Psychological Warfare as a Self-Defense Tactic
Sun Tzu, in his timeless classic, The Art of War, wrote, “Make your enemy think that your normal force is extraordinary, and your extraordinary is your normal.” This is a great quote to meditate on and let the implications sink into your spirit. Part of warfare, whether you are talking about military tactics or the art of self-defense, is attacking the mind of your enemy, and this is exactly what Sun Tzu is telling you to do here. This is psychological warfare at its best. If your opponent thinks that your normal force is extraordinary, he wonders, in the back of his mind, just how devastating you will be if you kick it up a notch.
This not only causes him to fear your abilities, but it also causes him to doubt his ability to actually defeat you. Once he starts doubting himself, or his skills, your enemy is well on his way to being defeated. Thomas Cleary translated several ancient samurai writings in his book, Training the Samurai Mind, and he tells us that the key to the warrior’s heart is maintaining courage.
It is extremely hard for your enemy to maintain his courage when he truly believes that he cannot defeat you. Buddha taught, “Your greatest weapon is your enemy’s mind.” Once you know the power of your mind and your thoughts, you can clearly see the truth in this statement. Thoughts are extremely powerful. They can awaken one’s valor and courage, and likewise, they can destroy one’s courage and will to fight.
If you can get inside your enemy’s mind, you can plant the seeds of fear, and those seeds will grow and take on a life of their own. As the fear grows in his mind, his thoughts will continually focus on why he cannot beat you and why he should not attack you. Once this happens, your enemy’s fear will defeat him and you will probably never have to use your physical skills to defeat him. This is psychological warfare at its best.
The use of psychological warfare has been around for thousands of years, but most people don’t think about using it to aid them with their enemies, opponents, or predators. In today’s “gotcha” culture, psychological warfare is a better choice than a physical confrontation. We frequently see in the news where someone has used his self-defense skills to save himself or others from a violent attacker, only to be arrested and charged with a bogus crime. As Sun Tzu taught, “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the greatest of skills.”
As the 15th century English poet, George Herbert, stated, “One sword keeps another in the sheath,” and this is very true. But have you ever thought about why this is true? If your enemy or a predator knows you are carrying a weapon, and are proficient in the use of that weapon, it is much more likely that he will not want to attack you. He will not want to take a chance of being hurt or even losing his life. When the predator knows you are armed, he will choose a less prepared target; when your enemy knows you are armed and ready, that keeps him in check. Like the old Samurai maxim goes, reputation often spills less blood.
Use psychological warfare to your advantage. Seed your enemy’s mind with doubt and fear. Cause him to doubt his own skills, while at the same time, seeing you as a resolute enemy who he cannot beat. Make him think that your normal force is extraordinary, and that your best is simply undefeatable. Allow his own doubt to defeat him, and in doing so, you will achieve what Sun Tzu called the greatest of skills. Warrior up! Bohdi Sanders
Hey Kurt! Glad you are enjoying my writings! You can see all of my books in the bookstore. Also, there are discount packages in the Package Deals page.
This is the first time ever been exposed to Bodhi ‘s work. This blog post alone has captured my interest and now I’m going to purchase a book from him!!