that is ultra sharp (superior technology)

Profile of Fighter B

• Possessing an abundance of tactical experience and a wide array of combat tactics  while utilizing an assortment of average weaponry (quality technology). 
• Possessing strong emotional control
• Preferring the sabre (dao).  
• in this video, Fighter B had the advantage to the various specific weapons that were positioned in the room.

Analysis
In some situations, the choice of weapon represents the mindset of the implementer. The tactical approach of Fighter A is based on cut-parrying movements while Fighter B favored to chop and slice.

While watching the video, you see a sequence of six different rounds of quick clashes.

• the straight sword vs. the single saber (During this round, the single sabre is separated into a pair of double sabers)
• the straight sword vs. the spear
• the straight sword vs. a pair of hooked swords
• the straight sword vs. the monk spade
• the straight sword vs. the Gan (an unsharpen metal club-like sword)
• the straight sword vs. an two handed long straight sword

The Battle
For the first three rounds, Fighter A with average skill, possessed the "ultra sharp" implement (superior technology), that destroyed all three weapons of her opponent. Fighter B had the advantage in tactical experience, but used the wrong tactical approach of hacking and trapping against the sharper sword. 

Fighter B did not have the physical foundation to use the Monk Spade in the fourth round.

While being slowly worn down by Fighter B with a "Gan" (club-like sword), Fighter A was able to cut through it.

In the last round, Fighter B finally secured the advantageous gain by combining her usage of a long two-handled sword, the vantage of "spatial distance" and the "swing, slide and tap/slice" trap tactic to secure the advantageous gain of shortening the distance and pinning the endpoint of the broken blade to the throat of Fighter A.


Assessing the Process of The Battle
Regarding to the above movie clip, certain factors were balanced out.  The battle was about Fighter A who had basic tactical experience and better technology (double edge sword) vs. Fighter B who possessed a high level of experience and a wide array of average technology . 

The fighter with the superior technology would prevail by following the two strategic steps:

• Surprising the opponent with the new advantage; and 
• Pursuing and pressing the opponent relentlessly before any strategic recovery occurs.

The person with the wider tactical experience become victorious by following the three pointers:

• Influencing the opponent to play defense;
• Refraining from clashing with the opponent's superior technology with a confrontational movement; and 
• Employing unorthodox tactics (with better maneuvers) to bait the opponent's to mis-utilize their advantage (which could open up their guard).

The "first move advantage" approach and continuous attacking were the keys to prevailing in this distinct situation of uneven advantage.

Comments From The Compass Desk
In a moderately predictable confrontational situation, most field competitors have minimal strategic skills and the time to study their opponent. They ignored the strategic side of the match and utilized their base instinct to persist and survive. ... 

Also, most people do not have the time or the methodical perspective to assess a borrowed instrument and proceed with their basic instinct, their experience with that category of instrument, and presumed that they will prevail before the weapon falters. Sometimes,they get lucky in encountering an unskilled opposition.

Against a stronger opposition who is proficient in misleading the sensorial perception of their counterpart, the result outcome could be quite negative. 

Those who are competing in an intensive competition, should remember the following quote from Questions and Replies between T'ang T'ai-tsung and Li Wei-kung.

"According to Fan Li's book, 'If you're last use yin tactics, if you're first then use yang tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy's yang tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy's tactics. When you have exhausted the enemy measures, then expand your yin to the full and seize them.' This then is the subtle mysteriousness of yin and yang according to the strategists."

This principle has great depth behind its context. One should contemplate quietly and deeply when implementing their daily practice. 

Hint: Save your time.  The answer is not in your copy of the Art of War or the 36 Stratagems  manual.  This type of experience occurs from many years of intense but unique martial arts practice sessions.

Side Notes
Click here for a post on how to assess the quality of a sword. 

We might post a specific example on how the mentioned six strategic factors played a role in how the outcome of Three Kingdom's Red Cliff event was affected. You could read a portion of it by reading Dr. Sawyer's biography of Zhuge Liang.

If one is interested in learn more about the world of martial arts, please visit Cook Ding's Kitchen.  It is a great place for newbies like us to visit and learn.


