Wen Tzu - Verse 143, Part II

from Verse One Hundred Forty-Three

Those who practice policies that make for survival will surely survive even if they are small; those that practice policies that make for destruction will surely perish even if they are large. Therefore skillful defense has nothing to do with resistance, and skillful warfare has nothing to do with battle. If you take advantage of the momentum of the times and accord with the wishes of the people, the world will follow.

~ Wen-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries ~

For me, the above passage is about recognizing the flow of any given situation. When we are able to recognize the direction and speed of the current, we don't have to force things and people to move in unnatural ways.

Nations build up armies because they desire to force their will on others. Each of us builds up armies of connivance, manipulation and subterfuge because we want to force others to do what we desire. In this instance, the common root between nations and individuals is desire.

When we remove desire from the equation, then force has no purpose. When we aren't trying to manufacture a result based on our expectations, force becomes meaningless.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.