The Art of War is governed by five factors:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The Moral Law - following your leader regardless of their life</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Heaven - night/day, cold/heat, times and seasons</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Earth - distances great/small, danger/security</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The Commander - wisdom, courage, strictness, benevolence</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Method and Discipline - marshaling of army in proper subdivisions, ranks among officers</li></ul>By considering these factors, you can forecast your victory.

Laying Plans

When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be damped. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength.

Waging War

In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good.

Attack by Stratagem

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.

Tactical dispositions

The control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers.</li></ul>

Energy

Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted.

Weak Points and Strong

After that, comes tactical maneuvering, than which there is nothing more difficult. The difficulty of tactical maneuvering consists in turning the devious into the direct, and misfortune into gain.

Maneuvering

When in difficult country, do not encamp. In country where high roads intersect, join hands with your allies. Do not linger in dangerously isolated positions. In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. In desperate position, you must fight.

Variation in Tactics

We come now to the question of encamping the army, and observing signs of the enemy. Pass quickly over mountains, and keep in the neighborhood of valleys.

The Army on the March

We may distinguish six kinds of terrain, to wit: (1) Accessible ground(2) entangling ground(3)temporizing ground4) narrow passes; (5) precipitousheights(6) positions at a great distance from the enemy.

Terrain

The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5) ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8) hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground.

The Nine Situations

There are five ways of attacking with fire: <ul><li class="ql-align-justify">The first is to burn soldiers in their camp</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The second is to burn stores</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The third is to burn baggage trains</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The fourth is to burn arsenals and magazines</li><li class="ql-align-justify">The fifth is to hurl dropping fire amongst the enemy</li></ul>

The Attack by Fire

Raising a host of a hundred thousand men and marching them great distances entails heavy loss on the people and a drain on the resources of the State. 	 The daily expenditure will amount to a thousand ounces of silver. There will be commotion at home and abroad, and men will drop down exhausted on the highways. As many as seven hundred thousand families will be impeded in their labor.

The Use of Spies

"There's not a dated maxim or vague prescription in it." — Newsweek Regarded as the world's oldest military treatise, this compact volume has instructed officers and tacticians for more than 2,000 years. From its origins in China, The Art of War traveled the world to inform the strategies of Napoleon and World War II generals. More recently, it has taken on a new life as a guide to competing successfully in business, law, and sports. All of The Art of War's concepts retain their value to modern readers, from the prudence of circumventing a strong opponent and taking advantage of a weak one to the wisdom of preparedness and flexibility. Other topics include strategy, tactics, maneuvering, communications, the treatment of soldiers, and the worth of well-trained officers. History enthusiasts, business thought leaders, and anyone intrigued by competition and rivalry will appreciate this elegant edition of the classic work.

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Sun Tzu (孫子; pinyin: Sūnzǐ) is a honorific title bestowed upon Sūn Wu (孫武 c. 544-496 BC), the author of The Art of War (孫子兵法), an immensely influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy. Sun Tzu believed in the use of the military sciences to effect outcomes that would result in peace.In the author's name, Sūn Wu, the character wu, meaning "military", is the same as the character in wu shu, or martial art. Sun Wu also has a courtesy name, Chang Qing (Cháng Qīng).

Sun Tzu

The Art of War

The video discusses the principles of courage found in Marcus Aurelius' collection of notes known as "Meditations." It highlights five key principles to overcome inner cowardice.

What is it about?

Look for solutions, not people to blame. Avoid blaming others and focus on finding solutions to problems.

1. Principle: Solutions

Don't second guess yourself: Act decisively after making a decision instead of overthinking.

2. Principle: Overthinking

Find the beauty in your mistakes: Embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning.

3. Principle: Mistakes

Humble yourself: Pride and cowardice are connected, so stay humble to become more courageous

4. Principle: Humble yourself

Do your best and trust in the process: Have faith that things will work out as they are meant to, even if outcomes are uncertain.

