The halfway point of Sun Tzu's Art of War is not just in sight, it has been passed. I am on nook page 72 out 135. Thank goodness. But that reminds me of something. So, so long ago, I wrote about a key point in the manual. It was relevant then; it is relevant now.
"When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men's weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened." ~ From Page 36, Part II, Number 2
The reading and studying of AoW has threatened to become the much dreaded prolonged campaign. But Sun Tzu also pointed out:
"Thus, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays." ~ Same page, Same part, Number 5.
Though the last part is a downer due to my procrastination, the first part is a pick-me-upper. Haste does not make great. The way I read it is: if a war is not won in a day, why should I expect to the study thereof to be accomplished any faster? You see, there is much of Sun Tzu's advice to digest. I'll get dyspepsia of the mind if I try to consume too fast.
That reminds me of a fresher source of advice. A Science Daily article covered a study on complex decisions and thinking with the following result:
"the volunteers who were told to consciously think about the decision for a specific amount of time performed poorly in both experiments [conducted in the study]." (emphasis mine)
And that:
"although unconscious thought may help us make the right decision in some instances, it is often better to rely on self-paced conscious thought and really focus on the problem at hand."
Basically, the study showed that putting a time frame on the decision resulted in poorer decision-making results than letting your unconscious decide or letting yourself decide at your own pace. This involved complex decisions, however. But it made me wonder: can it be applied elsewhere in our lives? Namely, are we wrong to set a specific time-limit on our goals? So, I began to think, what's the harm in testing my theory out by choosing to read and study at my own pace?--as long as their is an actual pace involved. Non-existent or when I get to it doesn't quite count, I'm afraid. Let's see, shall we?
