This is my first in a series of diaries which studies Sun-Tzu’s “The Art of War” as it might apply to the Occupy Wall Street/99% movement.
In preface, let me explain myself. I am not a part of the Occupy movement, directly. I am 54 years old, I have a Chinese wife and 2 sons, 21 and 5 years old. Until early 2009, I was employed, with a very good salary, had a nice, modest house, a nice car, decent health insurance, a successful side business, and a modest retirement account. I was in negotiations to sell my business for a substantial amount, including an agreement to consult for 2 years at a 25% increase in salary, with the attending stock options and whatnot. The weekend of the crash in early September of 2008 found me sitting across the table from an investor who was ready to cut a large check which would have made me a member of the 1%, at least temporarily. Of course, the crash changed everything. The investor abandoned us in favor of saving his investments from several partners, and the deal fell through. My day job lasted until January 2009, when I was let go as a ‘cost saving measure’. Thus began 2 years of fruitless job-searching, unemployment, food stamps, foreclosure, decline of my side business, depletion of my retirement account, humiliation, depression, and all the other things that millions of other people in this country have suffered.
I used the last of my retirement to move to Vermont, to take a job at 60% of my former salary. My wife is working two jobs, and today, as I write this, she is upstairs, sleeping in for the first day off in three months. Money is tight, but things are good - at least we are getting by, luckier than some 25 million others who haven’t been as lucky. I am rebuilding my business, though capital is hard to come by. I have no idea how to prepare for sending my older son to college next year, rebuild my retirement, or advance my family. I am, in a word, surviving. I am so proud that I have been able to support Ministry of Truth and the Occupy movement with my first very modest contributions in a couple of years.
I say all this not to elicit sympathy, or to illustrate my uniqueness, but simply to portray how utterly typical my situation is. And I’m one of the luckiest men alive because my wife and family are still with me, I was able to find some employment, my son is in a good school, I get to spend a lot of time with him... so many people have lost more than I have, with less resources, and no path to redemption.
Which is why I’m so excited about the Occupy movement. Since it began, I have felt like it was inside me. I think about it when I go to bed, it’s the first thing I think of when I wake up, I follow it fervently - because it represents my only hope. I have been a liberal all my life. I have been politically active, I am an amateur historian and cultural anthropologist, I care about my country and my fellow man, and have despaired for decades about the direction of our country and society. Then, some tents appeared in the shadow of Wall Street, and things changed.
I humbly offer this diary, and the others to follow, because “The Art Of War” is the oldest and one of the most respected treatises on waging war - and this IS a war. I need the Occupy movement to succeed. We all need the movement to succeed. I hope this will help.
This is the first chapter in Sun-Tzu’s book, from the Sonshi.com website. It is an excellent translation, and I encourage everyone to visit it. The book appears on the website in its entirety. Chapter one is re-printed with permission.
SUN-TZU: THE PRINCIPLES OF WARFARE
"THE ART OF WAR"
Chapter One: Calculation
Sun Tzu said:
Warfare is a great matter to a nation;
it is the ground of death and of life;
it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined.
Therefore, go through it by means of five factors;
compare them by means of calculation, and determine their statuses:
One, Way, two, Heaven, three, Ground, four, General, five, Law.
The Way is what causes the people to have the same thinking as their superiors;
they may be given death, or they may be given life, but there is no fear of danger and betrayal.
Heaven is dark and light, cold and hot, and the seasonal constraints.
Ground is high and low, far and near, obstructed and easy, wide and narrow, and dangerous and safe.
General is wisdom, credibility, benevolence, courage, and discipline.
Law is organization, the chain of command, logistics, and the control of expenses.
All these five no general has not heard;
one who knows them is victorious, one who does not know them is not victorious.
Therefore, compare them by means of calculation, and determine their statuses.
Ask:
Which ruler has the Way,
which general has the ability,
which has gained Heaven and Ground,
which carried out Law and commands,
which army is strong,
which officers and soldiers are trained,
which reward and punish clearly,
by means of these, I know victory and defeat!
A general who listens to my calculations, and uses them, will surely be victorious, keep him;
a general who does not listen to my calculations, and does not use them, will surely be defeated, remove him.
Calculate advantages by means of what was heard, then create force in order to assist outside missions.
Force is the control of the balance of power, in accordance with advantages.
Warfare is the Way of deception.
Therefore, if able, appear unable,
if active, appear not active,
if near, appear far,
if far, appear near.
If they have advantage, entice them;
if they are confused, take them,
if they are substantial, prepare for them,
if they are strong, avoid them,
if they are angry, disturb them,
if they are humble, make them haughty,
if they are relaxed, toil them,
if they are united, separate them.
Attack where they are not prepared, go out to where they do not expect.
This specialized warfare leads to victory, and may not be transmitted beforehand.
