APPLICATION OF ATTACKING STRATEGIES FOR NON-COMBAT ACTIONS
Brunei offers a lot of transquility
Question 5
As these strategies are to be used during attack, could Sifu please tell us what non-combat actions would be analogous to attacks? Is, for example, applying for a job an attack of sorts? How about negotiating the purchase of a property? Studying for an exam? Composing a piece of writing?
Also, what would the benefits and limitations be to viewing non-combat situations in martial terms?
Sifu Charles David Chalmers
Answer
All the 6 strategies to be taught in Ireland are called Attacking Strategies. They originated from mass warfare, but can be beneficially used today in non-combat situations.
You are right. Many non-combat situations in everyday life, like applying for a job and negotiating the purchase of a property, can be considered an attack of sorts. Any situation where there may be no physical fighting, but if it involves another or more parties, and you wish to be successful in the interaction, it can be considered an attack of some sorts.
Viewing these situations in martial terms enables you to apply these 6 attacking strategies or other strategies for your own, their or mutual benefits. If a person does not use these strategies, all other things being equal, he allows fate to control him. If he is skillful in applying these strategies, he create fate for his advantage.
Any limitations in the application of these strategies are due not to the strategies themselves but due to a failure to apply them successfully, which may, in turn due to various factors like a lack of resources, not being flexible in the application, or being outwitted by the opponent.
The strategies themselves have no limitations simply because if a strategy is not beneficial, you just do not use it. If, for the sake of discussion, all the strategies you know are not beneficial, you do not use them. On the other hand, if you are a strategist, even when a strategy is not beneficial in a situation, you can use another strategy that is useful, or modify the current strategy to make it useful, or modify the situation so that your strategy can be useful. As Emiko has profoundly said, every problem is an opportunity for improvement.
Let us take some examples you have mentioned to see how applying these strategies can bring benefits.
Suppose you apply for a teaching job in an expensive private school. Others who have no understanding of the 6 attacking strategies will have to patiently wait for the decision of the interviewers. If you are skillful in applying these strategies, you can influence the interviewers’ decision to your favour.
You may, for example, use the first of these 6 attacking strategies, “Hit Grass Startle Snake”, to uncover any pressing problem the school faces, and suggest a good solution to overcome the problem. When an interviewer asks you a question, you turn the table round on them, using the strategy “Turn Guest Become Host”.
“Mr Chalmers,” an interviewer asks, “why do you want to work in our school?”
“I love children, I love solving problems for children. I suppose an expensive private school like yours have a lot of problem children.”
You pause for a while for your stunning statement to sink in.
Then you continue.
“Let’s have fun. Please tell me a pressing problem your children face, and see if I can help to solve it.”
This will make all the interviewers sit up. After looking at one another for some time, an interviewer says, “Rich children don’t like to study. They like to attend parties.”
“Right,” you say, “We’ll change the problem into an opportunity for improvement.”
You pause for a while to let them look at one another, or at you, with amazement. Then you continue.
“Organize a party. But only those who can answer some simple questions, which they have to study for, can attend. During the party, have some games where we can teach them lessons in a funfilled and non-official way.”
If not one of the interviewers’ son is also applying for the same job, you already have the job in your sleeves. Any employer who does not employ a person who can turn a problem into an opportunity for improvement, is a fool.
If you are skillful, you can use any of their questions to “hit grass startle snake”.
Suppose an interviewer asks you, “Mr Chalmers, how old are you?”
“I’m 35, and for the past 5 years I have been helping rich children solve problems. I am sure the rich children in your school have a lot of problems.”
Or an interview may ask, “Do you like Brunei, Mr Chalmers?”
“I love Brunei. But I love more helping rich children solve problems. I am sure the rich children in your school have a lot of problems.”
Like sparring, it does not matter what moves our opponent makes. As soon as he makes a move, or we can “hit grass to startle snake” to trick him make a move, we can apply our planned combat sequence to press on him.
One needs resources to apply any of the strategies successfully. Two important resources are mental clarity and quick thinking. Fortunately for us, our school, like the Valentine courses in Ireland, provides these resources.
Let us take another example, composing a piece of writing, and see how we may apply the second attacking strategy, “Borrow Body to Reincarnate”, with benefit.
For the sake of illustration, presume you are not a good writer, which of course is not true. You want to write a beautiful piece on Brunei. You can borrow a beautiful piece of writing on another town or country.
The following beautiful paragraph on Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, is taken from the internet.
“It is spring in the Arabian Peninsula's most enigmatic capital. Temperatures are perfect for ambling through the city's back streets, and the sea air is deliciously fresh. Unlike many cities in the Gulf, Muscat offers plenty of history, a pervasive air of tradition and, crammed between the mountains and the sea, a distinctly exotic location. This is winter sun with a twist.”
We can use it to write about Brunei.
It is summer in the Borneo Island’s most tranquil capital. The weather is a bit hot for the ocean air is sparklingly clean. Unlike many busy cities on the Borneo Island, Brunei offers a lot of tranquility, a pleasant feeling of quietness in a city and, situated between the hills and the ocean, a charmingly magnificent place for a holiday. This is summer all the year round.
I shall leave the other examples for other forum members to have fun on.
Muscat offers plenty of history
The question and answer are taken from the thread More Fun! 36 Strategies in the Shaolin Wahnam Institute Discussion Forum.