The Importance of Living (5)
Thoughts from Madison Nef
“Everybody wants to be somebody, so long as that somebody is not himself.” Or so says Yutang, starting off the 5th chapter of the book. He focuses on animals once again, using them symbolically. He notes that he has never seen an animal with a sad or depressed expression on its face except for the chimpanzee or monkey, and he attributes that to them thinking more deeply than other creatures. He says that every animal seems content in its world, aside from humans and monkeys. Yutang’s belief is that we think ourselves into being upset and discontent with life, or as he puts it, “like an a la carte restaurant where everyone looks over and thinks the next table’s food is better looking than his own”.
All this discontent is due to thinking and the power of one’s brain. The bigger one’s dreams and the more that a man imagines he can have, the more unsatisfied he becomes with reality. Yutang says that this is why imaginative children can be harder to deal with- it’s because they have a completely different view of reality and what it SHOULD be. This reminds me of people who get so caught up in TV shows and other false realities that they fail to be content with what they have- I’ve seen it happen and it’s very sad.
Through life, I’ve learned to take what I get and enjoy things while I have them. If you fail to enjoy the things you have WHILE YOU HAVE THEM, you end up missing them and hurting more when they suddenly disappear. Having a false reality isn’t good- while it may benefit you for the time being to pretend that things are going just fine, you can’t fake forever because your reality will inevitably break through. If no one can see the problem, no one can help you- so sometimes letting reality become evident, even if it hurts, can help you in the long run.
As my dad says, in the end, it isn’t about objects and what you have. If your house burned to the ground and every last thing you owned was destroyed, at the end of the day you’d only have one thing: your honor. One of my dad’s philosophies is to always keep your honor full and there- not only is it the one thing you own completely, it is also something that only you can control. It stays with you, even after you die- because if you were honorable, those who knew you will remember you for it.
I think that the main lesson in this chapter is to not take things for granted and to realize that the little things matter the most. Having a false sense of reality sucks because you are never content with what you have- even if you have all that you need to begin with. Dad always tells me that it’s the little things in life that count, because they are the things that will make you happy continuously. However, if you equate happiness with the “big” things in life, you won’t be happy very often because “big” things don’t come around a lot. In fact, I wrote a poem about it:
Sometimes all you need,
to brighten up your day,
is a simple smile or laugh,
sent from far away.
A rainbow forming from the clouds,
the stars that shine at night,
all the tiny things,
that make a day so bright,
a small yet perfect butterfly,
perched on a dainty flower,
jumping into puddles,
 from an afternoon shower,
All these little things,
they make our life so great,
yet are barely acknowledged,
until it is too late.
For little things create the big,
the "big" that we find great,
like going to a party,
or staying up real late.
but these things do not happen,
every single day,
and so we feel unlucky,
sad, and down in every way...
we feel rejected, and feel mad,
because our life's not "perfect",
but now, sit down, lie back,
reflect!
for it truly is the little things...
the little things that make life perfect.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know I did.

Maddie

The Importance of Living (4)

