 
### Moving Beyond The Monkey Mind

By Richard Lander

Copyright 2013 Richard Lander

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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###  Acknowledgements

For content that covers my whole life and more, acknowledgements would go on for ever. So as well as the human drive to develop knowledge and skills and to position humans in a position beyond any other life form (sorry visiting aliens) on earth. All the people who I have met and not met living or dead, real or imaginary I thank you. Thanks for thinking and writing and talking.

Being more specific I thank Jon for helping translate my manuscript to English, but of course all errors are my own. To my Tai Chi teachers, elders, colleagues and friends, the inspiration, help, guidance and tolerance have been essential for my journey. Thanks to Craig my first Tai Chi teacher and Sifu, thanks to John Higginson in Manchester and Nigel Sutton who himself and his organisation Zhong Ding have helped me learn, practice and make friends world wide.

Cover Photo courtesy of stockfreeimages.com.
Contents

Preface

Introduction

Part 1 Roots

Performance

Strategy

Science and Technology

Science and Statistics

Religion and Philosophy

Chinese Principles

Applications of Chinese Principles

Part 2 Applications of Principles

Health (Individual)

Health (National)

Business (Individual)

Business (Industrial and Political)

Martial Arts and Self Defence

Military

Education

Sport

Life plan

Conclusion

Appendix 1 - Where to Now

Preface

At the time my formal education was OK, there were little ups and little downs but I just kept on keeping on. Now I look back and see a waste of a lot of time. I did not succeed in education, I was not effective in the system and it provided little for me outside and after that system. The system still operates for purposes other than education and providing for the children and the country. Bright kids could do secondary school in a year, others are so not catered for, twenty years would not be enough. Why was never answered, why am I being taught this, why now, there was no explanation, there was no relevance.

My luck though is that I started to teach myself; ask questions and find the answers. I have had a go at things not just accepted the formal system. The skill people most often do not practice is thinking, they act on guesswork, they start the sentence 'I just thought....' when it's clear they did not do any thinking what so ever. This juxtaposition between speech and action and then justification was apparent to me early on. It undermined much credibility adults had. This book is a self help to thinking. It is not 'the system's' textbook it covers a gaping whole within it. I have spent a lot of time looking at the Chinese tradition at the same time looking at science. My sport science background allied to Chinese martial arts are all about what works and what does not, success and failure and eliminating false belief and unhelpful actions. They are two approaches that highlight how to succeed and fail. They are talking about the same thing from two different perspectives.

This book is a starting point for thinking. A guide I never had but which contains a lot of directions for thinking that are not within, or are poorly explained within the formal system. Each chapter could be a book and each sentence a chapter. It is a book of clues for further research. I have tried to bring the Eastern and Western traditions together as an introduction to both, but also bringing them together under the theme of being more effective. The principles of science and the knowledge and its theories are essential in the modern world, but the Eastern principles that pervade its societies and world view are useful and contain truth that can be used with science, to improve understanding. The difference between Eastern and Western traditions and the similarities illuminate. A Chinese saying talks of roots and branches. This book has the roots that can be branched out, but roots and branches have principles and concepts of how they grow, hopefully these are included. Once understood, many problems become familiar and related to others rather than millions of problems and millions of tools. Principles and concepts become multifunctional and simplify the world to make it more survivable.

Basically the book should be used as a starting essay for questioning and further research, while at the same time applying the ideas to see what works. After time you become aware of understanding, but it only comes from hours of practice. Personal education can provide this where formal education rarely does. The opportunity to think, plan, act and review and follow your own path. This book contains a lot of what my path has brought up since I was a child watching Monkey, a badly (but inspiring) dubbed version of an important Chinese novel "Journey to the West" until thirty years later where I can also twist a staff around and repeat Monkey's phrases (in the same accent) having gained some of the wisdom that Monkey learned on his journey.

The aim is not to be precise and grammatically correct but to leave the next question open, tidiness does not always mean completeness and the cleanest desk does not mean the clearest mind. The need to open your mind and look or wait for clarity is started here.

Now continue with your journey!

The aim of this book is to help with thinking about how to be effective. There are many books offering a method or guidance on how to be successful, you may find a method that works for you, but these are simplifications. This book is a starting point to combine Western thought with Eastern. The world is changing from a Western dominated to one with a large Eastern presence, using both tradition's methods of thought can increase the chances of being successful. Each chapter could easily be a book on it's own and each sentence a chapter. This can be the beginning of a journey into understanding better the East, understanding how to be effective, and bringing two perspectives together.

Introduction

Just do Tai Chi or just do more Tai Chi has been my problem solving advice for over 10 years now. Apparently it needs more elaboration as to why this will help. Tai Chi is very encompassing itself and leads down many avenues of knowledge. Every step leads to answers and more questions! My earliest Eastern influence was undoubtedly Monkey on TV. But it fired up my imagination. I always needed more input to learn about the East especially fighting (I was a boy after all).

Now I look to the East for many ideas, explanations and stimuli. I will straight away say, I do not mean become Chinese, that is best left to the Chinese themselves! The West has made vital, essential developments that must not be ignored. Science has done just too much to be ignored. It is the cross cultural blend that gives advantages overall.

We all want to be effective and get results in whatever we do. I have found a lot of answers and guidance through the East but also the West. Using both perspectives helps to become better at getting results. It is not possible to be perfect or to know the complete truth, but it's as good a target as any. The East is much better holistically where the West have reached higher, faster, bigger and more powerful, the East has gone for balance, harmony and sustainability. Of course this is a gross generalisation. In fact I often discover something in the eastern tradition and then realise I had already known of it. Later I would find out where it had been discovered or discussed in the West. I now use both sometimes in the same sentence!

This book should help as a general guide to the beneficial elements of the Eastern tradition from the Orient, whose general perspective enhances the Western perspectives and approaches. Integration of both approaches will be more effective than just one. "A sharpened awareness" (Michele Thomas) of your own culture can be gained with perspective. So an introduction to Oriental ways for those that know that China is growing faster then anywhere else as well as the Chinese influenced cultures of the East. Knowledge of them will help to compete. For those with an idea of the East will see in the second section how the Eastern approach can be applied with the Western in several areas.

Science of course is now not the preserve of the West, but it built up especially during the industrial revolution to meet the challenge of knowledge and real world problems. No other approach has got a machine the size of a small car to land on Mars and then do research, or land another on an asteroid. Science/scientists were the reason that now in the west very few women die in childbirth where as in other areas of the world with more superstition they still have high rates. Science and technology obviously are impossible to ignore in the quest to be effective, at just about anything. Science provides the bricks to build with. Very specific and named.

The traditional Oriental approach can be useful. The use of empirical evidence over a long history is increasingly backed up and explained by science. Although proof of how something works using concepts such as Qi (Chi) are not scientific, they can still be used as tools to help. The history of China is one of 2,500 years of a more homogeneous society, writing and other technologies have been the consistent for a large number of people over a long time period. They have differing assumptions and processes to the West, although most can be found somewhere in European history, in pagan or non-Platonic Greek for instance. Their civil service has been very meritocratic over this period, and they provide a more mortar like quality, more open to interpretation and process orientated to science's things (bricks).

To be effective needs not only abilities but also efficiency. Waste, whatever the resource, including raw materials and time, cost! Swimming is a good example of the importance of efficiency. As the water is thicker (more viscous) than air; the streamlining through good technique is more influential than power; on speed through the water, especially if you want to swim for any length of time. Protecting the knees for a runner is vital if you want to keep running more than a couple of years. Manufacturing has worked on reducing waste with Kaizen and JIT practices. And all businesses have downsized to eliminate workforce who work hard perhaps without adding much actual value to the business operations. A clear objective needs to be kept in mind. There is though a warning not to over emphasize a single goal or to over slimline the activities. Balance is important. Here I will look both to the Chinese approach and to the current complexity theory in maths.

Plan beats no plan is a saying that highlights who will win most of the time, over the long term. Effective people and organisations have the end in mind when they start and they often work backwards from where they want to be to where they are at the start. Prepare to win or prepare to fail is another phrase. So it's no secret. The East look at the world in the long term, looking at hundreds of years not the 5 year plans of the west. 5 years is the longest the west get. The democratic system keeps politics where the national strategies are developed up to 5 year cycles. The most important time to have a plan is when something goes wrong (it will!). At the emergency you will have a better understanding of where you are and how to remedy the situation, you may even have a plan for the emergencies if your planning allows this foreknowledge. Of course bad planners will use this excuse to not plan. But the planning has to be done before the emergency!

You just cannot achieve excellence without hard work, hard thinking and making mistakes (and learning from them). You will not win an Olympic medal without the hours of preparation. Kung Fu (Gung Fu) can be translated-ish as the result of hard work, it does not mean martial art. The important thing is the hard work that gets the results. Warren Bennis's phrase of "Excellence is a better teacher than mediocrity. The lessons of the ordinary are everywhere. Truly profound and original insights are to be found only in studying the exemplary". The planning done needs to be comprehensive to think broadly of all eventualities; it has to be towards goals, if you want to copy someone else copy the leaders not the average. These people are well known in most areas and stand out and of course often write books (or at least ghost write). Finding a role model who is like you can help you be effective. Knowing the goals and having vision, help draw the successful forwards. Keeping the effective people persistent.

