Kindred,
Not sure why the abuse of power obsessors are so interested in the Art of War, yet never know one self or the enemy, because of their inability and cowardice in facing the truth.
How to know oneself in lies of self grandiosity?
How to know the enemy in lies of wishful thinking delusions?
Are lessons from history ever learned, regarding the fall of tyrants and dynasties?
Nero in ancient Rome hastened not only his death, but also the end of the Julio-Claudian dynasty with his tyranny, debauchery and personal cruelty.
Yang of Sui, in ancient China hastened not only his death, but also the end of the Sui dynasty with his tyranny and immoral behaviors.
You can look throughout world history where self-destructive immoral behaviors of tyrants hastened the end of their life and rule of abusive power.
Were those tyrants feared?
Sure in their time, but how are those tyrants remembered?
As utter failures which laid waste to their dynasties by being the worst and most disastrous rulers of their time; known for their cruelty, debauchery and crimes against humanity.
Sorry excuses for human beings; known not as leaders, but as embarrassments, lacking in character, abilities and ethics.
Who should you fear more?
The ones which can lead people into tyranny, abuses of power, crimes against humanity and megalomaniac delusions, leading to destruction and hell?
Or the ignorants which do not know anything but incompetence, abuses, fraud and waste, leading to destruction and hell?
What of strategies?
Are defensive and offensive strategies ever deployed?
Are trash talking, lies, fraud, misdirection, abuses in crimes against humanity and sabotages the only "strategies" to be deployed?
Are those underhanded cowardice, shameful "strategies" effective against real enemies, such as COVID-19, hackers, adversaries, downturns, infiltrators and traitors?
Can you imagine winning War War II, by lobbing only lies at the enemy, dividing oneself with misinformation, spreading contagions upon its citizenry, abusing its citizens and assets and destroying one's own leaders and capital in hate?
What do you consider winning strategies?
Know not yourself?
Know not your enemy?
Know not the Lord?
Predict not the truth?
Predict not the substantive, but nonsense?
Think you know (the Lord's Judgement)?
