Daily Advice 1.13.21

[readoldthings]

 Back to Sun Tzu.

The first chapter of The Art of War closes with several pieces of warfighting advice. One that I want to highlight is this:

All warfare is based on deception.

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. 
 

How can we apply this advice to our lives at this time?

Most of the time, most of us aren't going into battle. The average, day-to-day goals that we are trying to accomplish don't require "deception," as such. What they do often call for, which is similar to deception, is silence.

Some goals can be achieved no matter how much you talk about them. This morning my wife and I planned what to have for dinner tonight; in an hour or two I'll get it started. Simple enough. 

But other types of goals benefit enormously from simply not talking about them while you're pursuing them.

I've talked about writing a few times in these posts. Writing is very much one of these kinds of goals. If you want to take all the energy out of a writing project, especially if it's a fiction project, talk about it before it's finished. 

Some people are exceptions to this. Mario Puzo's son recalled that while his father was writing The Godfather he used to shout at his kids "Be quiet, I'm writing a bestseller!" And he was right. But I'm not Mario Puzo and you probably aren't either.

Other types goals are like this. If you have a New Years resolution to hit the gym every day, just do it. Don't tell anyone about it. The more people you tell, the more likely you are to miss a day, and then to decide that since you missed yesterday, you might as well miss today, and tomorrow, too. 

How to know which goals to shut up about? Well, you could play it safe and just not talk about any of them if you don't need to. This is usually what I do. I talk about my plans with people they directly concern, and that's about it. . 

So that's how deception applies to everyday, non-warfighting types of goals.

On the other hand, related to what I posted yesterday, everyday life is feeling more and more like a battle. Political conditions and their reflection in the Astral Light are becoming increasingly toxic in the United States. If your goal is to join one or the other of the two sides lining up against one another right now, I'm sure you can figure out how to apply Sun Tzu's words on your own. On the other hand, if your goal is to weather the storm and to still be here once the demons of the Left and Right are done with one another, I want to talk about how we can apply Sun Tzu's advice.

All warfare is based on deception. Our war is the war of the spirit against the passions, God against the Devil, reason against emotion, peace against war. How do we deceive our enemy?

I suspect that silence is the key here, as well. In particular, there is no reason to engage in political arguments or discussions with those who are committed to one side of our political divide or the other. In certain situations, you may feel that you are forced to do so. Are you really, though? What is your motive? 

We do not know where things are going. Everything could calm down after the Inauguration or we could be in a civil war by the summer. Right now, there is absolutely nothing to be gained by standing out, making noise, or rushing to judgment. Above all, avoid committed partisans. You can't reason with them right now; all you can do is have them label you "Enemy." 

Beyond that, we just don't know yet. More will become clear with time.  

Comments

[ari_ormstunga]

We must be on the same wavelength, I was reflecting earlier on "being silent", especially with things being as insanely polarized as they are right now. If I wasn't grinding away at Levi, I'd break out my copy of The Art of War and follow along. Perhaps I'll revisit your posts later when I have some time (provided circumstances allow; I hope and pray they will).

[readoldthings]

Yes, definitely. May I ask what gods you follow, if any?

[ari_ormstunga]

I magically work in the Golden Dawn tradition; I pray to the planetary Gods and have a healthy respect for the Norse pantheon. My spirituality is a bit of a grab bag, I got started on my spiritual path via Chaos magic of all things so I'm all over the place.

[readoldthings]

Okay. We're clearly picking up on the same messages, and I was wondering which channel it was coming through. My spirituality is fairly ecletic also-- I think that's true for everyone who does this work for long enough.

[ari_ormstunga]

Hopefully the Unseen Powers are looking out for us, then. As a fellow rural white person, I also expect that we will be demonized by the media and other institutions. I can handle marginalization and contempt (it's really nothing new to me, unfortunately) but I feel for my children.

[temporaryreality]

I'm having a hard time balancing my intense desire to remain silent and unseen with my wish to speak up to (at least one of) my congress critter(s) who are on the impeach warpath. At some point down the line, if I said nothing I am/was complicit. But I wonder too, are congressional aides writing down bad-constituents' contact info? Would I be lumped into the bad category for suggesting a calm and rational response that doesn't lead down a slippery slope? I don't know.

I waver.

[readoldthings]

I've been thinking about this for the past hour or so. Probably it's a question that requires more time than that, so take this for what it's worth...

First. "At some point down the line, if I said nothing I am/was complicit."

Is that really true? Where does that idea come from? When I think about it, I wonder if it's rooted in the aftermath of World War II, and the question of how the Nazis could have risen to power. And that makes me wonder if it isn't actually rooted in a desire to justify our treatment of German civilians both during and after the war. I'm not sure if that's true, but it just occurred to me that, as a meme, I can't think of any literary examples of it prior to the mid-20th century.

So then we have to ask ourselves, what can actually be gained by "speaking up" now? In the days after 9/11 I participated in antiwar marches and in other activist projects meant to combat the demonization of the entire American Muslim population. It seems to me that one of the reasons that my participation was helpful is that I was not a Muslim. What I expect to see soon is the demonization of the rural, white population. Of course, that demonization has been going on for some time now from the cultural Left, but once Biden-- "author of the Patriot Act"-- takes office, it's probably going to receive official sanction and aid from federal law enforcement. Since I am a white male living in a rural county, it seems to me that, more than my own voice, what would help would be members of other demographics speaking up on my behalf.

I expect Q-Anon to be the Al Qaeda of the 2020s. AQ exchanged for QA. The gods have a sense of humor.

...

I typed that an hour ago and have been thinking more on the matter.

