The Art of War Part I

Sun Tzu was a premier military tactician. In the 6th century B.C., he wrote an immensely influential book, The Art of War. Sun Tzu's The Art of War brought him to the notice of Ho Lu, the King of Wu. Ho Lu asked Sun Tzu: "May I submit your theory of managing soldiers to a test? And may the test be applied to women?"

Sun Tzu agreed, and so arrangements were made to bring 180 of the King's most beautiful concubines out of the Palace. Sun Tzu proceeded to divide them into two companies and placed one of the King's favorite concubines at the head of each company. He told them all to take spears in their hands and addressed them thus: "When I say, ‘Eyes front,’ you must look straight ahead. When I say, ‘Left turn,’ you must face towards your left hand. When I say, ‘Right turn,’ you must face towards your right hand. When I say, ‘About turn,’ you must face right round towards your back.

At first, the women assented. He then gave the order "Right turn." But the women only burst out laughing. Sun Tzu said: "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame."

Patiently, he started drilling them again, whereupon the women once more burst into fits of laughter. Sun Tzu declared: "If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, the general is to blame. But if his orders ARE clear, and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers." He ordered the leaders of the two companies to be beheaded.

Now when the King of Wu heard that two of his favorite concubines were about to be executed, he implored of Sun Tzu: "If we are bereft of these two concubines, our meat and drink will lose their savor. It is our wish that they shall not be beheaded." But Sun Tzu will not stand down. He had the two leaders beheaded and installed the next pair of concubines to act as leaders in their place.

Sun Tzu began the drill once more. This time, the women went through all the entire drill flawlessly, not even venturing to utter a sound. The King, still reeling from the loss of his two favorite concubines, did not wish to come down and inspect the troops. Sun Tzu said: "The King is only fond of words and cannot translate them into deeds."

After that, Ho Lu saw that Sun Tzu was one who knew how to handle an army and appointed him general. Sun Tzu claimed many territories for his king. What a grand tale. But historical records say that it did happen. Many important lessons can be derived from it, but I wish to stress only two of them: First, the importance of setting a good example as a leader and secondly, the importance of translating words into action.

Sun Tzu made perfect, though tragic, examples of the two beautiful concubines who were beheaded. As leaders, it is vital that we set an example to those whom we lead. We cannot reasonably expect our members to achieve something we cannot do ourselves. That is why it is our duty to set the standard of behavior in all aspects of our governance.

The second lesson that I want to share from the story is the importance of translating words into action. Sun Tzu said to the King: "The King is only fond of words and cannot translate them into deeds." Those are strong words against a King coming from a mere general, but nonetheless meaningful. In this regard, I hope our club will be comprised of men who walk their talk. Let us do away with mere rhetoric and translate into action all the promises we have made. If, for example, we made pledges to contribute to THE ROTARY FOUNDATION, let us all make good our word on that. For the rest of us who have not made up their mind yet, I would like to encourage all of us to contribute 1,000 USD through the Annual Giving Program. It would be a great honor and achievement if, for this centennial year, the Rotary Club of Manila will become a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club.

The Rotary Foundation’s mission is to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, promotion of education through scholarship programs and alleviation of poverty. The Foundation promotes the Polio Plus Program such that for every dollar that is contributed, the Bill Gates Foundation shall match the same amount aiming for the complete eradication of this endemic disease.

To our dear RCM members, our club is the oldest club in Asia and with the celebration of our centennial year, I hope it is not a tall order when I ask that RCM lead others in contributing to The Rotary Foundation. When each one of us was inducted as a Rotarian, we all pledged to support not only our club but also the endeavors of Rotary.

My dear RCM members, this is the time to walk our talk and deliver on all promises we have made, no matter how difficult. In so doing, you will set yourself apart as a true leader and leave behind a legacy worth emulating and remembering. Together with our esteemed RCM members, most of whom dare I say are captains of industries and able and enthusiastic Rotarians, we can make the Rotary Club of Manila a force to be reckoned with and “BE THE INSPIRATION” to all Rotary Clubs and Rotarians around the world.