1.1 - APPRAISALS - The Art of War
by Stanley Bronstein on July 19, 2008
APPRAISALS
Appraisal - The act of estimating or judging the nature or value of something or someone.
Tao - That in virtue of which all things happen or exist. The rational basis of human activity or conduct.
Why Are Appraisals Important?
Sun Tzu believed in the need for examination. While we must realize The Art of War was written in a military context; it applies equally well to most other aspects of life.
He believed the military was a matter of life and death, consequently it required examination. In my opinion, the same can be said of ALL parts of our lives.
The military is a great matter of the state. It is the ground of life and death. The Tao of survival or extinction. One cannot but examine it.
The reason appraisals are important is that they form the basis of all life and death; the basis of our survival or extinction. If we do not have a realistic appraisal of the situation, how can we act appropriately?
What Aspects Should One Examine?
And so base it in the five. Compare by means of the appraisals. Thus seek out its nature.
The first is Tao, the second is heaven, the third is earth, the fourth is the general and the fifth is method.
- Tao is what causes the people to have the same purpose as their superior. Thus they can die with him, live with him and not deceive him.
- Heaven is yin and yang, cold and hot, the order of the seasons. Going with it; going against it - this is military victory.
- Earth is high and low, broad and narrow, far and near, steep and level, death and life.
- The general is knowledge, trustworthiness, courage and strictness.
- Method is ordering divisions, the Tao of ranking and principal supply.
As for all these five - No general has not heard of them. Knowing them, one is victorious. Not knowing them, one is not victorious.
So we are left with 5 aspects to examine; all of which will be examined in much greater detail throughout this ongoing analysis of The Art of War.
Tao
Ask yourself, do the people in your life work with you or against you? If they work with you; if they share your goals; then the Tao is with you. If they work against you; or are too busy worrying about themselves to worry about your goals; then that is a weakness of which you must deal.
Remember - Knowledge of a strength is the first step toward harnessing it for your advantage. Knowledge of a weakness is the first step toward correcting that weakness.
RECOMMENDED READING
Laws of Positioning #39 - Position Yourself To Be Fortunate
Heaven
Yin and Yang are two principle, yet opposing forces in Chinese philosophy.
Yin - It is thought of as the negative, dark and feminine. Notice in the picture, the seed of yang, can be found within yin.
Yang - It is thought of as positive, bright and masculine. Notice in the picture that the seed of yang can be found within yin.
The reason it is important to understand the concept of yin and yang is that we must learn to not fight it. All things are consistent with their natures, thus they are either yin or yang or some combination of both. By understanding their natures, we can work with them.
Yin and yang is all about balance.
RECOMMENDED READING
Laws of Positioning #4 - Position Yourself To Be Balanced
Earth
Just as yin and yang are the opposites of each other earth is the opposite of heaven.
While heaven deals with the spiritual; the nature of things; earth deals with their practical applications.
As the quote suggests, earth is everything. It is our highs; it is our lows. It is everything that is near to us and everything that is far away.
In short, it is everything that is going on around us. We have to pay attention, and we have to notice what is going on around us.
RECOMMENDED READING
Laws of Positioning #14 - Position Yourself To Be Conscious
The General
The general is your leader (or leaders). Do you trust them? Have they earned your trust? Would you follow them into battle? Would you do anything for them?
True leaders become leaders by exhibiting traits that show they are worthy of the position given to them. Thus they must be knowledgeable; they must be trustworthy; they must be courageous and SOMETIMES, they must be harsh in order to maintain the appropriate level of respect.
RECOMMENDED READING
Laws of Positioning #19 - Position Yourself To Be Courageous
Laws of Positioning #55 - Position Yourself To Be Intelligent
Laws of Positioning #60 - Position Yourself To Be A Leader
Laws of Positioning #92 - Position Yourself To Be Trustworthy
Method
Method is organization and ability to get things done. In short, how effective are you?
The more effective you are; the more useful you will be and the more you will get done. It’s just that simple!
RECOMMENDED READING
Laws of Positioning #95 - Position Yourself To Be Useful
Tomorrow
Tomorrow, we will talk more on the subject of appraisals.
Until next time, take care, my dear friends.Mr. Achievement
Stanley F. Bronstein
Attorney & CPA
July 20th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
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