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A "Pragmatic" (Strategic) View of Daoism

/// It is always a challenge for many people to apply the Daoist thought to the gritty realities of daily life, not in lofty philosophical discussions. 

This two-part article was originally published in April 2004  and Sept 2004, by one of our many associates.  After eight plus years, he has updated portions of it and asked us to published it.

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Playing with the Dao:

A "Pragmatic" Strategic View

The Dao gave birth to One. The One gave birth to Two. The Two gave birth to Three. The Three gave birth to all of creation. All things carry Yin yet embrace Yang. They blend their life breaths in order to produce harmony.
People despise being orphaned, widowed, and poor. But the noble ones take these as their titles. In losing, much is gained, and in gaining, much is lost.
What others teach I too will teach:   "The strong and violent will not die a natural death."   --- Chapter 42 of Laozi's Dao De Jing (also known as the Tao Te Ching)

We are currently living under a challenging macro scenario of rapid urgency, where uncertainties have become a regular commonality. Some of these uncertainties are driven by many global-sized, technologically driven velocities of change that unnerve the masses to ask the question "What are we going to do now?"

Someone recently asked me the following set of questions: "Since our world has gotten more chaotic than what we dreamed or believed in, what can we do about it? Can a person stay ahead of the curve of shifts and changes by understanding the Dao? Is there anything in the Dao that allows us to understand our world of uncertainty?"

After a moment of self-reflection on these questions, I realized that this person wanted a pragmatic "what-to-do" answer to our global setting of life-altering shifts and changes. Before those questions could be answered, we must first define the meaning of the Dao.

What is the Dao?

The word "Dao" (also written as "Tao") means road, path, or way (a way to follow, a way of thought, a method, or a principle). The Dao is seen as the everlasting principle at the origin of the universe. It permeates and transcends all beings; it is at the origin of all transformations. This belief system, originating in ancient China, is considered to the foremost, indigenous philosophical thought of China and is called Daoism. Fundamentally, the name Daoism refers to one central universal principle: "Everything in the universe is connected to the motion of continuous change."

This essayist re-interprets that same principle as "… an elegant, universal framework that loosely connects numerous components to a total flow of macro and micro cycles of continuous change." Everything about Daoism is connected to this perspective.

"The universe and I exist together and all things and I are one."   
--- Zhuang Zi's (translated by Lin Yutang)

Each component can possess a total force of positive or negative polarity. The Chinese referred to these forces as Yin and Yang. By viewing the internals of those components, an interplaying balance of opposite polarities that create and display the macro force can be seen.

Within this common setting, there's always a multiple of Yin and Yang forces evolving from a state of balance to a state of imbalance, then returning to its original state. Some of these actions have been explained with mathematics, numbers, and patterns. Nevertheless, it is always dynamic and continuous.

Pragmatic Definition of Yin and Yang forces

Yin:   Soft, dark, contract, zero, lightness (weight), extraordinary, earth, no, loss, water

Yang:   Hard, light, expand, one, heaviness (weight), normal, heaven, yes, gain, fire

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A Daoist Viewpoint on Change

The impact of any Yin and Yang force is change. The Daoist's perspective on change emphasizes that time is cyclical—not linear or dynamic and never static. Change occurs continuously—not between events—and present events are determined by other present events, not by past events. To meet your objective, it is important to prevail in as many incrementally based contests as possible.

To view a change in term of Sunzi's strategic principles, this essayist recommends that you should perceive it in terms of patterns, strategic advantage(s), adaptability, and leverage(s).

"Thus, one able to gain victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation may be said to be divine. … Of the five elements, none is always predominant; of the four seasons, none lasts forever; of the days, some are long and some are short, and the moon waxes and wanes. …" --- Sunzi's Art of War (AoW), Chapter 6 (Griffith interpretation)

INTRODUCTION TO READING THE YIN AND YANG FORCES

Reading, recognizing, and understanding the force of shifts and changes occurs when you learn how to stay still.