The Importance of Living
Thoughts from Madison Nef
In this chapter, Yutang starts off by stating that man’s dignity is something to be questioned. “Man is indeed the best animal, if we are going to call ourselves that.” I agree with Yutang- as he puts it, we started our own civilization from scratch and brought it up. Out of all animals, we are also the ones with the best form: we have almost all things that animals have only one of per species. For example, horses are strong, peacocks and parrots are well-dressed, doves are gentle and loving, larks are good singers, and so on and so forth- but humans have all good things in one package.
Yutang goes on to say that however out of all animals besides humans, he finds the monkey so intriguing. There is something about monkeys that shows him that while clever, they are still foolish and proud of their so-called “intelligence”. This makes him thankful to be human, but it also leads him to say that if we are so similar to monkeys, just on a more advanced level- we shouldn’t be so proud of our intelligence and discoveries until we are certain of what we have.
Here is where I disagree with Yutang: I think we, as a race, SHOULD be proud of our intelligence and how far we’ve come! He states on the very first page of the chapter that humans are the best animal, yet now says we should not take pride in it. I think that we SHOULD! Even monkeys are oblivious to their own stupidity because they don’t KNOW BETTER- and neither do we. If there is a species that we don’t know about that is even smarter than we ourselves are, then we are just living in oblivion to them anyway. So, while we are alive, why not be proud of who we are and what we’ve accomplished!?!
Moving right along, Yutang then starts contemplating how man even STARTED to form his own civilization- and once again, related us back to monkeys by saying that like them, we have a playful and insatiable curiosity and we experiment with what we are given. While this is true to some extent, I think constantly referring to monkeys isn’t the best way to go about things. I get that they are a good metaphor, but GEEZ! Every single line is saying something about monkeys. We get it; we’re all related to them and we were modeled after them and at times, we act like them. Now stop.
It was Yutang’s belief that if not for our monkey ancestors, we wouldn’t have good fine motor skills- saying that what helped monkeys and apes learn these motor skills was the lice that they had. He also said that in the monkeys, the larger differences between male and female could be seen. For example, female apes realize that the males are stronger and can win in fights. So, instead of fighting, female apes use more charm to get what they want by grooming their faces and plucking hair from them. They also raise the children and teach them to walk.
Today, females in society are formed like this as well. Men are stronger and generally women are sweeter and more… gentle. Females generally do care more about their appearance, and do use their compassion and looks to get their way. Yutang believed that our female ancestors were also the ones who started off the English language and formed words through communication. Using a stereotypical approach of women loving to talk amongst each other and gossip, Yutang said that likely the first communication was between two females and from there, language sprung forth.
Well, I have no reason to NOT believe Yutang, and language had to start somewhere- and pinning it on females is as good as anything else. To this day, women do seem to be more social and “chatty” than men, so it makes a little bit of sense. How do you think human language started? Let me know in the comments.
Maddie

The Importance of Living (3)

The Importance of Living (Chapter 3)
Thoughts from Madison Nef
Compared to the other chapters in the book, chapter three was very short. It was only broken into two parts, but it was still a good read. In this chapter, Yutang covered a story of Chinese lore- one about the Monkey. Now, in the story, the Monkey is a very powerful being. He can shape shift, and even force his way into heaven. However, he is never allowed into heaven as the gatekeepers do not deem him fit enough or ready to dine with the gods. As the story goes, one of the gods hosts a large feast, to which the Monkey is not invited.
Enraged, the Monkey sneaks into heaven and manages to confuse a fairy, sending him in the opposite direction of the party and telling him the location is changed. He then shape shifts into the fairy and heads to the party himself. He is the first to arrive, and he changes into a sleeping-bug and poisons the guards watching over the wine. He then drinks all the wine himself, and eats all the food, ruining the feast. Upon arriving, the other guests suspected the Monkey, but he was already gone. He left Heaven, fearing his punishment.
He was the king of where he lived, and he put up a sign that read “The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven”. This caused wars between the gods and the Monkey, and he was not captured until the Goddess of Mercy dropped a flower sprig down from Heaven and knocked him out. In the story, the monkey represents all of us humans… imperfect, rebellious, and unfit to enter Heaven. In the story it is noted that the Monkey itself was too good for mortals on Earth, yet not pure enough to join the immortals. It was wise, but also very conceited and with no humility. The Monkey did not earn humility until it was chained to a rock for over 500 years. Only after was it unchained by the Abbot and learned humility.
Today, monkeys are loved by many, despite their mischievous personality and their conceited and somewhat annoying attitudes. Yutang states that as the monkey depicted in the story was an image of humans, we should learn to come to love and know humanity as it is, even with all its imperfections and shortcomings. He then goes on to say that this why he questions that God made us imperfect on purpose.
Yutang believed that we were not modeled after God himself, but after monkeys. As he put it, we are “as close to God as ants are to us”. We have minds, and we believe we are great thinkers and often blow ourselves up to more than we actually are because of this. It was his belief that creatures of nature were all perfect and got along in harmony with each other- and any that didn’t, were removed.
However, when man was created, he tried to break away and form his own lifestyle, his own civilization. In this civilization, creatures whose laws were perfect became criticized and judged for doing what their natural instincts told them to: dogs became too noisy, mice became thieves, tortoises became lazy, horses were timid and lions and other beasts were seen as savage killers. Adapting to nature was easy, and instincts were prime and ruled above mind. However, things have become so bent after centuries and we now are taught to adapt ourselves to ourselves- and instinct that was once a key to survival is now frowned upon.
I think that this closes up the paper and all I have to say on it. I think that Yutang had an interesting point, comparing us to monkeys- If you follow the theory of evolution then I guess it makes sense, but the story actually made sense. You’d have to read it for yourself to get the grasp of it, I only summarized it. It is the third chapter of the book, titled “Our Animal Heritage”. The whole book is well worth the read 