Life can appear massively complex, mankind has seen patterns everywhere and used them to make sense and predict events. Some things just appear again and again and can be seen as governing principles, these are universal and can be understood and practised in thinking and acting and can be applied in many areas of life. For me Tai Chi is exercise for health, it is self defence, it is a journey mentally and spiritually as well as the physical. These principles and concepts are multi-purpose. The Eastern pattern spotting came up with constant change and Yin Yang and going with nature and being indirect as well as direct. These can be researched and applied in many situations. Of course the West has developed the principle of science, a method of evidence based discovery where research must be logically valid and reliable. This builds on itself and gets bigger but also deeper in its understanding and its ability to predict, becoming increasingly more useful. Finding the principles to make action and thinking efficiently save time on these activities but also with learning from mistakes.

Tai Chi is a long term project, it is so full and deep that the aim to become the ultimate warrior or chi master is just not possible. The average person does not make their 80th birthday. There is only so much time! You cannot have everything. A lot of people get confused between the means and the end itself. You must identify the most important elements to work on, the cause of something is more important than the effects. Sometimes you have to prioritise and do the best you can, here maths can help identify the risk or factor that has the most influence. This will probably coincide with a principle. A lot of people obsess on one thing and do not see the journey. It is easy to get caught up in something and not notice that the goal is now wrong, as more information comes up or something changes. Balance of the action is of course rest and sleep for effective health and thinking can not be ignored. Lots can be missed out on with over focus and over work.

Problem solving is an art at times when the expert uses things you know to answer all sorts of problems, where you did not know even where to start. Technical understanding is the key element of problem solving in specific areas. Many experts do though look outside their field to find possible solutions. Presently biologists are talking to physicists sometimes in quite open discussion with the possibly already solved problem in one area that is unknown in another. There are of course general problem solving skills. The first is prioritisation. Do you need to solve the problem? Science is looking to be precise and to know the truth, but do you need to know the exact figure? Maths in schools look at estimation and approximation, sometimes this is enough. Maths is applied in most areas that helps prioritise but also problem solving in most areas. And yet maths skills are lacking in a lot of adults, who guess and then explain starting with the words 'I think..' with of course no evidence that any thinking has occurred. Lots of problems have already been solved either scientifically or at least effectively. Science will look at things even if 'it isn't broke' but you do not have to all the time. Learn the lessons of others!

There are lots of intelligent people around. Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences offers a useful perspective of people's abilities. Societies favour some abilities in terms of status and abhor others and yet the history of civilisations show that different abilities and performance are necessary at different times. This can be seen in businesses and projects as well, where starting something needs differing abilities than when growing it or in sustaining it. The difference between intelligence and wisdom has been said that intelligent people answer questions where wise people ask the correct questions. A distinction that can be easily overlooked. Context is vital in working out what the right question is that needs answering. It is easy in product development to think that the answer is a better product, where in the marketing department they see the answer differently and then the accounts department different again. These departments need to be balanced and harmonised. People often allow themselves to be influenced, often subconsciously by superstitions, but also moral aspects. The East will accept indirect methods which are much more effective combined with direct methods, than direct methods alone. Artifice has been used by all successful people in interactions with others. 'It's just not right! is often the response to being beaten by indirect methods. The aim must be to find out what is the real question (problem) in the real world, not a guess based on superstition.

Decisions have to be made, making the best decision needs a good process behind it that prepares, decides and also evaluates after. Like problem solving, decisions have been made before, so other people's experience of the process can be used. Mathematically you can play the odds. What works most of the time? The core element of poker is the probability of the cards coming up, but as the courts have ruled where you play against someone else there is skill involved. Knowing the odds is a key element of success. Sometimes you 'play the man' which might not be the good odds of the cards. For this to work you must know that you are using deception or foreknowledge of an opponent when you do decide to go against the odds! Assumptions are the danger in decisions making, where common knowledge that is not actually true, a common decision making distraction. When you know about the factors in play often a decision makes itself. Although you rarely get all the information and increasingly too much information. Timing becomes equally important as often only about 60% of the information will be in when you make the decision. In the Orient the I Ching has come from thousands of years of reflection on the world. It is itself a life times worth of study. It is a tool that can guide with expert use.

A common mistake is to use the wrong measure for comparison. Often a big number for instance of money or deaths is made with no comparative figure to put it in context. These are mostly emotional arguments. More subtly the Orient is measured through Western cultural eyes. The use of the word religion is not really accurate towards Buddhism, Daoism (Taoism) and Confucianism, and neither is philosophy. Both of these words are of the Greco-Roman and then western tradition. As centuries of Westerners have attempted to Christianise the East (in spite of Christianity being present in China before most of Europe!), they have battled with the the religions/philosophies of the Orient, the three (Chinese) traditions have interacted and influenced each other and had times of power and weakness, but they pervade the Oriental approach to everything. Obviously anyone with knowledge of the Indian subcontinent and its culture and traditions (and of course other traditions) could equally use their perspective to improve their lives, as I have with Oriental influences. Science is now part of the shared experience and can be used from any of these perspectives, although the maths must be the same. 1 + 1 = 2 everywhere for practical purposes.

I will use many phrases and concepts throughout the book. One is 'Roots and Branches'. The metaphor is simply that for a big tree or a long living tree the roots have to be good. I would take roots to be principles and concepts that are universal and have a life long involvement involved in studying and practising with them. From here the applications are the branches. In the Chinese martial arts (Wushu) the roots are the basic exercises practised every day like stance training, the conditioning of the body giving time for the body to grow and adapt to the strain. And the skill repetition; sometimes sophisticated exercises like forms that train physical, mental and spiritually in one go. The most common applications often share the same roots and need the roots to be strong. Maths can be seen as a root, where natural and social sciences are the major applications, with the smaller branches and twigs being the areas of maths and science for specific areas like quality control in business and cell chemistry in biology etc. Of course most westerners stop exercising around 14 years (boy meets girl!) and stops maths at 16 years (half of adults cannot do anything more than what is covered in year 6 (10 years) though!). These roots do not grow and the tree is weaker!

How effective do you need to be? Do you really need to be brilliant at everything? The superhero idea has been in human thoughts for a long time, but simply you have till about 28 years of age to reach a sports peak where the physical body starts retarding performance and where mental abilities coincide, after that it's down hill. Of course a healthy life can slow the ageing process down and development can still occur, but the peak has been passed. To get to a level of excellence in a common activity like music or sports takes 10,000 hours of practice. Simple activities can be achieved quicker but the full set of skills like for golf, or violin to an international level just need that long to develop. The good news is this probably includes making mistakes as well! Achieving excellence is not necessary for everyone. The level down may be being just very good, not the best but good enough to earn a living. In lots of tasks you may need just the basics. It's the difference between an interpreter for world leaders, and a teacher of a language in a school to just survival on a foreign holiday. Knowing the level you require is important. Very few people become excellent at one thing let alone at more than one. Leonardo de Vinchi is an example of a great achiever. He managed to leave a massive legacy (if your feeling jealous of him then remember he failed lots and some of his paintings were unfinished). Do you need to be excellent if you are with beginners?

Presentation and aesthetics are important parts of human life. If you sell something (we all do!) then appearance of the seller and the product are important. To last presentation is not enough, it must do a job. Style over substance will fool for a while but eventually trust and performance become over riding factors. Looking to truth as well as the appearance or the feel of objects and activities gives longer term benefit. In learning it's important to learn how to learn for yourself as well as searching for good teachers. Some teachers give good information but present it badly. Knowing what is good rather than what looks good is an important distinction. Quite often the wise play the real game in an activity and not the perceived game of the intelligent, that may perhaps be stylish. The real laws that science has revealed and some empirical traditions describe are where the power to be effective comes from.

This book has two main sections the first will discuss some key principles and concepts of East and West. These will permeate the whole book and influence each other. The second section looks at specific areas of application where these principles and concepts can be used and explored. The idea is to improve thinking, this of course needs practice. I never leave home without the scientific approach and knowledge, but I have the Oriental approach backing up and guiding. They go together like bricks and mortar, where Western tradition focuses on the nouns, Oriental approach the verbs. Science helps build the concrete where East helps with the intangibles. The paradoxes rife in this world are everywhere with no easy answer or even the language to describe. Some tools work even if they are not scientific, this is not because science is bad or wrong. It is unfinished! So I can relax and go with the flow ready for change and working with Yin Yang and direct and indirect without worrying too much about having to know, or being right as long as I get more effective gradually as time goes by. This is theory and practice together, thinking towards achieving better results and being more effective.

Part 1 Roots

These are the foundations of application. The general principles and concepts for understanding but also acting effectively. Their choosing is based on usefulness not dogma, there is a need to read, and then reflect. From then on a life long processes of thinking and questioning and acting will develop deeper and wider understanding and capabilities.

Performance

Performance may or may not be able to be measured. Simple actions can be clear but with the more complex, measuring can be fraught with difficulty. Some abstraction is often necessary and this loses a lot of people at least through lack of concentration. To achieve results in a certain task however complex needs some clarity. The vision of the goal(s) is essential to even having a clue as to whether you have been effective. This clarity of vision helps give direction to thinking and actions. This is to start with so you start in the right direction; and during to see you are on track (and that the track is still the right one); and after to see if you succeed. This often has to be clear in your mind but also in other people's so they can follow or take into account in their decisions and actions. It is also a proactive approach rather than reactive, but of course to have a paradox now; you can plan to be reactive.