I think that one thing we ought to aim for is some kind of Rural Americans Anti-Defamation League. This would apply the tools and tactics of the civil rights movement, the gay rights movement and so on to rural Americans. One can imagine a webpage with a "Debunking Myths" section:

MYTH: Rural Americans fight against gun control because they are criminal and violent.
FACT: Hunting is central to rural American culture. Firearms in rural America are used primarily for hunting. Gun crime is an urban problem, not a rural problem.

MYTH: Rural America is primarily white, therefore Rural Americans are privileged.
FACT: The so-called "white privilege" is a phenomenon of urban and suburban European-Americans. When rural Euro-American demographics are separated from their urban and suburban cousins, they show levels of generational poverty, addiction, literacy, and employment far more comparable to urban black populations or other marginalized groups.

MYTH: Rural Americans are racist.
FACT: According to studies X, Y, and Z, racist attitudes have declined 80% since 1950 (insert other data). Moreover, Ibram X. Kendi in "White It's Okay For Me To Hate White People" defines racism as "prejudice plus power." As we have already seen, rural Americans have little or no political power. While individual racial prejudice is immoral and must be combatted everywhere, rural Americans are not and cannot be racist in the same way as non-marginalized groups.

...And so on. Such an organization would publicly shame Hollywood films and TV shows that portray rural Americans in a negative light and would push for policies designed to promote employment and combat addiction in rural counties. Attacks on rural Americans by powerful corporations and politicians would be ammunition for such a group. Twitter's hypocritical stance in permitting anti-white hate speech while removing anti-black hate speech would be one example. Obama's "cling to their guns and their religion" speech would be another. The key is to turn every attack into an opportunity to highlight your opponent's evil and hypocrisy. Always use the frames of "education," "debunking myths," and "equality."

Anyway, that's way off of your main point. I think the point, though, is-- Consider what your goals are, and only do things which will further them. If not speaking up really is complicity, who is complicit, and in what? Blacks who didn't speak up against segregation or Apartheid were not complicit; whites were. Muslims who did not speak up after 9/11 were not complicit; non-Muslims were. It's a very different thing to remain silent if you're in the group that's being targeted, from if you're in the other group.

[sdi]

At some point down the line, if I said nothing I am/was complicit.

I was going to comment on this, as well. What does "complicit" mean here? For example, my deity has explicitly forbidden me from political participation. Does that mean I'm complicit in the bad behavior of political actors? (Maybe, but on the other hand I care about my deity's opinions and I don't care about the opinions of Americans generally.) Would my interaction with my congresscritters make them less bad? (I tend to doubt it. I've tried in the past and it made literally zero difference. Indeed, it probably would just make me feel like life is even more futile than it feels already.)

I think this ties back to readoldthings' discussion a few days ago about virtues (what properties one wishes to embody) and ethics (adherence to a set of virtues). Surely, if "speaking up" is a virtue, then yes, silence is unethical. But what kind of person does one become if they take that as a virtue? Is it the kind of person one wants to be? Is this true in general or just in the context of this moment in time? I don't know the answer to that, but I will note with amusement that we have a derogatory name for such people: "rats."

Further, some value systems consider noninterventionism a virtue. (Consider the trolley problem: while flipping the railroad switch may mean fewer people in total die, it also means that you are directly responsible for the deaths that do occur.) Clearly that is mutually exclusive with speaking up.

[temporaryreality]

I think my original post was rather "woe is me" (or at least I kind of felt that way).

After I posted my question I had a "duh!" moment because my start-of-the-year's divination has already given me the answer to this "dilemma". It's not as cut and dried as your specific prohibition, but I would ignore to my own detriment the advice I was given to "stay low."

I see that I've unthinkingly adopted the "speaking out" is a necessity. The times have further confused me and it'll be best if I move slowly and carefully.

Thanks for helping me think through this (both of you).

[sdi]

The times have further confused me and it'll be best if I move slowly and carefully.

I'm with you!

My sister is very much in line with the American "left," and it occurs to me that she stopped speaking with me because I refused to accept the virtue of "speaking out." That is, I sowed silence and I reap silence in return. But on the other hand, how many people remain silent in order to "keep the peace" at, say, Thanksgiving dinner? There's a karma to silence, just as there's a karma to speaking out, but what you get depends on the situation you're in.

In such confused times it's very hard to know how to navigate. I'm glad you're finding divination helpful, I'd be totally lost without it.

[temporaryreality]

Thank you so much for your considerate and considered reply!

Let me just take your direct questions/thoughts one by one.

"First. 'At some point down the line, if I said nothing I am/was complicit.'

Is that really true? Where does that idea come from?"

Yes, I believe you're correct that this is a post-WWII sentiment, probably combined with a degree of Margaret Meadism (you know, "the small group of committed individuals" quote). And it's probably a guilt-prompting thoughtstopper that I've picked up from my exposure to leftward-education/classmates, contrasted against whom I feel distinctly apolitical. I also can't help but think that the leftward turn that's gotten so extreme is in part BECAUSE of my cohort.

Is it true? Interestingly (to me), I assumed it was without testing it other than thinking that if enough people write to a congress person about an issue, and if a congress person really represents his or her constituents, then yes, letting him or her know what constituents want or don't want can make a difference. I suppose the operative here is whether or not they really represent us or if they just act in our name.

"What can be gained by speaking out now?" Beats the heck out of me if we're sure elected officials don't represent the common people.

I do have one other thought, but I'll append it to SDI's comment above as it's pertinent to her first paragraph.

[readoldthings]

That line from Margaret Meade was one of the first things that popped into my head when I was thinking about the origin of the "You have to speak up" sentiment. We're definitely tuning in to the same broadcast, and I think it's worth listening to.