"In battle, there are only the normal and extraordinary forces, but their combinations are limitless; none can comprehend them all. … For these two forces are mutually reproductive; their interaction as endless as that of interlocked rings. Who can determine where one ends and the other begins. …"   --- Sunzi AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith interpretation)

Stillness

To understand the Dao, internal stillness is the first requirement. The first step of attaining this particular state is the "focused" act of emptying one's thoughts while maintaining no physical movement. This state of total "nothingness" is another important factor behind the essence of Daoism.

"Detach from emotions and desires; get rid of any fixations."   
--- Zhuge Liang

The focus of being still is to find the internal state of tranquility within your being.

"In motion be like water. At rest like a mirror. Respond like an echo.
Be subtle as though non-existent. Be still as though pure."   
--- Zhuangzi

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Results from the Practice of Stillness

Life can be an incoming flow of random shift and changes when you are not familiar with the patterns. Proper practice of internal stillness allows you to understand the interlinking patterns of Yin and Yang forces while disbelieving in the attribute of chance.

"The stillness in stillness is not the true stillness; only when there is stillness in motion does the universal rhythm manifest."   
--- Old Daoist text

Once the basic state of stillness is attained, the next step is to focus your internal attention on recognizable things like time, climate, and terrain, then continue by noticing its order and how it corresponds to the large scheme of things—all while maintaining your eye on the target. This key step of focusing on the current moment is the basis of mastering the Daoist principle of "familiar."

"Never worry about yesterday or concern oneself with tomorrow. You have to stay in the moment. By focusing on today, that is how we get to tomorrow."   
--- A paraphrase from John Wooden, former UCLA coach

This "performance" state of internal stillness can attenuate the chaos of your surroundings into a transparent state of clarity. Old Daoist texts describe this transformation with the analogy of "muddy water settling down and becoming "clear and pristine."

"One should clean out a room in one's home and place only a tea table and a chair in the room with some boiled water and fragrant tea. Afterwards, sit solitarily and allow one's spirit to become tranquil, light, and natural."   
--- Li Ri Hua, a Ming Dynasty scholar

Through this constant practice of internal stillness, the novice strategist (of the Dao) slowly learns to appreciate the attribute of self-patience and delayed gratification, while subconsciously focusing on accomplishing your objective regardless of the internal and external pressure (from your surroundings that derives from the shifts and changes).

"The Master said, 'Even the world, its states, and its clans can be pacified; even ranks and emoluments can be declined, and even flashing blades can be trodden underfoot, but focusing on the familiar affairs of the day (zhongyong)—this is no easy matter."   
--- Zhongyong, Section 9

You can also advance to the mindset of prioritizing that understanding the state of how the world is is more significant than the act of determining what and why the world is.

"Be peaceful, easygoing, upright, and calm; then the measures you impose will be accommodating. If you are good at managing but are not calm, then empty your heart and even your mind, and wait for unease to fall away. This helps master rank."   
--- Guigu Zi (Master of the Ghost Valley)

# Results from "Understanding the How"

Understanding how the world operates and its cyclical phase enhances your view of the large picture. This comprehension assists you in determining the "competitive advantage" within the situation, allowing you to focus on what to adopt and how to adjust to the current situation.

Proper understanding of the how allows the pragmatic strategist of the Dao to proactively view the Big Tangible Picture unemotionally while the practice of the what focuses the amateur strategist to be more tactically reactive. After a series of practice and perfecting, the budding strategist of the Dao learns to observe and understand how the micro-cycle of one event can fit into the large picture [the Greater Dao]. This action is the first step of "aligning with the Dao."

"What comes from the internal practice of stillness is the practice of field and focus. ... All this 'stuff' is happening all around me and I am the lens that brings it into perspective at this point in time and this location."   --- R. Matz (The Alpha Chef of Cook Ding's Kitchen and Xingyiquan player)

This proper practice allows you to become effective at whatever your focus is.

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How to Read the Forces

"Study requires calm; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to expand talent; without calm there is no way to accomplish study."   
--- Zhuge Liang

Through the state of stillness, you could develop the ability to read the forces of Yin and Yang. When observing a specific force, focus only on the current moment of reading and recognizing the attributes of forces and its affect on the current settings. Is the force opposing? Is the force positioned in a scenario of confronting? Is the force fluid and constantly changing? Is the force a "head-on" scenario? Or is the force a macro combination of the four forces mentioned above?