5. Principle: Process

<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Find solutions.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Do not overthink.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Do not blame yourself for mistakes; use them!</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Be humble.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Trust the process.</li></ol>By keeping these ideas in your life, you will never fail!

Conclusion

We talk about Marcus Aurelius, fear, courage, and overcoming your inner coward. He faced great challenges and yet manage to come out on top of them. This is man, from who can ANYONE LEARN!

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ABOUT THE VIDEO
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In this video, we talk about Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, fear, courage, and overcoming your inner coward.

During his reign as the emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius faced immense uncertainties that would strike fear into the hearts of most people, such as times of war, plague, internal conspiracies, the death of some of his children, and the death of his wife, and yet, he faced all of these problems with an unshakable courage.

And the secret to his unshakable courage lies within a collection of notes he wrote to himself roughly 2000 years ago, many of them written in the midst of war, with the gravity of imminent death on his mind. Today, this collection of notes is referred to as Meditations, and based on my readings of these notes, I've determined 5 principles that we can use, like Marcus, to overcome our inner cowards and become courageous. And along the way, you will hear many other stories and ideas that are not from Marcus, and they will help illuminate the emperor’s words in greater depth. So without further ado, let’s begin our journey through the 5 principles.

00:00 - Intro

01:20 - Principle 1: Look for solutions, not people to blame.

03:49 - Principle 2: Don’t second guess yourself.

05:55 - Principle 3: Find the beauty in your mistakes.

07:19 - Principle 4: Humble yourself.

09:06 - Principle 5: Do your best, and trust that things will work out the way they’re meant to.

11:18 - Conclusion

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Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

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Marcus Aurelius - Overcome Your Inner Coward

Experiencing a near-death situation is more than terrifying, and for most of us, it is an unimaginable state. We really don't want to let things go to this level. That is why Eric Partaker shares his thoughts on surviving this horrific moment on the plane, and shows us how we should take care of ourselves in every aspect of our life.

Awakening Call

Author shows us the plan we should be implementing in everyday life.3 Alarms:World's Best Athlete - Taking proper care of yourself.World's Best CEO - Focusing on your career.World's Best Dad/Husband - Being thoughtful and helping your children achieve their dreams.

3 Alarms

Every day his alarm goes off and has his name World's Best Athlete, meaning he is trying to think like the best athletes and players and achieve his dreams. He is constantly striving to be the best in his chosen sport or gym, and constantly thinking about how he can improve.  This alarm is helping him achieve the best results in terms of health.

World's Best Athlete

This is a label of alarm which goes off in his work. The principle of this is same as in the first one. He is trying to give 100% at his work. Think like the best CEOs in the world.

World's Best CEO

“ Most people focus on the things they want to change about themselves and the actions they want to take, but that can be overwhelming. It’s actually easier to step into a new identity than it is to try to create new habits and behaviors in a vacuum.As you change your identity, your behaviors and habits change, too.”

On his way home, he's turning off his third alarm. It's just a reminder that work is over and there are no more night shifts spent behind the computer. Now is the time for your family. Enjoy them as much as you can. Try to be present in those moments because your life can shift pretty quickly.

World's Best Dad/Husband

“The more times you pause so you can respond optimally as the best version of yourself, the more you strengthen that optimal response pattern. It’s an antifragility rep in the gym of life, taking a stressor and using it to make you stronger. Just like strengthening muscle, the habit of inserting a pause will strengthen over time. This tiny pause can change your life, as it did mine.”

You do not really need three alarms to go off every particular time. What you do need are three key pillars of life:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Health</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Relationships</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Work</li></ul>Try to remind yourself every day what these three mean to you, and how you can fill them each and every day to 100%.

Message from this Book

Just because things are hard doesn’t make them important or efficient. Make things as easy for yourself as you can.”

This book from the pen of the author Eric Partaker is really a short one in number of pages, but wisdom and knowledge we are able to collect from it is for more than a few piece of papers, but rather for your whole life!

