The Essential Framework for Understanding The Art of War

<p>You heard about <i>The Art of War</i>, and it sounded pretty cool. So you picked up a copy to read. But you found that, beyond a few of its famous maxims, a lot of this text attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu was hard to understand, much less incorporate into your life.</p><p>My guest offers a tripartite framework that can help you get a lot more out of <i>The Art of War</i>. His name is Jim Gimian, and he's an editor of one of the text's translations as well as the co-author of <a href="https://amzn.to/3ZiKmlR"><i>The Rules of Victory: How to Transform Chaos and Conflict—Strategies from The Art of War</i></a>. Today on the show, Jim argues that <i>The Art of War</i> is a holistic, interconnected text that's about how to approach conflict and obstacles in a holistic, interconnected way. Underlying this approach are three dynamics: Heaven, Earth, and General, which correspond to View, Practice, and Action. Jim and I talk about the importance of constantly orienting and reorienting yourself to an ever-changing world, working with the shih, or energy, in the landscape you're navigating, using action to further refine your perspective, and more.</p><h2>Resources Related to the Episode</h2><ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3XTo6xm"><i>The Art of War: The Denma Translation</i></a></li><li><a href="https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/masters-of-war-history-s-greatest-strategic-thinkers">Professor Andrew Wilson's Great Courses course on <i>Masters of War</i></a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/military/podcast-664-the-masters-of-the-art-of-war/">AoM Podcast #664: The Masters of the Art of War With Andrew Wilson</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/reading/books-about-war/">AoM Article: 43 Books About War Every Man Should Read</a></li><li><a href="https://www.artofmanliness.com/career-wealth/leadership/lessons-from-the-art-of-war-good-leaders-vs-bad-leaders/">AoM Article: Lessons from The Art of War — Good Leaders vs. Bad Leaders</a></li><li>