Before doing battle, in the temple one calculates and will win, because many calculations were made;
before doing battle, in the temple one calculates and will not win, because few calculations were made;
many calculations, victory, few calculations, no victory, then how much less so when no calculations?
By means of these, I can observe them, beholding victory or defeat!
(italics and bold added)
Okay, it’s a little arcane. But it does apply to the Occupy movement. For instance:
Warfare is a great matter to a nation;
it is the ground of death and of life;
it is the way of survival and of destruction, and must be examined.
Life and Death. It’s that important.
Sun-Tzu speaks of generals and leaders. Occupy is a leaderless movement. This creates some difficulty in adapting this treatise to the movement. But the principles are there. If the movement were to have a leader, he or she would immediately be subjected to personal attack. Is it possible to make the leaders of the movement Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Thomas Paine, or even Jesus Christ?
The Way is democracy.
The Way is what causes the people to have the same thinking as their superiors;
they may be given death, or they may be given life, but there is no fear of danger and betrayal.
This compact has been betrayed. The Occupy movement now represents “The Way”, because it has been abandoned by our leaders, giving the movement the high moral ground. This is where you are being attacked by the right, trying to disconnect you from morality by calling you “lazy” and “dirty hippies”. Karl Rove’s stated policy is to attack opponents where they are strongest.
Heaven is dark and light, cold and hot, and the seasonal constraints.
This is a weakness for the movement - at least right now. The elements are against you. Camping in Zucotti throughout the winter can show your dedication, but your opponents will attack at night, in the snow, and when you are weakest.
Ground is high and low, far and near, obstructed and easy, wide and narrow, and dangerous and safe.
The Occupy movement began by occupying ground. This got their attention, and forced a response. Because it is a non-violent movement, violence carried the day and re-claimed the ‘ground’. This can be turned into a Pyrrhic victory.
Law is organization, the chain of command, logistics, and the control of expenses.
All these five no general has not heard;
Well, there’s law, and then there’s Law. The essence of this struggle is zoning laws vs. the First Amendment, the Patriot Act vs. Moral Right. This must be emphasized, because you are right and they are wrong.
which army is strong,
which officers and soldiers are trained,
which reward and punish clearly,
The Occupy movement has numbers. Wall Street has money. Right now, this appears to be an advantage to Wall Street. How can this balance be changed?
Attack their money. Adopt the “Move Your Money” campaign and push it relentlessly. This excellent diary by bex illustrates how to remove as much as 8 trillion dollars from Wall Street coffers. Think that would get their attention?
The nature of Occupy makes discipline difficult - and it’s important to adhere to the non-violent aspect. Most of this war will be fought in the media, and you must never surrender your advantage. The various police actions have swelled your numbers and garnered sympathy. There is much that can be done to swell your numbers, and those must continue to be used to advantage.
by means of these, I know victory and defeat!
These are the elements that Sun-Tzu considered important in conducting war. By knowing these, before the battle begins, it is possible to know whether you will win or lose.
Warfare is the Way of deception
.
Ohhhhhhhhh, yeaaaaaaahhhhhhh.
What do they expect you to do now? Melt away into the winter? Retrench in tents? Stamp your feet and go back to your rich parent’s basements to play Twitter?
Where would they least expect you to attack? Where could you do the greatest damage? Personally, I think occupying Blue Dogs would be one option. You would probably get a boatload of publicity for this - even favorable press from Faux News - at least for a while. It would remove the perception that it is a Marxist-Communist left wing movement, and you have a great weapon in this fight - the Democratic Party Platform. Just ask them to be fucking Democrats - live up to what is a very progressive, printed, and approved platform. It illustrates the divide in our politics, and Blue Dogs will be isolated - no one from the right or left will support or help them. It allows the talking points to be right on point. It’s not the “demands” of the 99% - it’s the demands of the Democratic Party, which they should be promoting themselves. It implies a threat to Blue Dogs and all the rest of the Democrats - because you represent potentially the largest voting block the world has ever seen, and That. Is. What. They. Fear. All of them, right and left, high or low, they fear voters. That is what they spend their money for. If they can’t buy votes, guess who wins?
Another place where they won’t expect action is with the Tea Party. They have invested millions and millions of their dollars in their movement - to buy votes. What if you can render those millions useless by educating the Tea Party, or at least enlisting them in a coalition to remove money from politics? This article illustrates some possiblities.
In summary, Sun-Tzu says that war is won with calculation, and the best victories are won before the fight begins.
In my next diary, I will delve into Chapter Two. This has been just a preliminary look at Sun-Tzu - there's much more to come. Please understand, I would never presume to tell the Occupy movement what to do. This is a humble attempt to begin a dialog, and to help the movement be more effective. Occupy has been brilliant, and I believe in my heart that this is poised to become one of the greatest movements in history. I really need it to be. We all do.