The Art of Avoiding War whenever we can
I work to inspire and equip followers of Jesus to embrace peace and reconciliation, but these important end goals can never be reduced to the absence of conflict — one must learn peacemaking and peace building as part of the non-violent path to resolving division, or avoiding war whenever possible, which is not always feasible. As a Canadian born in 1970, I have lived my whole life in a context without direct engagement in the horror of war, yet conflicts, competing agendas, and micro-aggression surface regularly within my community, country, politics, and global philosophies on how we participate in God’s mission on earth. Wisdom requires an understanding of God, myself, and others, whether friend or enemy.
In The Art of War, Sun Tzū’ presents “an ultimate paradox— a military treatise with a fundamental distaste for the costs of warfare” [1]. Although this work dates back to the 6th Century BCE, the 13 chapters curate Tzū’s sayings into thematic categories relevant to leadership and strategizing for us today.
One of the first insights I found compelling was this emphasis on winning against an opponent in non-combative ways through the role of strategems. [2] As Belgian psychologist, Lieven Verbrugge, argues in his contrast of The Art of War alongside Carl von Clausewitz’s 19th Century piece On War, winning, strategy, and leadership look very different from an Eastern and a Western perspective. He contrast von Clausewitz’ method of “trying to compel the other to do your will through physical force” [3], with Tzu’s method is to attack “the intention of your opponent” [4]. The psychological and diplomatic aspects of warfare and peace building have this alignment to Tzū’s seriousness about war, and prioritizing ways to avoid it.
Another aspect of Tzū’s philosophy that I found useful was the importance of knowing your opponent. In the first chapter, entitled Laying Plans, he offers this counsel:
21. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. 22. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. 23. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest [5].
Here, Tzū is getting at something that is important in any conflict — what Canadian Peace and Conflict expert Vern Neufeld-Redekop calls “interiority—the processes and dynamics that occur within a human person” [6]. He argues that even though another’s interiority includes things that may not be known, such as motivations or even possible deceptions, he still concludes that “deep-rooted conflict is often about interiority” [7]. In peace building, interiority represent the places to find neutral ground, whereas in war, knowing one’s enemies can be used against them in order to win. One of my mentors, Phil Delsaut, challenged me on this mental aspect of diplomacy early on in my leadership through a popular aphorism, “pull your friends close, and your enemies closer”. Eve Poole likewise offers her counsel in managing conflict by challenging me to think in terms of my own and others’ intentions and interiority in her work Leadersmithing.
When you are in the midst of a disagreement, see if you can step outside of it to try to mediate, rather than getting sucked in on one side or the other. Get curious about the disagreement. What is each side trying to protect? What for them is being attacked by the difference of opinion? Often a dearly held value is being compromised, and a conflict response is generated as an attempt to restore it [8].
How might I, in adopting the philosophical wisdom that Tzū has given, continue to engage in conflict in ways that avoid full-blown war as much as I am able, or with as minimal damage as possible?
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[1] Tzu, Sun, The Art of War, Laguna Hills: Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2017, xi.
[2] The Art of War, Chapter 3.
[3] Bold Books and Bones, “The Art of War Explained by a Psychologist”, YouTube, 2019, https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gf7-UQDYbpU, 5:30.
[4] “The Art of War Explained by a Psychologist”, 6:35.
[5] The Art of War, 6.
[6] Redekop, Vernon Neufeld, From Violence to Blessing: How an Understanding of Deep–rooted Conflict Can Open Paths to Reconciliation, Toronto: Novalis, 2002, 61.
[7] From Violence to Blessing, 61.
[8] Poole, Eve, 2017. Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership. 1st ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 133.
About the Author
Joel Zantingh
Joel Zantingh is a catalyst for peacemaking and intercultural teams, speaker, theologian and consultant. He is the Canadian Coordinator of the World Evangelical Alliance's Peace and Reconciliation Network, and the Director of Engagement with Lausanne Movement Canada. He has served in local and national roles within the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada, and led their global mission arm. He has experience teaching in formal and informal settings with Bible college students and leaders from various cultures and generations. Joel and Christie are parents to adult children, as well as grandparents. They reside in Guelph, Ont., situated on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and home to many past, present and future First Nations peoples, including the Anishinnabe and Hodinöhsö:ni'.7 responses to “The Art of Avoiding War whenever we can”
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Joel,
I have not read this book yet. Someday I will get to it. Were there aspects of this book that you did not find agreeable? Or outdated ideas?
Joel,
From what I have read online it appears that VP Harris used the tactic of knowing your opponent in the presidential debate the other evening. Harris goaded Trump knowing that he would follow the rabbit trails and not stick to the topics. Friedman in A Failure of Nerve described the “the emotional processes in society that I see affecting the functioning of ‘parents and presidents'”. [1] Having read his book, we know that one of those processes is reactivity. I wonder if getting your opponent(s) to react in a manner that negatively impacted their ability to function was one of Tzu’s stratagems, react emotionally and not cognitively.
[1] Edwin Friedman, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. (New York: Church Publishing, 2007),4.
Reactivity is not directly referenced in Tzū, but it is aligned to his call for warring against an opponent’s intentions, and out-thinking your opponent rather than out-muscling them. For instance, in Chapter 3 – Attack by Strategem, he pronounces, “…supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting” 10.
So, perhaps reactivity is the desired outcome of this type of psychological combat.
Hi Joel,
I referenced the book, “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu in my NPO paper last year. It took me forever to finish it. The text is divided into 13 chapters, each focusing on a different aspect of warfare. In reading your post where you disagreed, what was it based on?
Hi Joel, I have not read this book but your comments are compelling. In your work of Peace and Reconciliation have you been able to put into practice the recommendations of Eve Poole?
Joel, I’m looking forward to chatting more with you in DC and hearing more about your perspectives on conflict and peacemaking. I appreciate your question above and would like to try to answer it in a small way. I know you to be someone who listens and tries to truly know others. That will go a long way in building trust as you learn to know those on the other side. For them to trust you and feel known is huge in avoiding war and minimizing damage.
Hi Joel, great post. I also wrote on The Art of War.
Indeed there is a an art in avoiding war as much as winning a war.
As I was reading the book, I struggled to identify ‘enemies’ since all of organizations I work with are faith-based. How did you apply the tips of enemy warfare to your context?