Showing posts with label The Art of War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Art of War. Show all posts

Sunday 7 December 2014

Pearl Harbour ... with a chance of snow

Art of War
Seventy three years ago today the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour , although the Americans insist on calling it Pearl Harbor, which caused the Americans to enter the war. It's ironic that the media now push the attitude of  "attack someone before he even thinks of going for you" these days which is roughly what the Japanese did, and there's probably something in Sun Tzu's Art of War which was the first book I read end to end on my phone. The thing is war and destruction is a terrible thing and should be avoided. The people who cause it are seldom involved in the fighting , and those who are sent to fight are really just seen as cannon fodder for the perpetrators.



Actually I wanted this post to be positive, but following those thoughts with anything is just going to dissipate any fun , and you can't talk about war , hate and destruction and then follow it up with a smile. So I'll just choose an appropriate song then start a new post. So War by Edwin Starr it is.

Wednesday 20 June 2012

The Art of ..... Knowing What You Are On About


A few days ago I posted this on facebook:

"In my e library I have The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Heart of Darkness by Conrad, Origin of the Species by Darwin so why do need to Facebook?"

My friend Josie replied , wittily:

"because the Art of War will take you weeks to read/fully digest and Facebook takes 10 seconds to realise there's nothing interesting happening...."

So I thought I should at least dip into it , and this is what I have found:

  • It's a slim voloume , 50 to 60 pages depending on translation or format
  • It's not really a book , more a reference manual of bullet points on how to conduct a war
  • You can read it in one sitting , but it will take a lifetime to understand
  • It is full of points that relate to everyday life
  • It makes you think
  • It is easy to read
  • It's out of copyright so you can download the ebook for free
 So thanks to Josie I have read the book and will be re reading it . It is remarkable and sensible and my version was remarkably easy to read. I suggest you get a copy now!