Our ancient General was very big on nuances, on being subtle.
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what NONE can see is out of which (tactics) victory is evolved.
NONE can see... none can see the tactics behind the obvious tactics.
He holds it almost as a prayer, as a mantra
O divine art of subtlety and !
Through you we learn to be invisible,
through you, inaudible, and
hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands.
or
Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness.
Be extremely (subtle) , even to the point of soundlessness.
Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's (fate) .
Shakespeare once said "Life is a tale told by a fool, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
I know I am summarizing, but Sun's subtlety when compared to Shakkspeare's life is the opposite as treachery often is the opposite of all that breathes and loves. It is:
Invisible
Soundless
One holds the Enemy's fate in their hands (or web).
What if our true enemy NEVER acts directly?
What if we are players, shills, standing on the marks we were guided to unrealized, believing that it is our own free will that brought us here to this conflict?
Hamlet went mad, MacBeth despaired, Othello was jealous, Caesar murdered, and all were murdered. Ruin brought by their own choices made at a point when their souls were crippled and they didn't realize it until too late, if they realized it at all.
Who knows us? Our true enemy, our friend, both
How do they lure us? With our own brokeness, our insecurity, fear
How do they lead us? Subtly.
sub·tly ˈsəd(ə)lē,ˈsətlē/adverbin a manner that is so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe.in a clever and indirect way, in order to achieve something.
They make us see ghost where there are none, enemies who are not, they prey on our needs.
The Moth flits from place to place, leaving a place of peace, seeking solace where there may none.
The Wasp dives straight, from its nest, seeking conflict where there may be none.
The Spider waits, content to pull the silks of her web, lulling the unwary into watching others and not her, until too late. They are trapped and consumed, side by side.
YOU ARE READING
The Silken Snare
Short StoryThere are spiders among us. Spinning webs of pain and angst while sucking the life-blood out of those they call enemies and friends. Listening to the vibration of despair and fear along invisible silken threads, they feed on our souls and steal our...
