“THE clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him”. This was taken from Sun Tzu’s, “The Art of War”, the classic text on the conduct of warfare.
Sun Tzu’s work was proven to be effective in actual battle. This was adapted by Gen. George Patton, General Douglas MacArthur, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro and other strategists. If this treatise on war and military science could be effective in human to human skirmish, this could be effective also in fighting our unseen enemies.
One of the constant factors in the “Art of War” is “The Moral Law”. The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.
This is now happening in our country. President Digong is moving all possible resources to combat Covid-19. The government has appropriated a bigger fund for the economic needs of the Filipinos. The president sent his frontliners in the battlefront to face the highly contagious enemies. Most of the provinces are under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
One constant factor is the commander who stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness. We may refer this to our governors, mayors and barangay captains who are leading the frontliners in this crusade. They should be vigilant, fair, determined and committed in the implementation of the guidelines and proper use of the public fund. They have set aside their political differences and work with greater constancy.
Sun Tzu added, “Now in order to kill the enemy, our men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from deafening the enemy, they must have their rewards.” That could be the reason why we have this advocacy campaign.
We enlighten the Filipinos to hate Covid-19 by embracing ECQ, physical distancing, washing of hands, strengthening of our immune system, and staying alert. These are some ways to defeat the invisible enemies. At the end of the pandemic, we will have our rewards...the normal life.
“In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns”. With our serious support on ECQ, we can flatten the curve. Wuhan in China was badly hit. The government imposed strict lockdown and the residents cooperated. It only took Wuhan 30 days to flatten the curve and now the curve has almost ended.
“Hence saying: if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer the defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
We very well know where we stand. Our country has a poor health system. We are not like Wuhan that has good hospitals and at any time can construct additional hospitals with complete facilities for the patients. The government of China was able to send more medical teams to the corona virus center.
Philippines can’t be like that. A number of our frontliners died but it is not a defeat yet. We are still waging a battle. Those who are in the frontline are courageous enough to risk their lives so that we who are in the third line may live.
We are making an appeal to give moral and love support to our doctors and nurses who are there in the war zones while we are in our comfort zones. We thank the private sector for offering their hotels and vehicles to our health givers. We can motivate them to stay strong in their conviction to save lives.
Sun Tzu assures us, “He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.”
Covid-19 is dangerous but a virus does not have a lifetime of existence. If we do not allow it to have a person to person transmission, it will just die in a normal process. God has given us the intellect and will. Use them. Subject yourselves to ECQ and emerge as winners. We can always defeat Covid-19 by using The Art of War.