Hello Everyone,
I haven't been reading, I just have had life rough in the past few years, I guess Life wouldn't be called life if there's no rough side. I loved books authored by Robert greene because even though life doesn't have a definition of what it has to be, I appreciate his perspectives. "48 laws of power" is one of my favorite and I love it not because of just the laws but because of the stories. Never googled some of the authenticity of the stories in that book however, they seemed like non-fiction. In some of the stories, the book "Art or War by Sun Tzu" was referenced. It just seemed like a book that is very important in the grand scheme of things.
I tried reading the Art of war years ago but even though I loved Robert greene, I couldn't find anything captivating from this recommendation. So I ignored it.
Art of War by Sun Tzu
2500 years ago, the book was written by a Chinese general Sun Tzu who till date is respected for his wisdom in warfare. I saw the book in the market few months ago and decided to add to my collection. I figured maybe the soft copy was the reason why I didn't understand or relate with the author.
Truth is "The Art of war" is a difficult book to read and understand without a translation. Not just that it was written in Chinese, the Denma version even makes it more difficult. They didn’t try to translate it for proper understanding, they still stayed close to Chinese philosophical and poetic structure.
It’s more like a spiritual book or a bible. I don’t really understand it. For example
To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence.”
Now this looks like a statement you only see from a philosopher. It’s like very deep and would have anyone thinking. That’s a summary of how the whole book is.
Another thing that makes it a difficult read is the commentary. There is a different aspect of the book that is for commentary. But this denma translators are just spinning the same texts back to me. More like they are intentionally silent and letting Sun Tzu speak again.
conclusion
If you’re not familiar with the ancient Chinese culture, you’d likely miss or not understand the “Art of war” even if it’s translated and explained by the denma group. I’d still try again but for now, I just can’t understand a book that’s regarded as one of the best historical books ever!
I totally agree with you because the same thing happened to me. I tried to read it and understand it, but I just couldn't. Perhaps it wasn't the right time for me to read it
Every tyran who has lived adored this book... It should be obligatory for almost everyone to read this... We ca learn how to recognize a lotof thing we seen nowadays...
I know but it’s not so easy to read. But I agree, I’d find my way around it soon.
Keep reading, kid. And learn something, power just generates Power needs
Sometimes, it happens, we are simply not familiar with that philosophy and culture and, therefore, the understanding becomes difficult. Good luck with your next attempt.
Thanks for sharing this honest reflective image. I fully understand your struggle, the art of war can experience extra as decoding a puzzle than studying a book. Poetic intensity and cultural references actually make it difficult to understand, especially with translations like Danma model. I praise how you still recognize the price of the book.