The best are often used as a comparison, usually in an unhelpful way. If the best have done their 10,000 hours plus and you have done 1,000, they will probably win however you measure! Each area will have people who have excelled previously. But even in first time ventures there are lessons that so many 'best' have done some of the same things. As already stated the 10,000 hours of practice that the best musicians and sports people have done. The best linguists and historians are no different they have simply done a lot. Sometimes when the hours have been done in private or at a young age it gets deceptive, but it has been done. Hard work and persistence lead to the Kung Fu that I have described 'as the result of the work done'. The best also work with reality although not always knowingly, they do not just blindly copy an expert and get as good as them. They at some point notice that they are not the same person at the same time, and the differences lead on to other things. So copying the best is a good starting place and guide, and practice essential but not blind practice it must have direction and thought. Ayed calls it purposeful practice where you need to think! If possible a teacher, coach or mentor can give vital help. Leonardo de Vinci was the ultimate in self improvement, his CPD (Continual Professional Development) resume was life long. He kept learning, researching and exploring all his life. He was known as a good fencer, artist, inventor and much more besides. And only after rediscovery of some of his work was it realized how much and how far he got in so many areas. He had an approach which produced amazing achievements, but a lot was not understood by anyone else at the time. Some things like the helicopter were only realised several hundred years after his drawings were made. He also did not finish all his paintings and the work he was employed to do.

Experts have practised and thought but also they have gained experience which they use to enhance their performance, including modifying their thinking and practice. In high pressure situations experience is vital. In a review in jet fighter pilots from the Vietnam war it was shown that the training (long and expensive) just did not get purposely used until after 5 combat situations (if they survived), any success before was luck more than deliberate judgement. The general and basic skills are usually OK but at the expert levels the subtlety and precision developed is beyond most people's understanding. Here principles of excellence appear. Being excellent at one activity may help you understand other areas, but work will still need to be done to adapt however close the other area may be. Quite often these subtleties are performed or adapted to on an unconscious level having been automated. Here we see instinctual and intuitive advanced skills performed.

Goal setting is a commonly known tool that helps organise thought and then actions. As previously mentioned having the end in mind at the beginning reduces wandering off in the wrong direction. Sometimes an objective opinion is needed so outside help needs to be recruited. Here a written down plan including the goals can be picked up and used to assess progress and direction. Obviously the process is written down which helps reduce subjective distraction. These are the times in the planning and evaluation it is important to do some creative thinking, not during action of a plan. The standard acronym for goal setting is SMART: Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Realistic. Time specific. These elements help keep clarity of understanding for all.

Individual difference is a beauty of nature, but often seen in combination with nurture in a question of which is more important. The answer of course is both. No doubt I can love Basketball as much as I like and practice and everything else but I am still at 12 inches of disadvantage to succeed. Biological factors can give advantages and disadvantages some of which are very difficult and sometimes impossible to overcome. But body and brain can get a training effect. The best change their bodies and minds with those practice hours. Long term memory is said to take two years to put down. A common phrase in sports is muscle memory with a similar time length to make permanent training results. The body and brain adapts to stress and workload, to become more efficient. Initial changes can be quick but longer lasting effects take longer. Straight away it is logical to be careful what you train your body to do! Bad practice gets the results it deserves. The first 1,000 days after conception are massively influential for our lives in every way. But even up to the end of the teen age years the Body and Brain can change rapidly. As we age this adaptability stays but becomes less elastic and reactive to training but there is lot smaller change in elasticity than most people believe. This is where the 10,000 hours really make their difference.

Performance is often against an opponent where the ultimate results become clear. This is where sport and martial arts are really clear. If you box and suddenly your nose hurts, it's simple, you did something wrong, or the opponent did something right. In other areas of life sometimes winner and loser or success and failure are less clear. It is common to use the complexity to hide from facing up to the results. Here is were the clarity of Vision and goal setting aid performance. A common tool here is SWOT analysis performed on yourself (individual or group) and on the opponent(s). A simple cross on a piece of paper with Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats label each quadrant. Thinking through these help see the relationship between you and your opponents. A similar analysis can also be used on the environment whether physical or a market, as these are major factors or even the opponent for instance in mountaineering. As well as facts there is always perception. Style, opinion, reputation and aesthetics all influence actions, yours, the opponents, customers and every other passer by. This has to be analysed and used. In business it comes under the marketing function but covers areas such as deception and artifice in competitive areas.

Goal setting has a goal, you pursue it and then it is finished. Obviously this is just how to be a one hit wonder. This tool needs to be part of a process where the next goal after is also set before the last is finished. Here there is continuous movement and change. The problem with a goal is you make it with what you know at the time, of course you then go and learn something new that changes your opinion of your goal. Kolb developed a simple cycle of Analyse, Decide, Act and Explore. Then repeat. This continuous improvement approach has been integrated into production businesses for years (Kaizen). Every department on the production line flows through the cycle repeatedly. Perhaps at a meeting starting with the question: Can we do anything better? This may be less waste, or be more customer orientated. Some businesses produce a new product that replaces their own old product even before the sales drop, they are the ones to repeatedly beat and overtake themselves. Therefore not giving anyone else a look in. The eastern approach has the concept of constant change in a circular or spiral pattern. The Bagua (eight hexagram) symbol is interpreted in two main ways where one is a never ending circle like the seasons and the other as a life cycle from birth to death. These interpretations and different interpretations of Kolb's cycle are good tools to help deal with change as well as create it.

Fear of change is a human constant. Fear has to be managed in change. But sometimes we fear or get stressed at an unproductive time or in a way that does not help. A lot of marketing is based on this fear. Nobody worried about smelly breath till an advertiser told us about it. Women thought little about equal opportunities to smoke in public till Edward Barnays came up with the orchestrated appearance of several models smoking in public at the same time. Although fear management is valid, risk assessment is the more useful tool. What can get me and what is likely to get me. Economists sigh to themselves at people's inability to assess risk. Health and Safety policies must include a risk assessment of dangers in a work place and evidence of what occurs and how often, which is used to then guide Health and Safety actions. Guessing does not stand up in court. Prioritizing what is worth protecting yourself from or preventing, and in reverse an assessment of what most helps you are good tools to use to be effective. Here the lacking maths skills are constantly demonstrated as people try to manage fear of unlikely events and all the time not avoiding the things most likely. This can be health or self defence or of others defence, and also in work based decisions.

Of course what the average person does is repeat the same behaviour again and again what ever the real result. Whilst laughing at others doing the same thing. Mistakes are essential. Ayed illustrates this by saying that the best figure skater is the one who has fallen onto their bottom on the ice the most. They take those little risks that do not always work and get up and try again. They aim to not make the same mistake again. This is where the teacher/coach/consultant comes in to offer a correction. The real measure of learning and observation is whether you make the same mistake again. That is not the same risk. Sometimes you need to try again with a little something, sometimes you need to take a step back and other times you have to smell the coffee. Chen Man Ching often talked of investing in loss. That does not mean keep losing, but that the greatest lessons come from losing and failing, the feedback and development after make the difference.

Being effective often requires teamwork. An effective leader needs the essential skills of organisation and communication. To organise you need knowledge of yourself, the opponent and the environment. The you bit may be individual, but also knowledge of a team, and also can extend to suppliers and customers. Opponents can be direct or indirect. The environment can be physical and/or a market, or inside the mind of a customer. Once the situation is understood enough then a team will need to be organised and the vision and direction communicated. There are idealized leaders, both real people put on a pedestal, and wholly fictional. The job has to get done and then the next job too. It is important, that a leader needs followers but also the reverse followers need leaders. Quite often the movement of the opponents can be allowed to make mistakes, other times they can be drawn to make a mistake. But the first task is to prepare yourself to reduce weaknesses that can be exploited and build strengths. After that avoiding head on conflict that can create Pyrrhic victories at best. But even if you beat one opponent a fresh opponent appears shortly after and if you are exhausted you will not fair well with the second opponent. There has always been scavengers waiting till after the action to take a meal.

Prediction of future events and the patterns of how events consistently happen has only been enhanced by scientific discovery. Evidence of how the odds allows us to play them better. As well as physics and biology there are psychology and sociology which allow us to predict physical and human behaviour. Regularly scientific research backs up traditional approaches where empirical evidence has suggested patterns already. Political leaders are known for their lack of scientific knowledge. A lot of the world leaders are running economies without much economic knowledge, and deciding about medicine and education without any real understanding. Of course the good news is science can predict the results. What it has not done is influence voting habits and political or commercial behaviour much. None of the above use science or know the traditional methods to make effective decisions.

To make these decisions it's important to have habits that are effective. Here the self-help industry regurgitate the same information repackaged. A best-seller was The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Getting good habits are definitely a way forward. Doing the right thing 80% of the time will put you way ahead of others. The Chinese talk about training at 70% effort every day, rather than the western 110% three days a week. Human behaviour soon forgets a day and if it's one of six there is no big loss, but one of three is more significant and the habits are broken much easier. They also like mornings for their exercise. The seven habits are included in most of the eastern tradition. They are obviously summarised differently, but cover a lot of the same ground.

Another common method is NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). This method is not ashamed to use any method that works. It uses common psychology techniques and linguistic tools again to improve effectiveness. Where science looks for the truth, NLP is happy to find what works. It is easy to be distracted with too much detail and science is beyond any one person it's just too big. Distracting thoughts and beliefs can easily reduce effectiveness. Copying experts is a key development tool in NLP with a hypnotherapist being a key influence in the beginning. Other well known experts have been modelled since.

Distraction is a major breaking force to being effective. A lot of information can be obtained in seconds in the age of the Internet, most of which is irrelevant to any individual task. Prioritising information is vital to sort out the necessary. A lot of organisations collect more information than they can use, which takes effort and they do not use it at all sometimes. Bureaucracy has undertaken a mission creep into all areas through laws and regulation to bad systems that mean people are often refilling out the same information or meetings without any real benefit to anyone. Obviously some information needs to be gathered to allow organisations to function including the state, but after a while it becomes a drag on productivity. Unfortunately it often comes with a good reason attached to why it is vital. Although often it creates the opposite effect. 'There is nothing worse than conscientious stupidity' (Martin Luther King). Going too far is interfering with everything else taking up time and energy but also modifying activities.

