The Art of War 孫子兵法
- Mar 11, 2018
- 4 min read
How I came across this book: Recommended from a friend to develop leadership skills
Favorite Line from the book:
To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
If you know the enemy and know yourself, your need not fear the results of hundred battles.
The art of war is a Chinese military treatise which has greatly influenced military tactics as well as business and legal strategy. It is believed to be from the 5th century, and the work belongs to the military general Sun Tzu who was the minister to King Helu. This is one of the shortest books I have read so far, but each chapter was full of many leadership philosophies.
If the state goes to war, it is fighting for its very survival. Sun Tzu describes how you can predict a victory by exploring some fundamental factors such as the way, terrain, seasons, leadership and management skills of the general, and the ruler. Successful military campaigns avoid prolonged wars and require winning quickly to contain cost. The best way to lessen the damage of warfare is to capture the enemy’s country, city or army whole and intact than to destroy it through costly battle. A skillful fighter avoids battles he may lose, thus ensuring he is never defeated. So, a victorious general must know when to fight. Never enter battle simply out of anger; there must always be something to be won. Your anger will eventually fade, but a kingdom once destroyed can never be brought back to life. Warfare is only successful if sovereigns and the General do not cause their defeat. An army should be adaptable according to the circumstances. Sun Tzu describes different types of terrain and the dangers which come with each one of them. One of the most important strategies which the book describes are the spies as they can provide information and intelligence.
This book is read by military strategists, leaders, businessmen, CEO of multi-national companies, and many others to develop their management skills. Being a cancer surgeon, the easiest way for me to interpret this book was from a medical perspective. Let’s imagine for few minutes the following roles – battlefield as the human body, Commander in chief as the surgery chairman (the top boss), general of the army as a senior surgeon, officers as a junior surgeon, soldiers as residents (trainee surgeons) and enemy as the Cancer. I put all these roles in the book ‘The Art of War’ and reread it. The book suddenly started to make sense to me.
Let’s begin!
Sun Tzu said, ‘Ground which can be freely traversed by both sides is called accessible.’ -> Some parts of the body have an easy anatomy to operate.
Sun Tzu said, ‘Ground which can be abandoned but is hard to re-occupy is called entangling.’-> Re-operating on the same organ or same part of the body is always tricky.
Sun Tzu said, ‘The rising of birds in their flight is the sign of an ambuscade. Startled beasts indicate that a sudden attack is coming.’ -> A herald bleed is an episode of bleeding, often accompanied by abdominal pain, which may precede catastrophic bleeding.
Sun Tzu said, ‘He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.’ -> Never underestimate cancer. Some cancers such as melanoma can come back after many years.
Sun Tzu said, ‘ Concerning precipitous heights if the enemy has occupied them before you, do not follow him, but retreat and try to entice him away.’ -> Cancer has become metastatic. Surgery may not be suitable. Do not try to cut it out. Chemotherapy may be the best option.
Sun Tzu said, ‘When the common soldiers are too strong and their officers too weak, the result is insubordination. When the officers are too strong and the common soldiers too weak, the result is a collapse.’-> The surgeon has to have the right balance of discipline and affection in controlling his trainee. The trainee needs to have a thick skin if they want to survive the surgical training.
Sun Tzu said, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.’ -> Know the tumor biology of cancer and know your potential as a surgeon then you will be victorious.
Sun Tzu said, ‘When invading the hostile territory, the general principle is, that penetrating deeply brings cohesion; penetrating but a short way means dispersion.-> When handling the tumor intra-operatively, it should be taken in-toto (completely). Mishandling may lead to tumor spillage, and cancer seed will be left behind.
I can go on and on, and convert every line in this book, and make it into a surgical textbook. Just like war, surgery is about leadership, strategies, mental strength, adaptability, innovation, and careful planning, but with a different purpose - to save lives and improve its' quality. Wars lead to loss of life and resources. Sun Tzu emphasized this fact in his book and mentioned that diplomacy achieves the best victories without fighting any wars. This cannot be truer in the current times. Albert Einstein said, “I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones!”
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