Monday, March 23, 2020

day no. 15,127: a winning that loses; a losing that wins

"Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious. Those who face the unprepared with preparation are victorious." 
— Sun Tzu

Proverbs 11:14
Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

"Tactical success of itself does not necessarily bring strategic success. It is possible to win all the battles and still lose the war. If the battles do not lead to the achievement of the strategic objective, then, successful or not, they are just so much wasted effort." 
-- MCDP 1-2: Campaigning

Proverbs 15:22
Without counsel plans fail,
but with many advisers they succeed.

"As we have seen, actions at the higher levels in the hierarchy of war tend to overpower actions at the lower levels, and neglect of the operational level can prove disastrous even in the face of tactical competence. Without an operational design which synthesizes tactical results into a coalescent whole, what passes for operations is simply the accumulation of tactical victories." -- MCDP 1-2: Campaigning

Proverbs 20:18
Plans are established by counsel;
by wise guidance wage war.

"Tactical competence can rarely attain victory in the face of operational incompetence, while operational ignorance can squander what tactical hard work has gained."
-- MCDP 1-2: Campaigning

Proverbs 24:5-6
A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

"Reduced to its essence, the art of campaigning consists of deciding who, when, and where to fight and for what purpose. Equally important, it involves deciding who, when, and where not to fight. It is, as Clausewitz described, 'the use of engagements for the object of the war.'" -- MCDP 1-2: Campaigning

Luke 14:31-32
What king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

There is a winning that is losing and there is a losing that wins.

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