The lines that I have chosen to analyze are as follows:
1. Taken from chapter four on positioning, Sun Tzu said, “You do not create the openings or opportunities that you need to advance because the environment is too large and complex to control. Instead, you must learn how to recognize opportunities created by the changes in the environment (“Chapters on Expansion,” www.scienceofstrategy.org).” Here, Sun Tzu acknowledges that nature’s method, organization, and coordination of events or opportunities is beyond man’s comprehension. To seize opportunity, an individual must train him or herself to flow and align with nature instead of trying to conquer it.
2. Taken from chapter 6 on weakness and strength, “As water flows downstream, there is a natural balance of the forces in nature. Voids are filled. Excesses are emptied (“Chapters on Expansion,” www.scienceofstrategy.org).” Here, Sun Tzu establishes the richer complexities of the forces of nature that yield opportunity. In order to access opportunity, an individual must have an understanding and command of expansion and contraction, fullness and emptiness, being and nonbeing, and action and inaction. One must empty oneself to make room for opportunity. To become filled, one must engage in intelligent and informed action.
Synthesis:
These lines are both found in Sun Tzu’s reflections on the greater themes of expansion and opportunity development. By learning how to expand one’s strategic position or recognize greater opportunity, an individual advances him or herself towards a desired goal or outcome. These lines are linked by a common idea that embraces nature as the underlying, universal force and energy that governs the natural course of events. Opportunities are described as being “openings” in the environment which afford an individual the opportunity to move towards the fulfillment of a shared objective or mission. These lines tie into the Daoist concepts that influenced Sun Tzu’s writing by way of their reverence of nature and description of it as being the supreme authority that determines mankind’s action and inaction. Daoist teachings maintain that nature is perfectly balanced and organized in such a way that it creates, sustains, and transforms all life without any flaw or mistake. Its design is one of perfection, and as the selected lines suggest, to achieve success, an individual should both emulate and align with nature to secure his or her position and seize the appropriate opportunity at the right time. Daoism also reveres water, which takes the lowest spot, and which has more power than any element in nature. Though it is soft and unassuming, it can cut away at rock and transform the earth. The line that says, “As water flows downstream, there is a natural balance of the forces in nature,” speaks to this teaching by substantiating water as the most powerful element. With subtle flow, it organizes all other elements, and it orchestrates all events. Sun Tzu was influenced by the teaching that individuals should humble themselves and become like the elements in nature, but more than any other, he or she should become like water. These ideas can be applied to aspects of business such as leadership, management, and negotiation. In leadership and management, becoming like water and aligning with nature’s flow allows one to replace needs with productivity, and to seize the most suitable opportunities as they naturally arise. Daoism teaches that the most successful leader follows, or, like water, takes “the lowest spot.” Therefore, suggesting that one should align with water is sound guidance for leaders and managers who gain ground by first giving ground, and who succeed by first helping others to feel that they have achieved success on their own.
Yin/Yang:
In chapter six on weakness and strength, Sun Tzu addresses the contradictory concept of yin and yang which pits masculine and feminine energies against each other. Weakness, considered masculine or yang, opposes the feminine, yin force of weakness. However, the two are complimentary. They bleed into one another and support each other equitably. In chapter eight on adapting to the situation, Sun Tzu introduces the contradictory concept of creativity and flexibility. Creativity is a yang, outwardly expressed energy, whereas flexibility or yin flow is a subtle and subdued energy. A third example of yin versus yang is expressed through the concept of “winning without conflict.” This is akin to the concept of action through inaction, or doing without doing. Once again, action is a yang force, whereas inaction is a yin response. To gain victory (yang) without engaging in conflict (yin) constitutes mastery of both forces.
Moderation/Balance:
Balance and moderation are critical to success in leadership and warfare because these are virtues and characteristics of nature, which is the supreme authority that all individuals should work to embody. By becoming like nature, an individual places him or herself above the ignorance of the mind and its projections. He or she aligns themselves with elements of nature that coordinate all events, generate all openings or opportunities, and resolve all matters or events naturally. In leadership and warfare, balance and moderation serve to strengthen one’s position and allow for new opportunities to arise on their own. When an individual or unit attempts to control nature or the natural course of events, any semblance of control eludes or escapes them. Nature’s design is always out of reach unless one learns to align him or herself with it. Therefore, balance is necessary to ensure that all operations are carried out accordingly with successful dividends for all concerned. The same is true for business leaders and business competition. Any attempt to control results in unwanted negative attention or attack, exposes one’s weaknesses, or depletes an individual or organization’s resources. Balance and moderation establish for an individual or organization a strong position that cannot be compromised.
Works Cited
"Sun Tzu's Art of War Strategy." Chapters on Expansion. Clearbridge Publishing, 2016. Web. 31 July 2016. <http://scienceofstrategy.org/main/content/chapters-position>.