"Therefore I say, know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril."   
--- Sunzi

When encountering any combination of those mentioned forces, the pragmatic strategist-Daoist decides on one of the following four strategic options:

• Positioning in one's locale and countering with the opposite polarity of the oncoming force
• Positioning in one's locale and yielding until the force is overextended
• Countering the directness of the oncoming force with indirectness
• Countering the "continuous change of opposing force" by following its direction

As a strategic rule, it is not a good idea to always counter a direct force with a direct force.

"For they end and recommence; cyclical, as are the movements of the sun and moon. They die away and are reborn; recurrent, as are the passing seasons. … "   
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith's interpretation)

By studying the following attributes of a force: direction, intensity, rhythm, balance and its origin, you might understand how it fits into the greater scheme of things.

"In dwelling, be close to the land; in meditation, go deep in the heart; in dealing with others, be gentle and kind; in speech, be true; in ruling, be just'; in business, be competent; in action, watch the timing."   
--- Dao De Jing, Chapter 8

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Understanding the Dao

To understand the basic interaction of the Dao, reading and recognizing the "Yin and Yang" forces becomes the immediate priority. The first step is mastering the action of stillness.

"To overcome the intelligent by intelligence, however, is a matter of opportunity. There are three avenues of opportunity: events, trends, and conditions."   --- Zhuge Liang

The Dao is about continuous change and that there is no approach to completely control the Dao. You can only read, recognize, and synchronize with it for a chosen seasonal cycle. Through a constant and conscious interplay with the Dao, you learn how to achieve the "right feel for the right time at the right place" while determining the critical path for completing that venture.

Comprehending the process regarding the settings that are around you and their relationship to the macro picture is what counts. The acceptance of these macro principles of the Dao will allow you to operate and complete your venture with maximum efficiency regardless of the influence(s) around you.

When you can focus on the current affairs of the moment, only then can you concentrate on what matters most.

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."   
--- F. Scott Fitzgerald

When dealing with scenarios of uncertainty, the pragmatic strategist of the Dao focuses only on the cyclical analysis and recognition while comprehending how things operate and not what the results of the thing. Through cyclical recognition, you understand the importance of the timing and the momentum within various shifts and changes.

THE  HEURISTIC PRINCIPLES OF THE DAO

The following is a partial listing of the heuristic principles for aligning with the Dao:

• The Dao is a macro space consisting of numerous loosely connected components: Strategy is the Dao. Boxing (martial arts) is the Dao. Everything is the Dao
• The "Seasonal" Cycle: During good times, you must be conservative, totally focused, and not expand beyond your means. Good and bad times can never last forever.   /// Things always come in cycles. Understanding and following the significant macro cycle properly allows you to master the attribute of momentum and timing for that macro scenario
• "Focus on the Familiar" #1: Proper establishment of internal stillness allows you to pay attention to the familiar
• "Focus on the Familiar" #2: "Focus solely on how the world works as opposed to what is the world about before executing any strategic move"
• The Integration of Yin and Yang: The forces of Yin and Yang complement each other. For every Yang-driven scenario, there's a Yin-driven scenario hidden behind it and vice-versa
• Opposite Polarity: You should always effortlessly counter an opposing force with a force of opposite polarity (either directly or indirectly)
• Existing with the Dao: Logic is a tool that justifies your existence
• Playing with the Dao #1: Playing with the Dao allows you to align with it for a particular season that gives you a momentary advantage. Concurrently, also focus on securing the maximum results that would give you the best position for the next cycle
• Playing with the Dao #2: Dissolving, deflecting, and absorbing the forces of Yin and Yang is the trademark of someone who comprehend the approach for playing with the Dao. That action derives from your approach of adopting, adjusting, and aligning with the Dao. Those who do not align with the Dao pay the conclusive price of failure. In the long run, the forces of the Dao always prevail over the abilities of animals, machines, and man
• Playing with the Dao #3: Always regard the macro (and micro) cause-and-effect process within each continuous cycle
• Aligning with the Dao #1: There is a great difference between knowing the Dao and aligning with the Dao

