At Don’s behest, I want to write about
the reading that my cohorts and I have to do before we go to Yale. We have to
read over 850 pages by the 21st of April. We have been given a month
to read these pages, but this is only the beginning of approximately 4,000
pages that we will have to read by the time we depart for Yale. We have to read
such books as Sun Tzu’s The Art of War
and The History of the Peloponnesian War.
The Art of War was
extremely interesting because of the military strategy that Sun Tzu proposes.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “One able to make the enemy come of
his own accord does so by offering him some advantage.” This simple yet elegant
statement says a lot about Sun Tzu’s military philosophy. He believed that the
part before every battle was the most important. He has an entire chapter
titled “Strengths and Weaknesses” where he does not only talk about the
strength you must have in battle, but how to build and keep your strength
before battle. If your army is weak before it goes into battle, then it will be
weak during battle. Sun Tzu also mentions gaining strength by holding key
vantage points at passes or at rivers. Another quote I like about holding key
points is “When a cat is at the rat hole, ten thousand rats dare not come out.”
He warns that weakness comes if soldiers feel contempt and
at ease in their camp. This will make them less prepared for battle, and preparation
is vital. Sun Tzu also talks about when and where to strike. He says that in
the heat of battle, finding a weak spot and pushing to attack it can make the enemy
crumble. He also suggests that you strike the mind not with weapons, but with
ideas. If you can convince the enemy that your force is superior even if they
are not, then you have won the battle before the first man is killed.
Another drier book was The
History of the Peloponnesian War. It drones on and on about how the Greeks
are in a war with the Peloponnesians, then they make a peace treaty, then they
are at war again. The writer describes the battles in the book using a lot of
flowery language that draws away from the point he is trying to make. I read an
entire page that could have been summed up in one sentence. Not to mention that
the monologues that some of the characters give are so long that you forget
what he is talking about. There is one obituary that a great Athenian
philosopher has to give to praise the fallen soldiers and all their sacrifices
for Athens. The man drones on for a whole page about why he has to give speech for the state, what will happen if he doesn’t,
and who he was asked by to make the speech. Unnecessary details abound, it
blows up simple sentences into mini speeches with the continual use of colons
and semicolons.
Thankfully, though, I have finished The History of the Peloponnesian War. I have moved on to a 90 page report
by the U.S. federal government made in 2002 about the creation of the Department
of Homeland Security and what it will do for the nation after it is made. It’s
so interesting to read how the U.S. plans to protect our borders, our
infrastructure, and our liberties from terrorists. It also describes a few
counterterrorist methods, like more thoroughly searching through imports brought
on ships and checking what’s inside semi-trucks that pass from Mexico to the
U.S. everyday.
Well, that’s just an update on my reading that I have to do.
Hopefully the Department of Homeland Security report stays interesting and
hopefully they’ll include something on how to get other nations to participate
in counterterrorist operations.