Emotion is part of human life. Evolutionarily it performed important functions to increase survival of individuals and groups. Helping respond to danger and to draw people together in groups to work together. Understanding Emotion and how it influences behaviour and perception will help allow for its distracting effect and how it distorts perception of you and others. Rational decisions need to be made with the brain and not the heart, but they must include the heart in its deliberations. In many situations the body's chemistry changes and both science and traditional methods have developed to deal with these situations whether it's the adrenaline dump under stress to the effects sounds, colours and words have on people.

All of the above needs to be used together as it is a holistic situation. Each element overlaps and integrates as a whole. Analysis is easier when things are broken down, but then must be put back together for action.

Strategy

Strategy is the long term plan, it is not the loose idea of what you are going to do tomorrow but a thought out plan years in length. The key to good strategy is to gather as much of the necessary information and form goals that are realistic. Once you have your goals you can work out how to get from where you are to where you want to get. Like planning for any journey you might decide to go somewhere else and may meet problems along the way. A comprehensive plan will allow for this by foreseeing the most likely barriers and challenges ahead but also going from general factors to specific factors as detail is added to the plan. If you change your goals or meet a problem you will have a better chance of knowing you have a problem and what it is with a prior planning process. The general factors will be common to any goals and transferable even if specific elements may not. As with any process, practice will improve performance as long as you have a work process that involves testing and reflection. Your plan will be based on your principles, these will dictate your tactics and the skills necessary to action the plan. Many journeys have been taken before and lessons learned that can help the process so you can learn from others mistakes and join the wise. Planing ahead and being ready for future events.

The eastern approach is just more strategic in general, as the history of the emperors who have looked at their ancestors and aimed at being family dynasties forever. A key text on military strategy is the Art of War (AoW), it is a compact book of only 13 chapters but with the essential elements and explanations and is revered and used world wide. It has the principles of oriental wisdom applied to warfare, it talks of planning, when to fight and when not to. It talks of who will win and lose and therefore how to win. There are chapters on gaining information (spies at the time and for countries and large companies still today), tactics for various situations and what to look for in yourself, your enemy and the environment. It was written 2,500 years ago as a guide for ruler and general, and kept secret but even though it discusses the warfare of the day with chariots, swords and crossbows, it has the principles and concepts that can be reapplied to all strategic competitive situations. Study of the text which has been translated several times and also the many commentaries can yield the truths of strategy and effectiveness. Additionally there are six more military classics that can add depth to military strategy and also general strategy, and also the other classics of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism.

Strategies have to deal with reality, there are principles that remain the same but are applied differently in different situations. Being balanced is a principle, if you are lying down it is not an immediate problem but on a boat in rough seas it is. In the long term a goal is to get into the best position so that being strategic is easy, where you have plenty of time and resources to think things through. If a fist is coming towards your head at 30 mph, that's not the time to think! It has to be done before. The highest strategy is to be fully prepared and to stop problems before they even start, nipping them in the bud. You make yourself invincible with defences too strong for any competition, from this position of strength you just monitor the environment and others with small movements to maintain your position. Of course being all powerful has happened very rarely in history and has been maintained for only a short time. Once you are close to unbeatable you can put yourself in a position of such advantage that you have basically won before you start. It is important to borrow Clausewitz's phrase that war is an extension of politics (part of grand strategy), so competition is off the field as well as on, and the aim is to have won the game before you step up to the plate. This is sometimes done by opponents believing they can not win and then not fighting to the death, but rolling over. Your strategy for the now must be both to deal with the immediate challenges but also to improve your position. It is human behaviour when something is scarce like time to use it wastefully, so it stays scarce, so there is little later as well!

The history from which the Chinese classic texts appeared and developed, was one of war (403-201BC warring period) with many states inter fighting to gain prominence and survival before the Chin united most of today's China. This great experience of success and failure led to many rulers and generals looking for the keys to success. Spotting what the winners and losers did and did not do, along with experience and the influence of Confucianism and Daoism. The principles of war and strategy were discovered and consequently applied. The psyche of the Chinese was also affected by being surrounded by the barbarians, which in effect meant the rest of the world. The Mongol to the north and west provided horse riding raiders to strike fear in the civilised Chinese culture. When the Mongol successfully conquered the Chinese they were gradually civilised until they were culturally Chinese themselves. One piece of Chinese literature is the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that is known though not the whole story but many plays and stories of parts including Zhuge Liang's strategic exploits, and the methods of intrigue and the stratagems employed to gain power. It's also a good story, but it contains the cultural lessons of behaviour (from the heroes) and the approaches to success. Many of the strategies are echoed in the west but not as systematically and by people of all levels as the stories of the three kingdoms and the strategies pervade all people including the peasants.

Another classic Chinese classic is the Art of Advantage, within it are 36 stratagems. They have all been used over many years in China. Rather than the grand strategy of the highest level these are individual stratagems (ruse of war, trick) to be applied to individual cases (or though) they may be repeated at other times. The first lesson is to gain an advantage and keep it as in the highest level, but there are many situations that occur. The book has been divided into six situations depending on your power relationship with you opponent. Some stratagems are best for when you are the strongest and some for when you are the definite weakest. All avoid head on fighting as too costly, and use different ways of deceiving your opponent, using surprise, creativity and tricks to gain advantage. Appearing what you are not and then taking advantage of the opponents reaction, using a third party, giving false information and even running away are all options. These can only be chosen when you know your situation, you must have gathered the knowledge of yourself and your opponent and the relative situations before you choose your stratagem. Krippendorff categorises the stratagems by Chinese concept instead including Yin Yang, go with the grain and indirect action.

The good news for westerners is that there are many books and video clips translating and commenting on the Art of War and a few on the Art of Advantage. There have been several translations with different choices of translations in parts. The background and biases of the translator adds interpretation to the translation, for practical and personal reasons. Reading several translations can help build a perspective on each. Many western commentaries give an author's opinion as well. McNeilly summarises the AoW with six principles and explains these with examples both for business and war. Some books are aimed for specific roles like leaders or managers or for military or business. They all though use the AoW or similar texts and the principles they demonstrate and often find western and eastern examples, often extracting a key list of principles. This simplification of course is useful but also limiting, it can give a simpler tool for application if you are a manager or officer (military manager?), but long term to work at higher levels then this is a shallow interpretation, deeper study over time re-reading the books and expanding your reading and reflection build up the higher levels of understanding which go beyond the limitations of the commentary books and quite often anyone you would like to tell. On the Sonshi website they have a good forum that discusses the AoW and real world topics in light of the AoW, one topic was a personality test that found a lot of the 'strategic thinkers' were the same personality type and had several other elements in common.

The Japanese have been appreciated in the west since the Second World War, their industrial success (through some good economic principles) has taken them to the second largest economy in the world, although at the time of writing China is there to take over. It has benefited from close proximity to China and its culture, it has had the AoW for many years as well as Confusion and Daoist like influence. It has though had a period of isolation where its culture developed quite separately. With Emperor, Shoguns and Samurai (sorry a gross oversimplification), they have different emphasis a set of rituals from their culture and their Buddhism (Zen). Some books have come over to the west from various sources but some from the Samurai, the most famous being the Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. One element in the book that pervades the martial arts is the perfection of life to a purpose. The Samurai perfected a sword (Kenjutsu) style or Archery (Kyudo) working on a single element until their performance was supreme aiming to be in harmony with nature. Within the Five Rings there is a lot of strategy and practical guidance, it is very clear and precise like many parts of Japanese culture. He talks of aiming for perfection knowing a small number of things very well rather than many things shallowly, he discusses sword fighting and its principles with the aim of perfection with the tool and focus on the task, which can all be applied to different tools. He and the other Samurai worked on perfection where the result of failure (and even in winning often) was death, these principles are the same principles of effectiveness and can be applied to any less dangerous mode of competition.

All of these books as well as this one use the Eastern principles explicitly or implicitly. Like making your favourite recipe there are certain needs to be met to get the good taste, and although a recipe may be relatively simple it is still an example. Finding the balance of too much (Yang) and too little (Yin) of each ingredient, not making too much or too little (I usually eat the extra no problem; though I have to exercise more!). Adding the ingredients at the right time as the change from cooking occurs so they are added with just the right timing. Allowing for the different ovens and their powers, and even choosing the recipe based on the seasons best for the ingredients. Then giving a portion to a friend who is angry with me indirectly improving their opinion of me. The Eastern concepts can be applied to everything and many analogies, metaphors within stories, fables and aphorisms that help see principles of life and how to be effective within it. One element of interest is the eastern traditions used empirical evidence built up over many years and with much reflection, looking for these principles is not just simply sensual, it needs the mind to be involved to see the abstract level.

Of course the West has strategic thinkers too. Many of the latest Nobel prizes have been won in economics with Game theory. Modelling of strategic decision making in various game situations that reflect the real world, it has been used also in many subjects where competition is present. Some situations are cooperative, some are simultaneous or with perfect information, with many more factors that give certain strategies pay-offs, the aim is to logically work out the best possible pay-off. Sometimes games are cooperative and pay-offs for or against collaboration are calculated. Also games can be Symmetric where pay-offs mirror each other to win-win or lose-lose. Zero-sum games work with a fixed amount of resources and if one person has all the other has none. Sometimes actions can be made at the same time and others in turns. Board Games like Chess and Go are games of perfect information where both sides can see all the information. Many games have optimal strategies that are quite simple even when the game is large. The examples studied include the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Battle of the Sexes and Chicken, that illustrate basic strategies for these games. Auctions have been modelled with many types having their pay-offs calculated, and the best way of serving self interest. This includes contract auctions like new generations of mobile phone technology such as 3G and 4G.