We were all made for greatness. But so many of us end up chasing the wrong thing in life. We focus on work over family, and success over significance. And when our lives come to an end, we are filled with regret. What if the secret to living a meaningful and fulfilled life wasn't as hard as it sounds? What if you didn't have to sacrifice success to be present to your loved ones? What if you didn't have to sacrifice your health to achieve success? What if focusing on a few key areas changed everything? And what if change was as simple as setting an alarm? Eric Partaker's story will challenge you to remember what's most important and start living a life that truly matters. Are you ready to set your three alarms and wake up to the challenge of living life fully alive?

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Stop following me. I am now going alone, and you should also go alone!Perhaps you are deceived by me. Guard yourself and think for yourself. This is the important message of the book. In the next chapter, I will show you why.

Zarathustra

When someone is following you, their perception of reality has changed.<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">They are viewing the world through your eyes. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Believing your perception.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Living by your rules.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">And most importantly, they stop discussing important topics with you.</li></ul>

Why Would Anyone Not Want Followers?

Depart from me, and guard yourselves against Zarathustra! and better still: be ashamed of him! Perhaps he has decieved you.

What if I gave you a map? Would you know where the mountains and rivers are, or where the forests are located? Not particularly!You would only see a map that was made by someone else. So your perception is influenced by the rules and beliefs of others. Until you see the reality through your own eyes, your perception is not truly your own.

Map of the World

Nietzsche is not advising us to not take advice and opinions from others. He is simply reminding us to think independently and see the whole situation through our own eyes.Make choices based on our own opinions, ideas, and research. Always strive to think as best as you can. Do things based on your own best thinking.

Important Message

“To go wrong in one's own way is better than to go right in someone else's.”

“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking...”

Thus spoke Zarathustra. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote a surprising sentence. Zarathustra, the main sage of the book, tells his FOLLOWERS to STOP FOLLOWING him. BUT WHY?

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ABOUT
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In this video, I talk about Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, not following anyone, and trusting yourself.

In a letter to his sister, Nietzsche wrote, “if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire.”

When you follow a person, you stop following the truth.

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(1) Videos are just my opinion, for entertainment and informational purposes. Just some things to think about—not advice.

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Nietzsche - Follow No One, Trust Yourself

He was amazed by the work of Socrates and what he had learned. He began educating his own students.He had three pillars on which Stoicism stands:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Virtue</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Tolerance</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Self-control</li></ul>

Zeno of Cyprus

The name comes from the Stoa Poikile, a decorated public colonnade where Zeno had discussions with other people.In our world now, "Stoic" means someone who remains calm under pressure.But the original philosophy was about the rational structure of the universe. They called it "logos." For a better imagination, it could represent the brain, nerves, and webs.

Stoicism: Where Did It Come From?

We can control our emotions, opinions, mood, and reactions to situations.We often get triggered by our opinions and react angrily.In the end, we are responsible for 99% of our problems.Think about it next time when you are about to explode on someone for something trivial.

Focus on What You Can Control

Wisdom - Navigate complex situations calmly and informatively.Temperance - Self-moderation.Justice - Fairness.Courage - Facing daily challenges with integrity.

Cardinal Virtues

Even to live is an act of courage

The whole philosophy is not about being selfish or passive.It is about making rational, beautiful choices to help us live meaningful lives and improve ourselves on a daily basis.

Not Self-Minded or Passive

Summary of video showing us what Stoicism Philosophy is about!

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-philosophy-of-stoicism-massimo-pigliucci

What is the best life we can live? How can we cope with whatever the universe throws at us and keep thriving nonetheless? The ancient Greco-Roman philosophy of Stoicism explains that while we may not always have control over the events affecting us, we can have control over how we approach things. Massimo Pigliucci describes the philosophy of Stoicism. 

Lesson by Massimo Pigliucci, animation by Compote Collective.

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The Art of War

Marcus Aurelius - Overcome Your Inner Coward

The 3 Alarms

Nietzsche - Follow No One, Trust Yourself

The philosophy of Stoicism - Massimo Pigliucci

Josef Nový