The Art of War…and Peace

The art of war is the art of deception: the feint. A sport with two sides is the art of deception: the feint. It is the art of “the old one-two”: the first action is the feint to force a reactive movement. While that movement is in progress, the target is exposed and there is no time to get back to position: the second movement is meant to be the actual kill.

It is precisely because that reactive kinetic movement has not been completed – all the energy has been put into the reaction – and because the movement has not been completed, the target is exposed. The feint maintains confusion because we don’t settle on one point which can then be refined. Combat is the art of control, using the opponent’s reactions and tendencies against them.

I used to fence foil, and we employed this at every stage. The “one two” – or even “the one two three” – took many forms which always depended on how the opponent reacted. The trick is always to make the opponent believe that the feint is the real thing. It is the trick of the illusionist.

We are led to believe that the “one two” is merely hitting with the left and then the right, just slugging it out. Not so; it is the art of deception. It is the hidden trick. In sport, both sides know this and that’s the fun. It’s a short term event. In war, both sides know this and manipulate at every stage, depending on the right time and right place, creating a “chain reaction” – although there are differing degrees of capacity involved. It’s a long term event and not fun at all.

Wars do not just happen. There is much going on behind the scenes. Someone can be placed in ‘power’ decades before that ‘power’ can be used against them. It doesn’t just happen! Nothing does.

Remember cause and effect and the resultant karma. War is never ending, and it is meant to be infinite! To control, one must maintain control for ever, and therefore we forever suffer!

So what has all this to do with spirituality?

The Art of Deception starts in the mind: we believe in something. Our mind – or rather, the contents in our mind – is constantly deceiving us, constantly misdirecting us. And we are all experts in the art of deception; the art of war. We deceive ourselves and try to deceive others, consciously and unconsciously, precisely because we believe the contents of our mind.

We all believe that the thoughts in the mind are “the real thing”. Because of this, we deceive ourselves, and when we try to deceive others, we actually deceive ourselves even more because this deception has to be maintained, and suffer.

The answer is to not react to the feints of films, TV, newspapers, internet, conversations…and our own concepts! These are all feints in the mind. They are all deceptions.

“To thine own self be true
and as day follows night
thou canst not be false to anyone.”
…and thou canst not be deceived…

Self realisation
is recognising the clarity of the nature of mind
that does not comment or react to its contents.

PS. I may be as thick as a short plank, so just think what powerful governments can do.