Game theory builds from small to large and gets very complex as you scale up. Within maths there is Complexity theory that looks not at the small ordered systems or the very large chaotic, but at the middle ground where simple models can not keep up with the many variables constantly changing and interacting, working with large systems that are too complex to simply model from bottom up. Sometimes the change in situations is so fast a calculation would be out of date by the time you worked it out. Some systems emerge and grow in different ways that can not be controlled but are influenced by many interacting parts. Knowing when to diversify and when to reduce variance to get the best pay-off. Sometimes order emerges from disorder other systems are chaotic. Computer systems and software are too complex for one individual, evolution in nature produces many possibilities. When humans attempt to control such systems they can over control and over-optimise and miss change and not have enough robustness to survive. Markets, politics and nature are complex systems where prediction has been very unreliable, not normally distributed but differently distributed like the power law distribution, that neither small or large systems are.

Strategists have always studied the methods of others and practised the skills. Attempting to form practices that mirror the basic skill practice, to develop and practice the necessary skills. Rather than going to war to gain the experience there needs to be brain training. This function has been partly met with strategy games. From the Middle East and India came Chess where two armies face each other with the aim of destroying the opposition by taking the king, the resulting game has many possibilities and tactics, with important principles and tactics to win. Strong defence and opening games setting up a game plan. Time pressure and the aspects of material and the quality of deployment, controlling the information of options, preparing for specific opponents are all factors that can be practised in Chess and some in Draughts (Checkers). The east has favoured Go (Japanese name) with more indirect strategies attempting to control area with pebbles. Capture is possible and avoiding it is part of the game but not over emphasised. Strategy games are also available in board games and computer games. The rules limit the strategies and tactics and they can be restricted to programmed best practices not necessarily real world best practices, but can work the mind with problem solving. There are many mental games with some mind training with varying transference to the real world, some card games work probability and dealing with an opponent, others are just chance and not skill games. Probably playing various games can help mental flexibility, but they develop only certain strategies and tactics that work in the game which may not be beneficial in the real world.

Applying strategy in your life looks to the long term, you will need to build up knowledge, about yourself, others and the environment. The Confucian priority is work, where the long term is your career. Assessing which route to take either self employed or employed or what combination knowing the best route through education. The odds put University ahead in financial gain, especially the better rated universities supplied by the better schools. Obviously the first barrier as your parents choose the school (one way or another). The key is to have your goal or vision clear and to work out the path and plan to it. You will need to adapt to change in many forms and maybe a complete change of goal. Breadth to education and experience both formal and informal, aid adaptability as well as monitoring your situation to spot changes. The strategy is to get to the best position for education and then work, knowing the requirements for each. The tactics along the way to get enough out of education (courses other people decide on) and work (that other people decide on), but also your independent actions and choices. The skills build from the basic use of language, mathematics and science and the multiple intelligences. Then the practising of the principles of effectiveness, that are often habits whether it's health, education, attitude or appearance, whatever leads where you want to go.

The long view has to include health, many studies provide evidence that smoking (the biggest preventable factor) takes 7-10 years off your life, that is smokers do not live as long as non-smokers. Similar patterns surround Alcohol to excess, high fat and high salt diet, high stress (anxiety) and illegal drugs (plus some legal). The habits need to be healthy, a lifelong approach to health of diet and exercise, with positive evidence in many ways; less accidents, less illness and higher performance. Finding a way of exercising that you can maintain is key, activities like walking and gardening can help tremendously but only aerobic exercise (e.g. running swimming, etc.) show improvements in brain function generally. There will be change and adapting to ageing and changing circumstances must be made. Using your brain needs to be regular, practising the major skills and principles, lifelong learning is the strategic approach adapting to change like technology, but also the depth of a specialism and breadth of life skills. Aiming to not get ill or hurt or left behind needs to have a plan with good habits.

Long term thinking is encouraged in the Eastern tradition through Confucian paternalism which travels up to the Emperor and the Gods, the Daoist quest for immortality, and the Buddhist rebirth belief and the circle of life. Their views are of a circular world where things go through a life cycle and end up back where they started and then go again. Some things are not solvable but constant, like eating everyday, other things do not need solving but managing and some things need solving. Selecting the problems that can and should be solved directly like the battles you can win or indirectly waiting out an issue till it is not a problem any more. The old Chinese tradition of paying their doctors for their well patients not their ill patients has a different perspective but also mode of thinking that keeps people healthy not waiting till they are ill. It is important to find the causes and treat them rather than only mediating the symptoms. Doing it habitually and widely. Knowing which causes you can effect positively and which you can not helps avoid wasting resources on problems you can not solve or expensive remedies when things go wrong.

Science and Technology

The quest for knowledge of who, what, why, when, where, and how has been part of human history, the scientific method has developed over this time along with many other methods. Science though has built on itself in an effort to explain and also predict. Its success is its coherent ability to increasingly do this. Necessity has always been a driver to invent methods and discover new facts, and also the methods to discover more methods. I will look at some vital elements of science but will slip in the concepts and principles of the eastern tradition. These were developed empirically and also have some reliability, but are not scientific, although they can be used as a tool to help. This is valid for seeing patterns that science has or maybe will find within nature that can help be effective, especially in areas where science has not explained everything or cannot yet predict. Science has achieved much but is not yet finished, I will attempt to highlight where science and the Eastern tradition coincide. Where balance is disrupted with new discoveries or inventions a new equilibrium is created that the world adjusts to.

In the west we now live longer, almost twice as long, as 100 years ago. Without sanitation and medical advancement this would not be possible. The biggest cause of death in women used to be during childbirth, and still is in many parts of the world. Superstition has had little to do with this except to hold back the change in beliefs and behaviour. Vaccination has eliminated Smallpox and controlled many other big killers. Only science has landed objects on the Moon, Mars and asteroids, going beyond the Earth. Technology using the growth from the scientific methods production has made the world appear smaller as transport and communication has advanced. Every area of life has been affected expanding knowledge and capabilities to a large proportion of the world. There is enough food for everyone. The barriers are not scientific but political an area full of superstition and guess work that prevents it getting to all!

Human thought is rational but not logical. Logic looks for modes of reasoning that are valid. Arguing a case with statements that are demonstrably true form the basis of maths and science. There are always underlying premises, assumptions that are held to be true. From these, deductions can be made to build a bigger picture. This builds from the bottom up. Generalisations of the observable is the opposite method of reasoning what is true. Doubt is looked for and hopefully eliminated till statements can be made that are true. The rules developed from these statements have to be true. There must be no inconsistencies, the rules must be valid and complete to give a theorem.

Built on logic is the scientific method. The procedure learned in schools is a procedure of performing research. The stages aim to keep the research valid and reliable. First a hypothesis is made asking a question, an experiment is designed that will test this hypothesis. It is then performed and data collected. This data is then analysed and conclusions made. These stages must all be done to a standard. The results often come with limits, where statistically it is said the confidence limits of the conclusion. When the tester can say they are 99% confident, the results can then be put forward to the scientific community and beyond.

The actual experiments are not the limit of the scientific method. All through from the hypotheses to the conclusion, peer review is carried out where each stage is checked for validity and reliability. So a paper on an experiment in cellular biology will not be published until it is reviewed and accepted by another expert in cellular biology. The method though could be checked by any scientist. The basic question is does this paper prove what it says it does? Is the design valid and reliable, is the test done correctly, is the analysis and are the conclusions logical from the results? Quite often in some tests to attempt to eliminate bias double blind trials are conducted where neither the tester or the subject knows which drug they have taken either the drug of the test or a placebo. Scientific knowledge is built up on many years of such experiments. Of course if people did not live longer and communicate across the world and technology did not land on other planets it would question the whole process but they have and do!

Of course science (and its method) is not perfect. It is a lot slower than just saying God says so and then believing it. It has also for a long time been impossible to know all areas of science. The depth and complexity of even an area of science is beyond the capacity of any one person. Thus without trusting the scientific method and natural human behaviour of people not believing scientists and their results, strange decisions are made. Most people do not do as the doctors say in prevention or treatment. It is estimated only 1 in 5 do as the doctor says even in life threatening medical ailments. A lot of science is hidden from view and not recognised. The health services and health and safety stop a lot of things happening without the general public being aware. If the public are not aware then they do not consider it as present. They may have had a vaccination and do not think at all how they do not have a major disease that killed in large numbers only a few generations ago. They just surf the net or text a friend in another country without thinking about it. You cannot know all science, but you can know the basics, your area and use experts in other fields.

Maths is a base that science is built on. New areas of maths have been developed to meet more challenges, from counting small numbers of objects to working with the astronomical numbers in astronomy. The purity of some maths owes a lot to its abstract nature where 1+1=2 whether it is atoms, oranges or planets. The numbers can be manipulated whatever they refer to in the real world and then answers back with units are given in the answer. This base can be applied in many areas. As well as numbers there is how they work together and there is space (geometry) and change. All these areas are now massively deep and wide in their accumulated knowledge, tools and applications. A recent survey found that most adults have a maths skills covered by 10 year old in school. When they use maths in the real world they have big problems even with simple arithmetic let alone the maths behind decisions made at higher organisational levels that effect the whole of society.

The physical world has been investigated continuously mainly through necessity. Physics has joined up with chemistry to work on all scales from the smallest quark to the whole Universe. Knowledge of the common forces and laws of nature have been built up that have revolutionised human life. The mechanics of the world and how most of the every day objects solids, liquids and gases and the forces that act on them such as gravity and friction. Electromagnetism has been a major revolution in technology that allows travel over the whole globe to the deepest seas and off the earth. But also communication and entertainment, virtually eliminating distance and the need to travel for so many aspects of life. As the theories of the smallest level (quantum) to the biggest are brought together a revolution in power has come to human thought and action. Major discoveries have made a step change to humans and human life.

