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Open Ground - Learn

Open Ground – Learn

“Ground on which each side has liberty of movement is open ground.” Excerpt FromThe Art of WarSun Tzu Some interpretations of Sun Tzu’s open ground include that it is ground which is covered with a network of roads, or where intercommunication is easy. It has also been likened to a chessboard. He advises that one should not attempt to block the enemy on open ground. That would be a waste of…

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Contentious Ground - Equanimity

Contentious Ground – Equanimity

“Ground the possession of which imports great advantage to either side, is contentious ground. … On contentious ground, attack not. But rather let all your energies be bent on occupying the advantageous position first. ….. however, suppose the meaning to be that the enemy has already forestalled us, sot that it would be sheer madness to attack. In the SUN TZU HSU LU, when the King of Wu…

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Slippery Ground - Fighting Hopelessness

Slippery Ground – Fighting Hopelessness

“When he has penetrated into hostile territory, but to no great distance, it is facile ground.” Sun Tzu 1903 Wright Flyer – Wikipedia “Li Ch`uan and Ho Shih say “because of the facility for retreating,” and the other commentators give similar explanations. Tu Mu remarks: “When your army has crossed the border, you should burn your boats and bridges, in order to make it clear to everybody that…

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Terrains - Easy Ground

Terrains – Easy Ground

“Sun Tzu said: The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground. When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is dispersive ground.” Excerpt FromThe Art of WarSun Tzu We had…

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A Blessing - with Folasade Momoh & Plato

A Blessing – with Folasade Momoh & Plato

“Civil servants will come and go but the service remains” Dr (Mrs) Folasade Momoh – Federal Capital Territory Administration For civil servants, what is important, is the impact and role they play in this never ending service. The quote above is paraphrased from another which is popular in Nigeria “soldier come, soldier go, but the barrack remains” The interesting thing about quotes is that…

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Terrains - Highs & Lows with Socrates & Sun Tzu

Terrains – Highs & Lows with Socrates & Sun Tzu

Socrates said “man know thyself”; I will join Sun Tzu to add “and know thy terrain”. Self awareness without situational awareness is not enough. The topic of terrain is an important one has been discussed and classified in various ways. However, many times people never stop to consider the terrain they occupy and this is dangerous. Two things are always important – the first is yourself, thus…

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Love from a manger - Christmas

Love from a manger – Christmas

Love is the greatest! Nativity – Source: Pinterest “For unto us a Child is born,Unto us a Son is given;And the government will be upon His shoulder.And His name will be calledWonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 We have described the humility of Stoics and some of the reasons for their actions, see excerpt below from a related article on this…

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Courage Vs Recklessness; Wisdom Vs Folly - Plutarch

Courage Vs Recklessness; Wisdom Vs Folly – Plutarch

“Cato the elder, speaking to some persons who were praising a man of reckless daring and audacity in war, observed that there is a difference between a man’s setting a high value on courage, and setting a low value on his own life—and rightly. For a daring soldier in the army of Antigonus, but of broken and ill health, being asked by the king the reason of his paleness, confessed that he was…

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Calm V - in Prosperity

Calm V – in Prosperity

“If the inner part be safe, man can be attacked, but never captured.” As we wind down on the Calm series, we will do a brief recap. We first considered that nothing brings happiness unless accompanied by calm, and that when others are falling over themselves to grab what they consider the goodies of life, the wise man must walk away from such small favors; for they come at very high prices –…

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Calm IV - with Courage

Calm IV – with Courage

“You will also recall (and this is the most serious kind of destitution) those who are poor in the midst of their riches.” Seneca “Every man is troubled in spirit by evils that come suddenly upon his neighbour. Like birds, who cower even at the whirr of an empty sling, we are distracted by mere sounds as well as by blows.” Seneca “For just as anyone who stands near the bolt is stunned and…

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Calm III - Preparedness

Calm III – Preparedness

“The most sensible man, therefore, as soon as he sees the dole being brought in, runs from the theatre; for he knows that one pays a high price for small favours. No one will grapple with him on the way out, or strike him as he departs; the quarrelling takes place where the prizes are.” Excerpt from Seneca – Letters from a Stoic; found at…

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Calm II - with Virtue

Calm II – with Virtue

“When discord arose, then the two races were drawn different ways: the iron and brass fell to acquiring money and land and houses and gold and silver; but the gold and silver races, not wanting money but having the true riches in their own nature, inclined towards virtue and the ancient order of things.” Excerpt FromThe RepublicPlato Source: Pinterest In the first part of this series, we…

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Calm vs Worldly Distractions I - with Seneca

Calm vs Worldly Distractions I – with Seneca

Dedicated to Mrs Stephenie Cimbiya Audu, for committing to philosophy by paying 1 month WordPress subscription for The Amateur Philosopher

Source: Pinterest

“For nothing brings happiness unless it also brings calm; it is a bad sort of existence that is spent in apprehension.”

In his letter “On Virtue as a Refuge from Worldly Distractions” to Lucilius, Seneca reflects very deeply on…

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New With - with Hillsong Worship

New With – with Hillsong Worship

“In the crushing In the pressing You are making New wine In the soil, I Now surrender You are breaking New ground

So I yield to You and to Your careful hand When I trust You I don’t need to understand

Make me Your vessel Make me an offering Make me whatever You want me to be I came here with nothing But all You have given me Jesus, bring new wine out of me

In the crushing In the pressing You are making

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Psalm 98

“Oh, sing to the LORD a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.

He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout joyfully to the LORD,…

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On War - with Sun Tzu & Plato

On War – with Sun Tzu & Plato

“1. Sun Tzu said: In the operations of war, where there are in the field a thousand swift chariots, as many heavy chariots, and a hundred thousand mail-clad soldiers, the expenditure at home and at the front, including entertainment of guests, small items such as glue and paint, and sums spent on chariots and armor, will reach the total of a thousand ounces of silver per day. Such is the cost of…

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300 Guardians - with King Leonidas and Plato

300 Guardians – with King Leonidas and Plato

“Then it will be our duty to select, if we can, natures which are fitted for the task of guarding the city?

It will.

And the selection will be no easy matter, I said; but we must be brave and do our best.

We must.

Is not the noble youth very like a well-bred dog in respect of guarding and watching? 

“What do you mean?

I mean that both of them ought to be quick to see, and swift…