The Importance of Living (2)

The Importance of Living (Chapter 2)
Thoughts from Madison Nef
Chapter two is segmented, as chapter one was. It begins with the telling of three different religions in three different cultures: the Christian theological view, the Greek pagan view, and the Chinese Taoist-Confucianist view. Yutang states that he did not include Buddhism because he found the religion “too sad”.
Yutang started off by describing the Christian faith. Just going off of how he described the faith, I would say that Yutang did not agree with the faith at all. In fact, he almost went out of his way to point out the logical, but doubtful questions about it, STARTING with the Devil himself. He said that Christians didn’t want a “Not-God” to be of an equal level as their God, so they made the Devil a fallen angel. Yutang then states that for there to be a fallen angel, there had to be ANOTHER Devil of some sort to influence the angel to fall.
Yutang also made a point of how Christians today overlook the worse parts of their religion- and I agree with him. Too often people are gung-ho about Heaven and they tend to forget that if there is a Heaven, there is also a Hell. They love and praise God, but if there is a God then there is also a Devil. To every religion there is a not so nice part, and if you are going to truly devote yourself to religion then you should look at it with truth and not through rose colored glasses.
Next, Yutang speaks of the Greek culture. He says that what struck him most about their religion was that their gods resembled men- they quarreled, lied, loved, went hunting, and engaged in all sorts of human activities and were modeled after men- not men modeled after God. Apart from their immortality, many of the Greek gods were the same as humans! In comparison to the Christian God, whom was looked upon as perfect, Yutang found it refreshing to see imperfection in religion.
He also liked the fact that the Greek gods were so close to men. The Greeks themselves knew they were different from their gods- they were mortal, their gods were divines. And they didn’t mind that! They were more focused on trying to find the happiness in life, in discovering the good morals and the beautiful things in their world. There was no worry over what was scientifically correct or not; nor were there any squabbles between them. They took life as it was, with no exceptions or otherwise, and believed that it was a great gift to be mortal and be able to understand things on a different speculative level.
The Taoist-Confucianist religion is something completely different from both Christianity and the Greek religion. They believed in great spirits, or “geniuses”. Every mountain, every river, anything that had been around for more than a century or so, was considered a genius. Each mountain had a spirit that owned it and controlled it, and every flower had a fairy to take care of it. There were celebrations for larger spirits, such as the Queen of All Flowers and All Souls’ Day for those who had died at sea or in other unreachable places.
It was also the Chinese belief that the spirits of dead people could and WOULD wander if they were not properly buried after death. If the person was murdered or died in some other way, their spirit would stick around until their murderer or the guilty party was dealt with. Then, they would have peace and all the craziness that was believed to be brought with the vengeful spirit would end.
Looking at this chapter as a Catholic, I think that Yutang did a great job of putting three very different religions into perspective for others. He raised good points that I had not thought of about my own religion, and I learned a little something about two other religions I otherwise wouldn’t have researched.

The Importance of Living (1)

