RECONFIGURING SPACE / Clamor in the East, attack in the West

STRATAGEM N° 6 (Most Remarkable Stratagem)

Quotations: The one who knows how and when to engage makes sure the opponent ignores where and when to defend himself (...) The exemplary general wins at a distance by tackling the enemy's strategy and manipulating his mind (Sun Tzu).

Guidelines: Render the behaviour of a partner or an opponent foreseeable / Strenghten his convictions and expectations and go along with them to wrong-foot him / A dazzling illusion occults reality / Give color to a mirage to secure a real move / Play on the lever effect of appearance.

Symbolic story: INVEST WEAKNESS TO WIN (...)

Analysis: When the means outweigh one another and no decision is in sight, yang against yang only begets sterile destruction. The framework of confrontation has to be changed to wage strenght against weakness.

Foof for thought: How does one redistribute fullness and void in a conflictal relationship? How and why does one become and objective contributor to causes detrimental to his or her own interests? In what way do systems of values and interpretative filters render one unconsciously and unwillingly credulous anbd easily manipulated?

From: SUN TZU IN 36 STRATAGEMS. The Chinese Path of Strategy for Westerners (VA Press, 2019). https://www.vapress.fr/shop/Sun-Tzu-in-36-Stratagems_p90.html