Although life is not defined perfectly by any means. The understanding of cell function in animals and plants has led to improved health and resources provision. Major theories such as evolution have changed perception in daily life. But areas such as genetics and medicine have lengthened lifespan as well as developed food provision and reduced cost. The effects of ill health affect people much less, where disease, and childbirth were the massive killers, now we live long enough to die of heart disease and cancer instead. The productivity of people and agriculture now are assumed to be present, rather than day to day survival concentrating the mind.

Mechanisation of many areas of life started with the use of fire, taking over from slow digestion. Many processes in life have been mechanised and the labours of man have been lessened. Technology advances from writing to computers have taken over and expanded human capabilities. The latest number crunching abilities allow data collection and analysis that would take many human years to analyse. Engineering based on trial and error and science have become essential tools. To be effective in any area now needs use of Information Technology and other technologies to compete with others. To compete against similarly equipped opponents you need the right type of technologies.

When it comes to knowledge it is not possible to become a polymath, with knowledge and skills in many areas. The time it now takes to become a specialist is measured in years. A general base is advised for balance, but to be a linguist, scientist and sports person would take too much time and energy. Today organisations need many specialists, to cover all necessary tasks. Using experts is also a skill for the individual to maximise achievements. A doctor or dentist studies 7-10 years to become qualified. The politician who runs Health in a government will have nowhere near this preparation for the task of managing national health policies. Science has been developed 'on the shoulders of giants'. To be able to learn, understand and apply any of these specialisms is beyond most. One aim must be to get the right person for the job. Here the process of recruitment to any job will affect the placement tremendously. Elections work for people who can win elections, job interviews work for those who are good at job interviews.

One of the aims of science is to predict life and the reliability of this dictates how useful any theory or method is. Science often travels down dead ends, but in the finding of these dead ends helps find better ways. Producing models that are practical before everything is known can still happen. The model of an atom by Bohr is now believed to be an oversimplification, but was used to design many things that do work. Science still continues and often proves itself incorrect or incomplete. In fact one of the key elements of science is not its certainty but that it will change. People will believe (with evidence) different things in the future.

The limitations of science are often exploited, its overcomplexity is used by many to persuade people to buy a good or how to vote. Pseudo-science is a big industry, where the law and its enforcement allow unfounded claims to be made. Biased people pick and choose elements that support a view they want to be true and point they want to make. There are many common myths and unfounded opinions where no logical thought process has occurred. It is natural to use heuristics to justify choices and actions. How people really behave rather than say they do is used by marketing to increase sales. This is the scientific bit. The use, even to sell a product or service that is pseudo-science using emotion and superstition relying on non scientific thinking. Power is a key factor in human interactions along with self interest these often influence behaviour. People will attempt to get people to doubt science for their own ends.

The future has already started. Research is in progress that may eliminate many diseases, produce technology that does more and be more efficient, it may even allow us to visit other planets. Science will build a deeper and wider understanding of the nature of the universe and applying this knowledge will change human life. Disciplines of science are increasingly working together and the traditional boundaries are being challenged and changed. The paradoxes of life are gradually getting approached and sometimes answered or the questions re-phrased. As information becomes known by more people then new uses like technologies will be developed.

As this book is not aimed to be an introduction to science and technology, it is important to look at how you use science to be more effective. Clear definitions are one area from logic through maths to science, that can help with clear thinking. Many words are used more flexibly in every day speech than their scientific meaning. Knowing this distinction helps clarify and then prioritise. Knowing the odds is very useful not just in gambling. Knowing that smokers die on average earlier than non-smokers is a big help especially when surveys find a 7-10 years difference. Understanding labels and information in marketing can help you choose the best product or service for you. Use of technologies is now essential, especially IT. Use of the internet is easy but there is a lot of false and incorrect information. Having a good knowledge base helps find the more valid and reliable information. Once you have the information then choosing the best actions and methods becomes easier. Understanding yourself and others and the environment is now much easier thanks to science. Guessing which is the best option just does not work, when others have prepared. You must prepare effectively!

Science and Statistics

The natural sciences of physics, chemistry and biology give very specific and quite often precise information that builds up. Even within these disciplines some problems require statistics, which can measure in the opposite way from the large scale to small. The social sciences use these methods, regularly looking at large numbers of people whether individuals or groups. Validity and reliability are still aims and better understanding as well as practical use are gained from the scientific method.

Individuals are studied through psychology. How people actually behave and what people think or say can be a lot different. Knowledge of psychology can help when dealing with people. Behaviour can be rational but not often logical. Self knowledge through personality tests and general study can help explain a lot of behaviour. The same methods can help understand others. These can be friends, family, colleagues or opponents. There are different approaches in psychology that look at people in different ways, the combination of view-points can aid understanding of people and their behaviour. When managing or teaching, a lot of psychology is included in training to increase effectiveness. Each approach seems to offer insight but they are not quite complete. Behaviourism helps give a basic structure for getting someone to act a certain way. A basic positive reward (carrot) and a negative punishment (stick). This is simple science and similar to traditional beliefs including in The Art of War. Cognitive psychology works with beliefs and desires and gives deeper explanations of behaviour. Other methods have also looked at how the minds works and also abnormalities, that are often key elements of health.

Sociology on the other hand looks at people in society, how groups behave with each other, and how societies are structured. Many things impact society as a whole and not just individuals. These have been investigated. Big impacts like industrialisation, technology and wars have been investigated as well as different parts of society like religious belief. Positivism is sociology that uses the scientific method to find out patterns as well as empirically gathered information. More subjective elements of society and subjective research have also been popular with other perspectives. Sampling and statistical methods are common.

Economics is the area [of study] that politicians and business people really should study. Whether [the] macro economics or micro economics, the research into how markets work should obviously be vital and yet the principles of economics are regularly ignored by politicians and business leaders alike. The supply and demand for any good are related so that higher demand encourages higher supply or will raise the worth of a scarce good. But businesses and politicians try to supply things no one demands and they fail. Markets are interfered with constantly and inefficiently. Monopolies are very bad for the customer but countries nationalise (monopolise) industries, claiming they are too important for businesses to make a profit. There are clear examples of nations that have got wealthy and have raised the standard of living and examples of nations that have not. Following good economic principles is a good start to raise standards. Game theory is the fashionable area of economics and I have mentioned elsewhere.

Statistics deals with data. How to collect, organize and interpret it. Often used in scientific research to see how the results are distributed and describing the meaning including averages and deviations (variation). Conclusions are also inferred from results which can give direction to causes and future behaviour. When experiments are repeated by different people in different areas, then a better picture evolves that is more reliable and more predictive, and can also show differences in different areas. The data can then be presented in tables and graphs to make it easier to understand. Statistics are used in all areas and an understanding helps interpret messages from advertising and government. The analysis is often linked to probability theory. It can help with the odds and proportions of the subject of research, giving an awareness of the likelihood of events or properties.

Probability really was influenced by games of chance and gambling. And still today it is an easy way to present the theory. This is a clear area where people who do not know the real odds and likelihood lose a lot of money. If you want a particular card for instance from a deck of cards you have one chance in fifty two of being dealt it. In a fair deck each card is equally likely. People and there are lots, (hence very rich bookmakers!) who feel lucky sometimes lose big. Risk is inescapable, so knowing which risks are better to take is an important skill. Knowing where two events are dependent in some way is also important. If someone else has the card you need you will not get it. Some events are mutually exclusive where they cannot occur at the same time and some events are conditional on others, knowing which is which can be essential. Any time you play the odds you can use evidence (or maths) to choose the most likely events. Statistics can also be presented simply for ease of understanding or of course for ease of misunderstanding.

The "Normal distribution" is the king of distributions. It appears in so many places. The distinctive bell graph fits human dimensions like height and weight, and in quantum mechanics for the position of electrons, but is also used in manufacturing for quality control and was even used to work out the optimum size of a shovel. The peak in the graph is an average (mean) and how the occurrences are deviated from this mean are also helpful, also the skew where the bell moves to the left or right. There are other averages that again can be used to understand data and of course present data in a desired way. Not everything is normally distributed. Wars follow a power law with lots of little wars to very few big wars. Earthquakes and solar flares follow the same law. Other distributions commonly encountered are the Binomial where success and fail are measured. There are though many others including Poisson with different conditions where the probabilities can be assessed.

Incentives are a backbone of behaviour. Economics shares with psychology the key premise that people do things for a reason. They somehow think they act in a way that is better for their situation. In psychology it is covered by motivation. Economists look for the incentive to predict behaviour or explain it. A simple example is the carrot and stick approach where some behaviour is rewarded and some is punished. Even at this level it is common for people to get this wrong. What you encourage (give incentive) is key. Confucius (see next chapter) preferred the idea of rituals and virtue to laws and punishment as people look to avoid punishment and not get caught. Of course targets are the classic example. If you give a target people may reach it any way they can. The Cobra effect is a brilliant example. In India cobras kill a lot of people, so a government gave a reward for dead cobras. It was not long before cobra farms appeared. Thus achieving more cobras not less. But the same pattern has happened in Vietnam with rats and the USA with wild pigs. Be careful what you incentivise!

