Five Constant Factors
The classic "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu identifies five factors which a plan must consider. Moral law, nature, situation, leadership, and method (art). In relation to Five Animal Kenpo, let us consider how these five factors impact our plan of action.
Moral law: Are we fighting for the right reason? Did we invite this conflict into our life, or was it forced upon us? When fighting for a cause that we believe in, we will have no regrets about the outcome. When fighting for the wrong cause, any outcome will result in a sense of defeat. Our true desire must be to avoid conflict and to seek for peace. If conflict can not be avoided, and we are forced to take action, then we can proceed with moral cause.
Nature: Is it night or day? Cold or hot? Summer or winter? The swordsman Musashi purposely arrived late to the island Ganryu for his duel with his rival Kojiro. His timing was to take full advantage of coming ashore with the sun in Kojiro's eyes. Musashi charged forward with a crude wooden sword carved from a broken ore of a boat and defeated Kojiro.
Situation: What distance separates us from our attacker. How does the terrain help us? How does our surroundings hinder us? When I sit in a restaurant, I prefer a corner table with my back to a wall. From this position, I can see all who enter and leave, and nobody can approach me unnoticed. I make a note of exits whenever I enter a building, and I observe obstructions that may limit my strategy. Some may consider me paranoid, but it has benefitted me on several occasions. Musashi was once attacked while in the compromised position of taking a bath. Although he escaped, from that point forward he only bathed by walking through rivers. Although we do recommend our students continue to take baths, there are certainly more contemporary opportunities of controlling your situation. For example, don't use the bank automatic teller machine late at night.
Leadership: Sun Tzu addresses the virtues of an effective leader: wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and discipline. Although in self-defense we do not generally command a small army of soldiers, the qualities of character needed to lead others are also needed to lead oneself. One with developed character and fighting skill is a much more formidable opponent than a big, tough, stupid brawler who simply likes to hurt people. If you possess the qualities of leadership, you will rarely need to resort to physical conflict to solve problems.
Method (art): Method is where we apply the appropriate animal strategy to defeat the attack of our opponent. Of course, if we have neglected other areas of our preparation, even a correct method could result in defeat. Thus in studying kenpo, and studying strategy in general, we should follow the advice of Sun Tzu and consider all five factors of our strategic plan.
Five Constant Factors © 1999 Trevor Haines
Moral law: Are we fighting for the right reason? Did we invite this conflict into our life, or was it forced upon us? When fighting for a cause that we believe in, we will have no regrets about the outcome. When fighting for the wrong cause, any outcome will result in a sense of defeat. Our true desire must be to avoid conflict and to seek for peace. If conflict can not be avoided, and we are forced to take action, then we can proceed with moral cause.
Nature: Is it night or day? Cold or hot? Summer or winter? The swordsman Musashi purposely arrived late to the island Ganryu for his duel with his rival Kojiro. His timing was to take full advantage of coming ashore with the sun in Kojiro's eyes. Musashi charged forward with a crude wooden sword carved from a broken ore of a boat and defeated Kojiro.
Situation: What distance separates us from our attacker. How does the terrain help us? How does our surroundings hinder us? When I sit in a restaurant, I prefer a corner table with my back to a wall. From this position, I can see all who enter and leave, and nobody can approach me unnoticed. I make a note of exits whenever I enter a building, and I observe obstructions that may limit my strategy. Some may consider me paranoid, but it has benefitted me on several occasions. Musashi was once attacked while in the compromised position of taking a bath. Although he escaped, from that point forward he only bathed by walking through rivers. Although we do recommend our students continue to take baths, there are certainly more contemporary opportunities of controlling your situation. For example, don't use the bank automatic teller machine late at night.
Leadership: Sun Tzu addresses the virtues of an effective leader: wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage, and discipline. Although in self-defense we do not generally command a small army of soldiers, the qualities of character needed to lead others are also needed to lead oneself. One with developed character and fighting skill is a much more formidable opponent than a big, tough, stupid brawler who simply likes to hurt people. If you possess the qualities of leadership, you will rarely need to resort to physical conflict to solve problems.
Method (art): Method is where we apply the appropriate animal strategy to defeat the attack of our opponent. Of course, if we have neglected other areas of our preparation, even a correct method could result in defeat. Thus in studying kenpo, and studying strategy in general, we should follow the advice of Sun Tzu and consider all five factors of our strategic plan.
Five Constant Factors © 1999 Trevor Haines