“The Wise Warrior Avoids The Battle”
The wise warrior avoids the battle. What does Sun Tzu mean by this? He means that you don’t need to jump into every possible battle to prove your worth. Avoiding battles helps you have longevity. And avoiding needless battles makes certain that you are ready for the battles that matter.
We are often tempted to prove our toughness. Tempted to prove that we will not back down. And of course to a degree it is important to show you are not a push over. But this usually pushes into egoism. We cannot let anything go unanswered, lest we be perceived as weak.
But true strength is the ability to let things go. If you are ruled by your emotions and physical desires, you are not in control. If you can mentally take charge and let go of situations, you are in complete control. Self temperance is a necessary skill to have to be successful in life.
If someone is trying to provoke you, it is wise to disengage. Why? Because if you react to them, you are doing exactly what they want you to do. In essence, they have control over you. If you disengage, you are returning control of what happens to yourself.
Yes, you should be able to carry yourself in battle, of any kind. But it is much more prudent to try to achieve your goals through negotiation, diplomacy, or other means that are not battle. That way, you minimize danger to yourself, and give yourself more control over whether you succeed.
The wise warrior avoids the battle. This isn’t a call to back down or let someone dominate you. It is a call to be smart about how you react to people, and to stay in control. Staying in control is essential to navigating life.
