The following Ten Image Poladroid Series rediscovers the ancient Sun Tzu on a West Hollywood Saturday night at The Standard…
It’s a Saturday night and I’ve finally got some a sliver of a moment to hang back and chill out with my new translation of The Art of War.
I’m reading it and remembering how life changing Sun Tzu was for me when I first discovered The Art of War in 2000.
But, my friend, Ariane has invited me to the Purple Lounge Party at The Standard. I’m really enjoying the read but at the same time, I want to circulate and consequently I am all conflicted about what to do.
The lure of The Standard’s acutely self-aware retro decor pulls me in with its tractor beam.
The change of pulsebeat; the longing to circulate…
Utter the word “Lush” at the door of the Purple Lounge for free entry.
I run into a friend who wants to know what I did this evening, prior to The Purple Lounge and I tell him I was reading Sun Tzu.
He asks what Sun Tzu writes about. I explain that it is about how to co-exist with conflict in a way that is mindful and balanced. Then I add, that the most successful war is a war that does not need to be fought.
Then, several minutes later, a push and a shove. An argument. Neither of the two is willing to back down. Throwing my arms around the taller of the two, I twist him out of harms way and he graciously thanks me for the intervention. While my 5′3 height and 105 pound body weight didn’t provide a lot of physical mass to leverage, no one expected me to do what I did. Thus, the element of surprise.
Would I try this again under similar circumstances? Actively involve myself in someone else’s conflict like this? Hard to tell.
Stranger things have happened to people who’ve read Sun Tzu, I guess.
Nice that you were able to prevent a fight. Gentle as a maiden, quick as a hare. I’m sure both of them were glad your stepped in; lots of cost for very little gain, if any. Hope you are enjoying the book! Thomas Huynh
It’s a fantastic translation, Thomas. Congratulations to you and your colleagues at Sonshi. What an honor, it’s been to be able to read it from my very own signed copy! Actually, been thinking lots about your choice to precede the word “success” with “solid” when penned your best future wishes to me on the reverse side of the front cover. What you said seemed to so well capture what, to me, is the essence of Art of War. Namely, that there to simply strive for success is not enough. One must strive for solid success if they are to succeed in the long term. And then the book goes on to explain how this solid success can be achieved.