Science has led to bigger, stronger faster and any other superlative. In action an extreme may not be the answer, to reach a balanced point is much more common. This equilibrium is more likely to be effective in more competitive situations. Sometimes an opponent can be simply overpowered but then it is the thing that people will defend and try and prevent first. Then more is not better. After a certain point there becomes diminishing returns where less is achieved. Finding this tipping point is almost an art although maths has techniques in some situations. Tax is a good example as the higher it is set the more avoidance and evasion occurs. Economists have found that a rate over 38% will get less tax the higher the percentage raises. So a tax rate lowering can get more money in! Any time spent above a tipping point will be wasted. Finding the balance where the influencing factors is the way to become more effective.

Compounding is another principle from maths that has an economic example and although [it is] taught in schools is applied badly in the real world. Simply an amount (principle) gains interest after a certain time (say 1 year) then after another period (eg. 2nd year) interest of the whole amount, principle plus 1st year's interest is added. And so on. The growth becomes exponential. It is a long steady growth, and a major reason for savings and investments. This same pattern happens in debt except the growth is for the lender. The borrower is the one who loses exponentially. Although there are safeguards to financial products and debt can be used as a tool. People view debt as free money when it is a cost. Most people do not understand the mortgage they have, usually the biggest single cost and debt they have. It is also common for people to borrow money to buy something like a car that depreciates, so the interest and depreciation are costs that grow. Compounding is a main way banks make their money, which can be difficult to explain to them when they have taken more interest than they should. Warren Buffett has become one of the richest men in the world with this principle. With money invested to grow, the growth is slow to start with but grows and grows.

Emotions are part of the human condition. They use a different part of the brain to rational thought and interfere with thoughts. They are a driving force in human behaviour. They are involved with reactions to events and can be fired up by any of the senses. Emotional Intelligence is a concept that looks at the awareness people have of their and others emotional make up and states. Understanding the effect on you or others of different situations or events makes a lot of things more predictable. Any event that is sudden or stressful encourages the release of Adrenaline and other hormones in the body. Knowing this is happening can help you to decide better how to act. The feelings brought on by violence whether sudden or constantly threatened can be understood and allowances made. Decisions made just on emotion are not always bad, but they are not considered as they are instinctive reactions. Awareness of the causes and consequences of different emotional states greatly improve effectiveness, so that if the current reaction by your body is unhelpful it may be able to be changed to a more productive option.

Social psychology is where the individual and society meet as do sociology and psychology. People conform to their society or deviate from society's norms. People tend to be very situational, most people in the same situation do the same thing. Whether it is a position of power, or in the presence of an authority figure. People will self justify their actions and behaviour with subconscious thought. Like the emotions they perform evolutionary protective roles for the body and mind. They are not always helpful for deliberate decision making as heuristics are used not a logically sound rational approach. Short term this may have been appropriate but long term it can lead to cumulative unproductive decisions. Persuasion is a topic in social psychology that is in everybody's life. People try to persuade or use propaganda everyday. Lots of sales tricks are used to encourage increased buying or buying a more expensive product. Politicians use similar methods to get elected. Selling yourself to others is also going on, trying to give a favourable impression of yourself, to make friends or get a job or promotion.

With the apparent shrinking of the world many societies interact much more regularly and deeply. As globalization proceeds we will all start having more common experiences and culturally come together. Cultures have though developed worldwide and although I am looking at the Chinese and surrounding area's culture, every part of the world has developed differing societies. They have found different ways of organising themselves. Sociology has found many similarities as well as differences. People sometimes have an 'us verses them' attitude which is encouraged in competitive and especially combative situations. The Confucian influenced societies work as groups first with less emphasis on individuals where as in the west the individual appears more pronounced. Obviously all societies have both. With the increasing interactions of east and west, a knowledge of these cultures using sociology and technology will help for when you have to interact. This may be through work as business seek new or expand old markets and a different perspective may be needed.

Of course as well as co-operation aiming for possible win/win agreements, there will be opponents. To compete you will need knowledge of your opponent. All this psychology and sociology as well as statistics is used by your opponents but also sellers of goods, and buyers of votes. The statement 'there are lies, damn lies and statistics', has some truth in it. Logic helps us work out what they have not said and what the information given actually says. Many marketing tricks work on emotion and use behaviour. Banks and political parties are two among many who try to get them young, trying to get people in to habits that they rarely break. Inaccuracies must be looked for and ignorance uncovered and remedied. Statistics are also often misquoted or important details not presented.

One common area of confusion is the difference between correlation and cause. Things that correlate may happen at the same place and/or same time but maybe are not linked causally. Some things happen at the same time or place because there is an underling cause.

People often believe they are an exception and it will not happen to them. Of course if Mother Nature does not agree, then there will be problems. If you want to predict or explain, then science tends to win. Those who go against the odds tend to lose (or are cheating!)

Religion and Philosophy

The histories of the west and the east are very different. Consequently a lot of aspects of life are done in the opposite ways. The first lesson is that both ways can work, neither is wrong. The benefit of appreciating and hopefully understanding the Eastern tradition are numerous. Michele Thomas's line 'a sharpened awareness of you own ..' although he said language, it is quite universal, when you learn about the East you will learn about the West as well. Finding different ways of thought and action is part of self cultivation and improving knowledge. Increasingly knowledge of the Eastern tradition is vital for the business and political world. Misunderstandings abound. Avoiding these, while also showing respect to partners or opponents increases the chance of respect and not triggering actions against you. When looking at the East we look with Western eyes. This has a problem in the use of western concepts that are alien historically to the East. Religion and philosophy are western concepts that really do not fit Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. They do overlap but are not the same. It must be borne in mind that you are using fuzzy definitions and comparisons not exactly applicable terms! The ancient Chinese texts include a lot of ambiguity that does not allow for certainty, but has a flexibility of interpretation. The three mentioned faiths have interacted for thousands of years and are competing and co-operating perspectives. So people demonstrate a following of all three of them even in the modern age. All three have their important texts (classics) that mirror the Bible in Christianity. They all have a practical and reflective side.

Confucius lived around 500BC the same time as Lao Zi (Daoism) and the similar time to the Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato. The works (classics) of Confucius were written not by him but by his followers. They have been a staple of the mandarins, the Chinese civil service for all this time, and are imbued throughout Oriental Asia. They talk of a structured society that is very paternal. So that you respect your father and he respects his father all the way to the emperor. This respect for those older, celebrates the wisdom of experience and reflection. The civil service underscored education that was very meritocratic, with high standards. A lot of emphasis is put on behaviour and rituals in life in general and specific circumstances. The proper behaviour should lead to a harmonious society with a great togetherness.

Daoism almost looks at things from an opposite perspective. The nature of the Dao (unknowable path) is to be followed. Going with the natural order or "wu wei" are said to bring harmony. When you find how nature works you can be much more efficient and avoid struggling against nature. The imagery of water is often used in the way water follows the path of least resistance downhill. It also can seep through small gaps and break up stone, or can move with tremendous force in a torrent or tidal wave. Working with the forces of nature are the aim, with little striving for objects and status underpin the Daoist guidance on behaviour.

Buddhism was originally from India and developed from Hindu faiths. It has spread worldwide and then back to India over 1,500 years. China's Buddhism has been influenced by Confucianism and Daoism. Similar concepts have become links between the three traditions. Rebirth is an accepted belief and allows a much longer term approach to life for as a person may not become enlightened in their present life but they may in the next life or 1,000 lives in the future. Karma where [almost] what goes around comes around is a key influence on behaviour. Buddha himself explored many approaches to enlightenment but advised [that] the middle way of getting on with life. Not extreme asceticism or selfishness but a balanced life. There are many Sutras or writings that have differing receptions around the Buddhist world. They discuss various concepts and ways to behave and much more. Nothingness is a key concept/philosophy. This leads to a good connection between East and West. Heroclities (ancient Greek) said ' you only step in the same river once' and The Chinese say very similar things but Buddhism says you do not even step into the same river once. The concept of Nothingness attempts to strip away the labels we use that are not real.

The trinity of Heaven, Earth and Man appear regularly as guides, as big things. It uses three as a way of classifying things, that works with the human brain without the need for writing. The pattern is of man in between heaven and earth. Another more familiar pattern is that of the Bagua, which [again] uses 8 as its number. This is used throughout Chinese thought. It comes from Yin Yang theory. It has two main interpretations (both illustrated with hexagrams) one earlier (pre) Heaven with a compass like pattern of eight directions in a circle. The other late (post) Heaven pattern is one of eight stages in a lifespan. Both are used to illustrate and as an analogy for many things. Any list of 3 or 8 is often assigned a Bagua explanation.

Another part of the Eastern approach is Five Element theory, here five is the magic number. The elements are Metal, Water, Fire, Wood and Earth, they form a constructive and a destructive cycle and these relationships, like Heaven Earth Man and the Bagua are used to explain and label just about everything. Taijiquan has all three methods. The use of these methods integrates all areas of Chinese thought. Chinese medicine uses these relationships as a method of balancing the body to achieve health. Organs are also given an element and these are used to help diagnose and treat.

The Eastern approach does share the empirical approach. Centuries of trial and error have discovered things that work and things that do not and complicated systems have arisen like Chinese medicine, built on this observation of what happens when. The Chinese did not dissect a human body, but looked at the outside patterns. This method has worked. Often things are scientifically researched and they get the same results as the Chinese did centuries ago. Of course empirical research has been used in the west as well, a weakness is that the explanations of why sometimes look ridiculous after scientific research has investigated more fully. But of course if something works it still has value even if it is not known why.

The irony of Christian missionaries to China is that Christianity has a longer tradition in China than in Western Europe. Christianity in the West has had supremacy for 1500 years over other religions. It has had a big influence directly and indirectly on all areas of life. The connection of state and Church has been all pervading. The power of the Church Europe-wide and locally was unmatched until the Industrial revolution. The monotheism of one true god as opposed to three religions interacting without a supreme being and the rebirth belief give opposite directions in thought. There are more commonalities between the pagan religions pre-christianity and the eastern traditions. In the East each of the traditions has held power at different times.

