Action Decisions

The Natural Balance of Fullness and Emptiness: How Government Bailouts Make Things Worse

Submitted by GaryGagliardi on

As with all sciences, the study of strategy studies the operation of natural systems. All such systems exist as a balance of forces. Sun Tzu abstracted this balance as emptiness and fullness, basing his vision on the concept of complementary opposites that is known as the Chinese concept of yinyang. The dynamics of nature continually shift the balance of forces, but the universe doesn't fly off in chaos or freezing into stasis because of this mainspring built into nature. While we humans can leverage the forces of nature, we cannot control them.

The Limits of Control: Why Bailouts Don't Work

Submitted by GaryGagliardi on

One of the foundations of Sun Tzu's system is that we have to adapt to environment because we cannot control it. I have written extensively about the illusion of control in many posts, especially the mistaken idea that the government is god and can rewrite the rules of nature at will. This has failed every time it has been attempted. As long as our political candidates feel they need to perpetuate the illusion of government control, we are the worse for it. While Wall Street rose briefly on the news of the government bailout, you cannot hold back the tide.

Two Ways to Win: The Presidential Debate

Submitted by GaryGagliardi on

Sun Tzu teaches two key ways to win a battle, that is, a meeting of opponents, of two evenly matched opponents. The first is preparing a surprise beforehand. There is always a risk in this because battle is unpredictable, but the idea is that you will be better prepared than your opponent. If it works, the confusion of surprise creates an opening that you can use. If you aren't prepared to risk a surprise, you have to wait for your opponent to make a mistake and take advantage of it.

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