The Importance of Living
Thoughts from Madison Nef
I read the first chapter of the book “The Importance of Living” by Lin Yutang. The chapter was broken up into three parts, each of which I would like to address separately: Approach to Life, A Pseudo-Scientific Formula, and The Scamp as an Ideal.
Starting off with approach to life, Yutang got right into the book by saying he would be writing from the Chinese outlook of life, as that is what he knew. He put a disclaimer saying that he had never taken a class in philosophy nor had he ever read any books by the great philosophers, stating that “if one is too well-read, then one does not know right is right and wrong is wrong.” He credits his sources as those around him- saying that not knowing philosophy, but knowing life, makes the book that much easier to write.
When you break life down- everyone has their own philosophy. Without a philosophy, no one would be able to function. As my dad puts it, that’s the great thing about philosophy: everyone has one, whether they know it or not. The Mirriam-Webster dictionary defines philosophy as “the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc.” but I couldn’t disagree more. To me, philosophy is a way of life- how you live life and the decisions you make that influence your life. Philosophy isn’t just a “study”, it’s a key principle.
Yutang describes his culture as a detached one, saying that many Chinese people have a sense of high-mindedness needed to avoid the temptations of fame and money and let themselves go. By doing so, Yutang felt that these people would reach the full sense of freedom, pride, and nonchalance. It was his belief that only with this sense of pride that one could truly arrive at the full joy of living.
In “a pseudo-scientific formula”, Yutang explains that mankind is divided into idealists and realists. He states that the two tug at each other in every aspect of life, to keep a balance on things as too much idealism would be too ridiculed- as the ideas are always changing, getting picked over, criticized and brought back around in a vicious cycle. Yutang also noted that while man was given these two “isms”, he was also given humor (which Yutang believed was to be used to stretch and criticize the dreams of men). “It is important that man dreams, but it is perhaps equally important that he can laugh at his own dreams.”
Yutang went as far as to make formulas “by which the mechanism of human progress and historical change” could be expressed. They were as follows:

Reality – Dreams = Animal Being Reality + Dreams = Idealism Reality + Humor = Realism/Conservatism
Dreams – Humor = Fanaticism Dreams + Humor = Fantasy Reality + Dreams + Humor = Wisdom
It was Yutang’s belief that wisdom was the highest form of thinking. The way to achieve wisdom, from his perspective, was to be able to tone down one’s dreams and idealistic thoughts with a good sense of humor- while backing one’s humor with reality. As quoted above, one should be able to dream, but also know how to laugh at his dream. In my eyes, what Yutang is saying is have an imagination, but know when to stop and not to let your thoughts control you. There can be dreams, but there must also be reality and logic and you need to know the difference.
“Comedy is exaggerated realism. It can be stretched to the almost ludicrous, but it must always be believable.” – Paul Lynde

The Art of War 2

The Art of War (Part 2)
By Madison Nef
Part Four (Tactical Dispositions)
Sun-tzu knew that the old fighters put themselves BEFORE the potential of failure. They believed in themselves, and would wait for their opportunity to defeat the enemy. Sun-tzu knew that if we went to battle believing we would fail, we would surely fail. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands… but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided to the enemy himself. Therefore Sun-tzu believed that he who was able to secure himself against defeat would not be defeated, but he who did this could also not make certain of defeating the enemy. What works for one side, also works for the opposing side.
“One may know how to conquer without being able to do so.”
For Sun-tzu also knew that security against defeat implied defensive tactics… but ability to defeat the enemy meant taking the offensive. Being defensive, in Sun-Tzu’s opinion, showed insufficient strength, while attacking, a “superabundance” of strength. The one who is most skilled in defense often hides in the darkest places, while he who is skilled in attack flashes forth. Therefore we must know bother how to protect ourselves, but also have a victory that is complete. “To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”
It is not excellence when everyone praises you, nor is it a great strength to do the obvious. What the fighters of old called a clever fighter was one who could not only win, but win consistently with ease. Hence he who fights’ victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom not credit for courage. Win battles making no mistakes… Making no mistakes is what established the certainty of victory. Therefore you are conquering an enemy that is already defeated.

