At first, you may be wondering about this law since it sounds paradoxical. But like how Aristotle explained the mean of the virtues in Nicomachean Ethics, this law is just a matter of being balanced.
First let's talk about the deficiency. Having no fortress or any sort of protection as a leader would expose you to danger as you will become very vulnerable especially in war. Try to imagine this: If you are the leader and you go ahead of your whole army, the chances of your army being defeated by the enemy is very high because it exposes you to danger . . . being in front, ahead of your army would mean you will lack defense and protection.
On the contrary, protecting yourself too much, as stated with this law, is as dangerous as being exposed in war. It may sound strange, but protecting yourself too much would eventually lead to isolation. Why isolation? In a fortress, sure your enemies would not be able to penetrate the walls of your fortress, but still you as a leader is vulnerable in three ways:
Weak spot #1: Isolation from the outside world-Because you do not know what is happening outside, chances are that the enemies have a higher rate of making a surprise attack to you against your fortress. By lacking awareness about the outside world you cannot make proper plans in order to eliminate the enemy.
Weak spot #2: Traitorship-The cliche 'never trust anyone" applies very well with this because you never know about the loyalty of your soldiers and army. Being such a demanding leader to guard your fortress will leave you vulnerable as your soldiers can fall into bribery caused by the enemy, thus telling to the enemy your whereabouts, eventually leading to your defeat, or worse, death.
Weak spot #3: Sickness & diseases-Sure the best way of avoiding weak spot number 2 is not to tell your soldiers and allies about your whereabouts, but it is still a disadvantage since a fortress is an immobile place hence being vulnerable to plagues and diseases. No matter how hard you try to hide and not tell anyone your whereabouts, sickness can get the best of you as there are many possible outlets for diseases like water, food, dust, etc.
In the end, the most ideal way of saving yourself from enemies is to build a fortress where there is an open access to the outside world. Louis XIV's fortress is an ideal example since he is well protected by his palace and at the same time he has open access to the outside world, giving him more accuracy and flexibility in planning on how to fight against his opponents.
In addition to this, isolation is a deadly thing to human nature as it is natural for humans to be sociable and thus having a common desire to interact. The bad thing about building a fortress is that it also brings you more to isolation. Isolation is bad because without interaction from allies, it would be difficult to battle against the enemy.
No man has defeated an army on his own.
Duey T. GuisonII
AB PoS Hi18-N
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
True, we can use our comrades for protection, but we must be careful on that. Trusting too much would be dangerous if these people are traitors. Just like Louis XVI, he seems to choose people to trust, and that will decide whether he will be stronger or more vulnerable.
-Jedd Emille Chua
Hi 18 O
True. But not trusting certain comrades can lead to deception too. One good example if this is what happened in the 300 movie where the spartans were betrayed by their comrade just because they didn't trust the capabilities of their comrade. Yet, there are still certain things that must be only told to certain soldiers, and there are times that plans need to be told through your whole army
I disagree. You cannot really rely on ur comrades. Try and use them, we need to be aware of our backs and have a constant watch. U have to choose who is around you, whether in battle or in any kind of competition.
Trust is vital.
i agree that trusting others too much is dangerous, in all the sense of the word. true that it is more soothing to know that you have people behind your back but you'll never really know who's worth the trust you're giving them. although there are certain ways to see if theyre really trustworthy, you can never know for sure right?
Nastashja Melevo
II BSLM
HI18O
yeah, i agree that trust is something really important and valuable especially to a leader. the outcome of your reign will so much depend on the people whom you trust to help you on ruling.
just a question, what do you think are the qualities of the people whom you should trust?
does it need to be a relative (remember that many kings were slain by their own relatives)? or maybe friends ( Caesar was killed by his "friends", Jesus was betrayed by his disciple Judas)?
with that question i think the leader will have a very limited choice of people to trust...
mike orlino
hi 18 O
When we build fortresses around ourselves (literally and metaphorically), the idea is to keep others out, but in doing so, we also trap ourselves inside the walls we make. When the time comes that we are overwhelmed by outside forces, we become limited in terms of our actions. We have little space to move in and little options to choose from because we have technically blocked all other paths to protect ourselves. This is where back doors or help from others come in. It becomes important that we establish outside connections that we can count on. While it is risky to put our trust in others, we cannot do without them. Only fools try to do everything on their own.
Patty Geollegue
Hi18-N
Couldn't have said it better, patty. Hear hear!
I have forgotten what strategy it was called--when a well-defended fortress seems impenetrable, a way of attacking would be to cut off the food and supplies from the outside. That way, the people inside would be forced to open up, or they will die.
However, not building even fences around one's self is also unwise. It's like making yourself an easy target: undefended, and not secured.
Eric Andres
HI 18 Section N
"...being in front, ahead of your army would mean you will lack defense and protection."
I can recall Ms. Jalandoni enumerating that one of Alexander the Great's incredible traits is his bravery in that he was always first in line in battle or that he was always the first one to charge. Life can be compared to a battlefield. We have to acknowledge that in order to survive against the unpredictability of life’s outcomes, we must learn when to take risks, or how to play the field.
Know who you’re dealing with, and keep in mind, again, that things change. In stock markets, for example, a market player has to know what company he’s dealing with and monitor the business behind the stock. A risk taker establishes trust in that company if he buys their stock, and while risk taking comes with big losses, it comes with big gains as well.
In order to finish a game of civilization, one must come across warfare at least once (Wikipedia). Isolating one’s civilization (not partaking in any mutual protection pact, etc. with another civilization) and going about one’s business can be very dangerous and difficult. What if all the other civilizations suddenly declare war against you (I’ve been there!)? Victory may still be possible alone, but it would be at too great cost (Pyrrhic victory).
The best offense is the best defense but aside from that fact, one must remember that resorting to the comforts of a fort must always be used as a last resort. There are countless of ways to defeat a fort. One would be by seige until the walls crumble, leaving you and your men trapped and defenseless. Second would entail no effort at all. All one needs to do is circle the fortress, making sure that there is no way out. This will exhaust the resources of the fortresses and unable reinforcements to arrive thus sonner or later, they will either die of hunger or will be forced to come out.
Dexter Tanengsy, Hi18-N
Good shhare
Post a Comment