GRAND RESULTS

"Before the engagement, one who determines in the ancestral temple that he will be victorious has found that the majority of factors are in his favor. Before the engagement one who determines in the ancestral temple that he will not be victorious has found few factors are in his favor. If one who finds that the majority of factors favor him will be victorious, while one who has found few factors favor him will be defeated, what about someone who finds no factors in his favor? Observing it from this perspective, victory and defeat will be apparent. " 

 --- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 1 (Sawyer's interpretation)

Through the practice of mindful stillness and the understanding of the Dao, you gradually learn and understand the importance of constant self-improvement and living our lives intelligently with a great degree of significance. The maintaining of this self-optimizing state while wandering at ease is always a lifetime challenge for those who wish to align themselves with the Dao.

"Your experience is never the same as the next person." --- A paraphrased quote from Sun Lu Tang (Sun's Internal Martial Art System Founder)

The experience of each person is always different from the practice of stillness. The only commonalities are the focus on the familiar and the practice of aligning with the Dao.

"In every landscape, the point of astonishment is the meeting of the sky and the earth." --- Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Transcendental Sage of Concord

THOUGHTS FROM A PRAGMATIC STRATEGIST

"When people of great wisdom hear the Truth, they diligently practice it. When people of moderate wisdom hear the Truth, they practice it now and then. When people of lesser wisdom hear the Truth, they laugh at it. If there were no laughter, there would be no Truth."   --- Laozi

The Dao concepts mentioned above are a summation of my given answer to the questioner. After a long exchange of questions and answers, that person began to understand the importance of focusing on the familiar and how the world operates.

As a reminder, this essay only touches on a small component of what the Dao is.

After years of playing with the Dao, this pragmatic essayist learned that this philosophical mindset and practice is also efficient in determining the large picture while staying focused  on the target regardless of one's current scenario. There's no genuine set of strategic and tactical rules for playing with the Dao-just the heuristic principles of recognizing scenarios and its cycles that determine the strategy and tactics of your endeavor. 

"In the field of observation, fortune favors the prepared."   ---Louis Pasteur

Direct alignment with the Dao allows you to effectively complete any endeavors with the minimum effort. From a personal experience, it can be described as "water cascading down a mountainside taking the path of least resistance."

"It is the business of a general (or a strategist) to be serene and inscrutable, impartial, and self-controlled."   
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW (Griffith interpretation)

Accomplishing this feat consistently is another story. If learning how to play the Dao were any simpler or difficult, it would not be the Dao.

To thrive in the current world of uncertain shifts and changes, the consummate strategists of the Dao pragmatically create their own opportunity first through their understanding of how the world operates instead of searching and waiting for a certain scenario to occur.

"He who has mastered this method knows the way of heaven and earth, has the support of the populace, and is fully aware of the opposing situation. … When he needs to determine his battle array, he knows how to prepare the formations. He combats when there is assurance of victory. He stops fighting when there isn't. … For one who has really mastered the method, his opposition can do nothing to escape their defeat."   
--- An updated paraphrase from Sun Bin (famous strategist from the Warring States era and the great grandson of Sunzi)

Regardless of your settings and your pursuits, always align with the Dao

Source: http://www.jadedragon.com/tao_heal/meh4045.html

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Comments from the Compass Desk
To gain this state of stillness, our friends at Cook Ding's Kitchen recommended the practice of Yi Quan instead of yoga. The benefits is in its emphasis on an incremental balance of static and active motion exercises.  

To properly assess the Dao of one's strategic situation, one must understand the "Five Critical Strategic Factors" that are embedded within it.  ... You do know how to do that!?  Do you?

Learning the philosophy of Daoism is easy. Comprehending the psychology and the physics behind the Dao is the challenge.  ... It is not in your copy of the Art of War.

Without stirring abroad
One can know the whole world;
Without looking out the window
One can see the way of heaven.
The further one goes
The less one knows.
Therefore the sage knows without having to stir,
Identifies without having to see,
Accomplishes without having to act.

DDJ , 47 


By seeing the connectivity of their grand setting, the successful strategist stays focused on his endeavors. 

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