It is good to go through life with this approach. Have a high sense of self confidence… be true to yourself. If you set goals, try to accomplish them. We are all put on Earth with goals to complete… some of us accomplish them in our time, and others are not so lucky. We have a set expiration date that no one knows, so why not make the best of what we have while we’re still here? If you go into life with the approach that you will fail, and you won’t accomplish anything, then you are not likely too. However, if you go into life with your head held high, a large amount of confidence telling yourself that you can do anything you set your mind to… you have better odds of completing the task that is at hand.
Sun-tzu says: Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy. We all have our personal enemies… not necessarily people, but maybe emotions, or addictions, or feelings. We all have some little demon that we are always competing with- they often try to convince us to be lazy and to make the wrong choices, and often we fall for the trap. However, when a gateway opens allowing us to surpass them and their evil ways, we should take it. As Sun-tzu said, do not miss the moment to overtake the enemy. While we may not all be in a position where defeat is impossible, we can still come pretty damn close.
The victorious strategist only seeks a battle after he knows the victory has been won, whereas he who will be defeated fights first and searches for victory later. Why bother trying if you only KNOW you are going to fail? It’s like knowing you are a size 16 in jeans and trying to squeeze into a size 2: it just WON’T WORK. However, in the same aspect, just because you cannot win at this point, does not mean that you give up. It means you improve yourself to the point that you CAN accomplish whatever you set out to do… because if you can’t accomplish anything, what is the point of living?


Part Five (Energy)
Sun-tzu knew that fighting with a large army at your back could be just the same as having a small one- it didn’t matter how many in number you had if no one knew the signs and commands. If you had a large army, you needed to make sure that it could withstand anything the opposing army threw at it. This was effected by many different direct and indirect maneuvers. It was to his belief that the impact of his army should be like a grindstone upon an egg… the science of the weak points and the strong. In all fighting, the direct methods are used for joining battle, while indirect methods are necessary to secure victory.
Sun-tzu knew that indirect tactics could be very powerful when applied correctly, referencing to them like musical notes. There are not many musical notes, but when combined together they rise to more melodies that can ever be heard. There are no more than five primary colors, yet when combined they produce more hues than can ever be seen. There are but five cardinal tastes, yet their combinations yield more flavors than could ever be tasted. In battle… there are only two methods of attack: direct and indirect. However, when put together they create an endless series of maneuvers.
They each add on to each other in turn. Like a circle, the possibilities for attack are endless when the tactics are applied correctly. “The onset of troops is like the rush of a torrent which will even roll stones along in its course. The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim. Therefore the good fighter will be terrible in his onset, and prompt in his decision. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of a trigger.”
Amidst battle, it may seem like there is a lot of chaos and disorder where there in none at all. In confusion, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat. Simulation of disorder promotes discipline, simulation of fear promotes courage, and simulation of weakness produces strength. Times of little hope are the times when hope is the strongest… and so on and so forth. As mentioned before, deception is a large part of warfare- therefore mask order beneath a cloak of disorder, courage beneath a show of timidity and strength under a sheet of weakness.
He who is skilled at keeping the enemy on the move often maintains deceitful appearances, according to which the enemy will act. He sacrifice something, that the enemy may snatch it. Entice the enemy with bait, keep him moving and chasing something that isn’t there, and lie in wait with an army until he reaches a pitfall. Then, attack him where he is weak. The clever strategist looks to the effect of combined energy, and does not require much from his army. Hence his ability to pick the right men and utilize their skills is crucial to this style of fighting.

When using combined energy, a general’s men should become life rolling logs or stones. “For it is the nature of a log or stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; if four-cornered, to come to a standstill, but if round-shaped, to go rolling down.”  Therefore the energy of good fighting men should be like that of a stone rolled down from the top of a high mountain… momentous.

The Art of War

The Art of War
Thoughts from Madison Nef
Part One (Laying Plans)
Sun-tzu believed that the “art of war” was governed by five main factors: The Moral Law, Heaven, Earth, The Commander, and Method and Discipline.
• Moral Law is what makes the people be in accord with their ruler- so they will follow him no matter what, even if death is imminent.
• Heaven signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.
• Earth stands for distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; and the chances of life and death.
• The Commander represents the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and strictness.
• Method and discipline are the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among officers, the maintenance of roads that are used to bring supplies to the army, and the control of military expenses.
“These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious, and he who knows them not will fail.”
 “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”
I agree with this. In war, intimidation and deception ARE key points to winning. There would be no need to make a plan to attack the enemy in a certain way if the enemy had automatic access to the plan and knew the attack was coming! It is the same way in karate. Deception is a large part of sparring- being able to fake movements so that you can score the first point. Intimidating people is another good tactic in both war and sparring. If you are feared, people are less likely to attack you quickly. In fact, in the sparring ring, if you are feared, people are more likely to be defensive and not attack at all!
“Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.
 If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
 If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
 If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them.
 Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
 These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.”

