I was asked on the asktrp subreddit to write about my views on the Art of War.

The Art of War is one of the oldest books in the world. Whether or not the great General Sun Tzu actually existed and wrote a book on war is debated. It really doesn't matter. The book was most likely written and refined over several hundred years. It is an extremely simple book, but because of the simplicity there is complexity. It is because of this simplicity why the book is timeless.

The book covers all aspects of warfare. The attack, defense,logistics, intelligence gathering, how to defeat different types of enemies, how to influence people and deception. The book is also a self help book, it talks about the proper mindset of the general. It also classifies different types of soldiers and how to use them most effectively. Life it self is a struggle, a struggle implies conflict. But within the Art of War it states that to achieve your goals it is best to avoid conflict. Or how to make an enemies strength his weakness.

To understand the book, it must be read with an amoral eyes. The general must not allow emotion to cloud his judgement. That does not mean you should do immoral things, it means when making judgement, do not allow emotion to effect you.

One of the best students of The Art of War was Mao. Using the techniques described in the book he defeated a far stronger enemy who had external support. Mao then wrote an Art of War for dummies, or what is often called "The little red book of Mao". Yes Mao was a nasty individual, he systematically starved to death 50 to 100 million Chinese. Do not allow emotion to cloud your judgement, if you can not read his writings without being revolted, then you can never become a great General. The part to learn is Mao had an objective, and he achieved it.

A famous quotation of Mao is

Pull back your fist before you strike

What does Mao mean ? Is he actually talking about punching someone ? This saying has been stolen from the Art of War by Mao. As you read the Art of War or Mao's work, sit back and ponder these things. There is no correct answer the purpose is stimulate new thought.

How I interpret Mao's thoughts "right now". Possibly tomorrow I might have different thoughts. When you punch something, the further back you pull the fist the more force you can apply. So Mao is saying before you punch pull back your fist. You are probably saying, Mao you are a fucking idiot, this is common sense. So maybe Mao is not really talking about punching.

In this case Mao is saying before you do something, put your full energy into it. Don't do things half assed. How does this apply to picking up women ? Most guys fail because when they talk to the girl, they do it in a half measures, and they come across as creepy.

Another famous saying of Mao.

The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue.

This saying has been taken out of The Art of War by Mao where Sun Tzu describes how to defeat a far stronger enemy.

The first thing to understand is this is a strategy. Strategy means a general principal. Notice I used the word principal, not rule. These are not laws like the laws of Physics, they are guidelines. If you want rules or laws go join some blue pill brain dead religion. Or better yet just send me 10% of your income and I will be happy to run your life for you.

Tactics on the other hand refer to how the actual harassment, attacking and pursuing should be done.

So how is this useful ? From a TRP standpoint when we harass the enemy we could use techniques like shit testing and negging. Mao is then saying if the enemy advances we retreat. Some maybe this is the enemy shit testing you. They throw a shit test at you, you dodge it.

Also notice inside Mao's statement there is the concept similar to what TRP calls push-pull. The purpose of push-pull is to tire the enemy. Then when the enemy is weak you pull back the fist and strike.

If you read the Art of War, Sun Tzu then describes how to counter a Mao type attack.

How did Mao use the book "The Art of War". Most accounts state that Mao would keep a copy with him at all times. During his free time or times of stress he would leaf through the book and then ponder and think.

People do not take enough time out to think. So when you are working out, you have idle time waiting for something. Ponder, think and question.

To create most sophisticated attacks or defenses, think how several principles can be combined to create something stronger. The combinations are infinite.

Am I an expert of The Art of War ? Ofcourse not. If you asked Mao if he considered himself an expert in The Art of War, he probably would state yes. That is because the Art of War states make your weaknesses appear to be strength, and your strength appear to be weakness. Obviously he did not not consider himself to be an expert or he would not have spent his entire life studying the book repeatedly.