Get out the microscope, because we’re going through this poem line-by-line.
- Let's talk military strategy.
- According to the TTC, it's best to let the enemy be the aggressor.
- By biding your time and strategically retreating, you create a situation where your enemy is more likely to make a mistake.
- The chapter uses a cool metaphor for this when it advises armies to behave more like a guest than a host.
- A good guest waits patiently and takes cues from the host, right?
- If somebody likes people to take off their shoes in the house, then most people do so—if they ever want to be invited back again, anyway.
- If an army behaves the same way and allows the enemy to take the lead, then the army learns the way its enemy thinks, which is info that can eventually be used against the enemy when the right time comes.
- The TTC tells us that this is a kind of compassion, and that when two armies that have the same strengths meet, the one with the most compassion will win.