Playing with the Dao:
A "Pragmatic" Strategic View

How to Read the Forces

"Study requires calm; talent requires study. Without study there is no way to expand talent; without calm there is no way to accomplish study."  
--- Zhuge Liang

Through the state of stillness, you develop the ability to read the forces of Yin and Yang.

When observing a specific force, focus only on the current moment of reading and recognizing the attributes of forces and its affect on the current settings. Is the force opposing? Is the force positioned in a scenario of confronting? Is the force fluid and constantly changing? Is the force a "head-on" scenario? Or is the force a macro combination of the four forces mentioned above?

"Therefore I say, know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril."  
--- Sunzi

When encountering any combination of those forces mentioned above, the pragmatic, strategic player of the Dao decides on one of the following four strategic options:

• Positioning in one's locale and countering with the opposite polarity of the oncoming force
• Positioning in one's locale and yielding until the force is overextended
• Countering the directness of the oncoming force with indirectness
• Countering the "continuous change of opposing force" by following its direction

As a strategic rule, never counter a direct force with a direct force.

"For they end and recommence; cyclical, as are the movements of the sun and moon. They die away and are reborn; recurrent, as are the passing seasons. … "  
--- Sunzi (Sun Tzu) AoW, Chapter 5 (Griffith's interpretation)

By studying the following attributes of a force: direction, intensity, rhythm, balance and its origin, you might understand how it fits into the greater scheme of things.

"In dwelling, be close to the land; in meditation, go deep in the heart; in dealing with others, be gentle and kind; in speech, be true; in ruling, be just'; in business, be competent; in action, watch the timing."  
--- Dao De Jing, Chapter 8

Continued in our Fall/Winter (Oct-Dec 2004) quarterly issue of Jade Dragon Online.

M.E.H.

M.E.H. is a strategist whose weekend interests lie between cycling in "linear, circular, and figure-eight patterns" while reading books on world history, global economics, quantum sciences, and military strategies during his breaks.

Previous M.E.H. Writings on Strategy

• Sun Tzu's The Art of War
• The Mind of the Strategist: Knowing the Questions
• The Game of Go
• Chinese Chess
• Zhuge Liang – Part 1 and Part 2
• The Tao of Becoming a Strategist
• STRATEGY as a Way of Life: "Know the Question. Then Find the Answer"
• Sun Bin: The Art of Warfare (Military Methods)
• Playing the Global Game

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