Warrior's Rules from Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" | -- The Science of Strategy Institute

Sun Tzu's Warrior's Rules provide powerful, proven methods for winning in competition. The Science of Strategy Institute (SOSI) provides a range of materials and services for those who want to master the strategy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

User login

Today's Article on Warrior's Rules

Today's article is from the Responding to Common Situations section of our Warrior's Rule Book. New articles appear daily from our outline of topics. These rules train your gut instinct for making competitive decisions.

6.4.9 Desperate Situations

"There is sometimes no place to run.
This is always deadly ground." Sun Tzu's The Art of War 11:6:14-15

"When matters are desperate we must put on a desperate face.” Robert Burn

“Courage enlarges, cowardice diminishes resources. In desperate straits the fears of the timid aggravate the dangers that imperil the brave.” Christian Nevell Bovee

Situation:

The Desperate Situation represents the class of situations where our position is deteriorating rapidly. A desperate situation occurs at the very end of a campaign when time, alternatives, and favorable conditions are all running out. Also known as the deadly or do-or-die situation, the desperate situation arises in an area where the forces opposing our success are rapidly mounting.

Opportunity:

The opportunity in a desperate situation is simple: to survive. Surviving a desperate situation is a form of "trial by ordeal," which proves the metal of the person who survives. Surviving a desperate situation give us more credibility than the average person.

Rules:

The following three rules allow us to recognize the desperate situation.

A desperate situation occurs only at the very end of a move when no other options are left. A desperate situation arises when we run out of other options. We would not undertake get into a desperate situation if we had other alternatives (6.3.3 Late-Stage Situations).
In a desperate situations, conditions are deteriorating rapidly. We find ourselves in a desperate situation upon a rapid decline in conditions. This negative shift in conditions may arise from environmental factors or from the actions of our rivals and opponents (1.4.1 Climate Shift).
In a desperate situation, delaying our response is fatal. These conditions pose a threat to our existing established position as well as to the campaign. In the desperate situations, we must instantly recognize the threat and just as immediately respond appropriately (5.3 Reaction Time ).

To continue reading article, click here.