Sun-tzu ends the first part of the book by saying that he who makes few calculations before battle often loses, while the winner has often planned and made calculations in advance. My dad is constantly telling me before sparring matches to have a plan before I go in- otherwise, I won’t be prepared and will fight blindly. I agree that this is best- going into anything and having no strategy is never good.
 “All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”- Sun-tzu

Part Two (Waging War)
“In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, with provisions enough to carry them a thousand li, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of raising an army of 100,000 men.”
Sun-tzu knew that if a war took a long time, the weapons would grow dull… if you lay siege to a town, your strength would get exhausted. There has never been an account in history where anyone ever benefited from prolonged warfare. He also knew that if other armies and generals saw this exhaustion and lack of goods, they would take advantage of the position and attack. If attacked when low on resources, as Sun-tzu says, “no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue”.

Sun-tzu believed in foraging off the enemy, saying to bring supplies from home, but never load your supply-wagons twice. Foraging off the enemy would supply enough for your army so that your resources would never be depleted.
“With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and three-tenths of their income will be dissipated; while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue.”

The point is to forage. If you don’t, you’re leaving the enemy with resources AND your own resources will dry up faster. If your resources dry up, your army grows weak, and if your army grows weak, you are sure to fail. It’s a vicious cycle, really. “Hence a wise general makes a point of foraging on the enemy. One cartload of the enemy’s provisions is equivalent to twenty of one’s own”.
“Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards. Therefore in chariot fighting, when ten or more chariots have been taken, those should be rewarded who took the first. Our own flags should be substituted for those of the enemy, and the chariots mingled and used in conjunction with ours. The captured soldiers should be kindly treated and kept. This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one's own strength. In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.”
Incentive always helps. For example, if I’m doing really tough schoolwork and want to quit, my incentive is playing video games. I know I’m not allowed to play xBox OR any online game until all my homework is done, so I have good reason to finish it. As said above: let your great object be victory (finishing schoolwork) not lengthy campaigns (letting schoolwork drag on for weeks and weeks… like this paper).


Part Three (Attack by Stratagem)
“In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy's country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it, to capture a regiment, a detachment or a company entire than to destroy them. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.”
Well, that pretty much says it. Sun-tzu believed that it was better to win wars while dealing as little damage as possible- because the more damage you deal, the longer time it takes and the more energy you use. “The rule is, not to besiege walled cities if it can possibly be avoided”.  He knew that too often, generals would become frustrated with the enemy quickly and not want to plan things out, and would command the army to attack. The result would be manslaughter, often with a third of the army being killed and the town still standing untouched.
“Therefore the skillful leader subdues the enemy's troops without any fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without lengthy operations in the field. With his forces intact he will dispute the mastery of the Empire, and thus, without losing a man, his triumph will be complete. This is the method of attacking by stratagem.”

According to Sun-tzu, there are three ways in which a ruler could bring misfortune to himself and his army:
1) By commanding his army to advance or retreat- ignoring the fact that it can’t. This is called hobbling the army.
2) By trying to run and govern his army in the same way which he governs his kingdom, being ignorant of the conditions which obtain in an army. This causes restlessness in the soldier’s minds.
3) By employing the officers of his army without discrimination, through ignorance of the military principle of adaptation to circumstances. This shakes the confidence of the soldiers.
If the army is restless, distrustful and has a low confidence level, the enemy will attack more freely. Bringing misfortune to your army is inviting danger in and discarding any hopes of victory.

“Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory: (1) He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. (2) He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. (3) He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. (4) He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. (5) He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.”
The same applies to life, really. (1) You have to know what is worth your time and what isn’t, and when to speak and what to say. (2) You will learn how to deal with many different types of people, and meet many different personalities. (3) Your family represents your army. Often times, your family has similar thoughts and feelings to you- and regardless of this, they always have your back. (4) In this case, the enemy could be anything. The true moral of this quote is to be prepared for anything that life throws at you. Being unprepared can lead to huge mistakes that are not worth it in the end.

“Hence the saying: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”