Forming the basis of the civil service education was the study of the five classics which includes the I Ching, the others covering poetry, history and rites of ancient China, seen as the model for Confucianism. These were then built upon with the four books that illustrate the core beliefs and values of Confucianism. The guidance given is still seen as wisdom personified. The standards were very high, too high for Confucius to get the employment he wanted in his own time. Discussion and commentary on the five classics leading to the theories and aims in all aspects of society have followed. The Analects is the most famous but Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean and Mencius fill out the lexicon. Most discussion in Chinese literature will refer to one of these books.

The Daoists have two classics. The most printed book in the world is the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching). This gives the Daoist philosophies and guidance. Their main principles are emptiness (similar to Buddhism), Wu wei and is mentioned earlier as going with the flow. Naturalism, working with nature and following its example is seen as the highest goal. Constantly returning back to a first state is a recurring principle, like from soft as a child to hard as an adult to soft in death. The imagery of water abounds and how it can be powerful, and adaptive to different environments. Zhuang Zi is a later book that discusses counter Confucian opinions. Both books give examples of following the Dao in many areas of life. The Dao De Jing talks in more than one chapter of leadership and governance. Zhuang Zi has many illustrative stories, like the skilled butcher who uses just one knife all his career because he knows exactly where to cut meat, without wearing out his blade. Another is the differing contexts for an ugly tree that does not get cut down. A good result for a tree. Ugly but not firewood or a house!

The I Ching is shared by Daoists and Confucianism. It is an application of Yin Yang theory and constant change. Its symbolised by the Bagua made up of a line and a broken line in combinations. The Yang line (solid) can be combined with another line either Yang or a Yin which has a gap. This could be half soft, half hard. A real world example are plants where a rigid tree is blown down in the storm where a softer, pliable tree will survive. A sword works the same with hard and soft elements combined that make it more effective. The I Ching uses this as a basis for a divination with commentary on the result of sticks. The sticks give a pointer to one of 64 Hexagrams (combinations of the yin and yang lines). The Hexagrams each have a text that gives the answer to the question. Each text has many years worth of commentary and interpretation. The common mistake in the west is to see the diagram as fixed, but it represents a dynamic tension moving from Yang to Yin and Yin to Yang. The inner depths of the I Ching are profound, and many scholars have dedicated their lives to its study.

One of the problems with understanding the Eastern traditions, comes from the literature where translation has been used to open up to another language. There are subtle differences amongst european languages let alone the differences between English and a dialect/language from China. There is rarely a direct fit to the translation of most words. The Eastern approach works with verbs to Western predominance of nouns. Chinese language contains a lot of Homonyms where words are pronounced the same but written differently with different meanings. This catches Chinese readers out as a lot of the discussed books were written in ancient Chinese and not modern. A lot of the sayings are deliberately ambiguous to keep knowledge from opponents but also for sophisticated multiple meanings. Many translations have been done by non experts either as translators or in the field that the text is in. I have read many translations of the Art of War and the Dao De Jing. Translators have their own biases and lead to different words being chosen. The use of a thesaurus for the alternative words can though be used in reflection to look at differing possible meanings of statements.

There are countless colourful and insightful stories in both Eastern and Western traditions. Some started as poems which contained the lessons and guidance within a form that is easy to recite and remember. Before widespread writing this was the method of transmission of knowledge and wisdom. The Chinese have The Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West and others that are widespread as stories for all ages which have the principles of admired behaviour. The use of metaphor and analogy are common to teach, and save for later generations. These methods offer a way to inspire deeper thought beyond the limitations of language. Of course some people just like the stories and do not think deeper, and some cannot deal with the abstraction involved.

Some of the stories are taken literally by the religious. This superstitious belief in the East and West can lead to irrational thought and action. Quite often the original author did not believe the same as the interpretations of others. There are many people who would say Jesus was not a Christian but Jewish, that Confucius was not Confucian, and Lao Zi was not Daoist. They are categorized later quite often after their death, by people justifying their own opinions. Avoiding this or having this in mind will help learn how to be effective. Also people who are superstitious can become more predictable, so strategies to compete are easier to devise. Other times people become inconsistent which may influence strategy. I have tricked myself with superstition, where the number 4 in Chinese is a homonym with death and is seen as unlucky. When training when I get myself to four practices I always do another to avoid bad luck, but of course I am just training more!

I obviously have only touched the surface of [the] Eastern tradition, each paragraph could be expanded to a book itself. A basic clue to Eastern behaviours and the influences is essential to working with, or competing against Eastern people, and even can help an individuals thinking on any subject and increase effectiveness overall.

Chinese Principles

The Chinese principles are integrated with the Chinese traditions and culture, similar to how Christian principles are part of the western culture. They differ from the west in being more long term and circular, where the world (and Dao) cycles through the days and years so that things happen again and again including floods from the great rivers and storms from the Oceans. They see it all as part of a whole. The whole is the Dao which itself is unknowable (DaoDeJing), and everything is part of this and indivisible and inseparable. This comes possibly from the cultural assumptions in perhaps stone or bronze age times that developed through mythology to a system of approach to everything. Three major movements (Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism) influenced and interacted with the mythology of the past rather than one tradition like Christianity.

The Eastern and Western approaches look at differing parts of the whole (not opposites really). The West tends to work with nouns, where one thing is seen as almost unchanging, like a person who is labelled and is seen as the same person. And yet they are very different as they age, the baby, to the child, to the adolescent, to the adult to the time of retirement. The one person behaves differently and acts differently at each age but is seen as the same. Even the cells change so that the skin cells that touches the rock are totally replaced only months later with very few cells in the body surviving even a year. The Eastern approach looks at the verbs where the processes are emphasised and the changes viewed, but many translations fix the Eastern into a Western way and mislead the meaning and usage of the terms. Open and closed are two examples where the Chinese terms are really to open and to close as in they are changing position not the fixed end points and move from one state to another. The whole society is more group orientated and not individual like the west, the family is seen as a unit and as part of a bigger 'family like' society. These sometimes subtle emphases create differing perspectives on all aspects of life.

The key difference between the Chinese and the west is the continuity of the one basic country from the Chin dynasty, which has been superseded by several dynasties that have replaced each other, but as a basically united country. There has been a civil service and authoritarian regime in control ever since. They have used one system of writing, and have one major ethnic group (The Han) they have all shared the Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist influence. The societies have cycled through the different dynasties as one grows and then weakens another grows takes over, and eventually weakens. The regular floods of the great rivers and natural disasters also cycle. Another constant threat has been from the barbarians that surround China and have even successfully invaded twice. There were many advancements before anywhere else in the world, but then a stable stagnation took place when the west had the end of the renaissance and an industrial revolution, that overtook the east technologically.

From ancient times the concept of Yin Yang () has been part of the fabric of Oriental thought. The concept is a binary model that represents the continuum of changing elements. They cannot be divided but their distribution is constantly changing. Neither part is ever absent and the symbol has a black spot in the white area and the white area has a black spot. The well known symbol represents the dynamic transformation of Yin and Yang as the elements change. It is easy to see a fixed position, but the genius of the symbol is that it represents movement and constant change. The word Yin is better translated as becoming yin (a verb not a noun) and the Yang term is becoming Yang. This model of the world allows complex thought, but also practical application to look for the equilibrium of the elements and the real position of Yin and Yang at any one time. The awareness of this continuum, where it balances and where it is presently. and with their unity is the secret to 'doing the right thing at the right time'. An example is from in the original meanings of Yin and Yang. Yin was shade like the shady side of a mountain, and Yang was the light or sunny side of the mountain. The mountain has two sides that are indivisible, even if you take some away you have a smaller mountain but still with two sides that are indivisible. Even on the light side there will be shade, the shadows that represents the Yin within Yang. And also on the shady side there will be light perhaps reflections or at night the moon and stars. As the twenty-four hours pass, the Yang is at peak at noon and the peak of Yin is at midnight and there is a cycle from one to the other as it gets lighter after midnight and darker after Noon. The awareness of the movement of Yin and Yang can help work out when to act at the right time in the right balanced way.

From the simple idea of two poles with Yang at one end and Yin at the other a simple balance can be understood. Further investigation shows that Black (Yin) at one end and White at the other (Yang) have shades of grey in between. This deeper understanding and use allow more complexity, like mixing two different paints with varying amounts of each that create different colours. The first layer of Yin Yang is the poles but in between are combinations of Yin with some Yang and Yang with some Yin. Black, dark grey, light grey and White would be the basic combinations. The complexity is further added with another layer of Yin Yang creating eight variations of from Yin Yin Yin to Yang Yang Yang with the other combinations in between. The I Ching (book of changes) uses pairs of these triple combinations that get to sixty four variations. These are symbolised by dash (___) and gapped line (_ _) these are placed over each other for the combinations to produce trigrams and hexagrams. This complexity is further increased as the idea that Yang changes to Yin and Yin changes to Yang, and it is in constant flux so each hexagram can change to each of the other hexagrams. Finding balance through awareness how Yin Yang and the real world change can help understanding and decision making. There are two ways of seeing the trigrams as a balanced compass like arrangement and a journey through the trigrams like a life cycle. The cycle could be the day or year through the seasons, or a human life or any other, any position could have eight directions or factors to consider. Working with the interaction between Yin and Yang and the constant changes is the subject of the I Ching and with just a few lifetimes study to understand the full depth there is no time like the present to start learning. