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 \u2014 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\u2019s mission on earth. Wisdom requires an understanding of God, myself, and others, whether friend or enemy.<\/p>\n
In The Art of War,<\/em> Sun Tz\u016b\u2019 presents \u201can ultimate paradox\u2014 a military treatise with a fundamental distaste for the costs of warfare\u201d [1]. Although this work dates back to the 6th Century BCE, the 13 chapters curate Tz\u016b\u2019s sayings into thematic categories relevant to leadership and strategizing for us today. <\/span><\/p>\n 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<\/em> alongside Carl von Clausewitz\u2019s 19th Century piece On War<\/em>, <\/span>w<\/span>inning, strategy, and leadership look very different from an Eastern and a Western perspective. He contrast von <\/span>Clausewitz\u2019 method of \u201ctrying to c<\/span>ompel the other to do your will through physical force\u201d [3], with Tzu\u2019s method is to attack \u201cthe intention of your opponent\u201d [4]. The psychological and diplomatic aspects of warfare and peace building have this alignment to Tz\u016b\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>seriousness about war, and prioritizing ways to avoid it.<\/span><\/p>\n Another aspect of Tz\u016b\u2019s philosophy that I found useful was the importance of knowing your opponent. In the first chapter, entitled Laying Plans<\/em>, he offers this counsel:<\/span><\/p>\n 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]. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Here, Tz\u016b is getting at something that is important in any conflict \u2014 what Canadian Peace and Conflict expert Vern Neufeld-Redekop calls \u201cinteriority\u2014t<\/span>he processes and dynamics that occur within a human person\u201d [6]. He argues that even though another\u2019s interiority includes things that may not be known, such as motivations or even possible deceptions, he still concludes that \u201cd<\/span>eep-rooted conflict is often about interiority\u201d [7]. In peace building, interiority represent the places to find neutral ground, whereas in war, knowing one\u2019s enemies can be used against them in order to win. O<\/span>ne of my mentors, Phil Delsaut, challenged me on this mental aspect of diplomacy early on in my leadership through a popular aphorism, \u201cpull your friends close, and your enemies closer\u201d. \u00a0Eve Poole likewise offers her counsel in managing conflict by challenging me to think in terms of my own and others\u2019 intentions and interiority in her work Leadersmithing<\/em>.<\/p>\n 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].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n How might I, in adopting the philosophical wisdom that Tz\u016b 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?<\/p>\n ______________<\/p>\n [1] Tzu, Sun, The Art of War<\/em>, Laguna Hills: Quarto Publishing Group USA, 2017, xi.<\/span><\/p>\n [2] The Art of War<\/em>, Chapter 3.<\/span><\/p>\n [3] Bold Books and Bones, \u201cThe Art of War Explained by a Psychologist<\/span><\/span>\u201d, YouTube, 2019,<\/span> https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=Gf7-UQDYbpU, 5:30.<\/span><\/p>\n [4] \u201cThe Art of War Explained by a Psychologist<\/span>\u201d, 6:35.<\/span><\/p>\n [5] The Art of War<\/em>, 6.<\/span><\/p>\n [6] Redekop, Vernon Neufeld, From Violence to Blessing: How an Understanding of Deep\u2013rooted Conflict Can Open Paths to Reconciliation,<\/em> Toronto: Novalis, 2002, <\/span>61.<\/span><\/p>\n [7] From Violence to Blessing,\u00a0<\/em>61.<\/span><\/p>\n [8] Poole, Eve, 2017. <\/span>Leadersmithing: Revealing the Trade Secrets of Leadership<\/span><\/em>.<\/em> 1st ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., 133.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 \u2014 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. 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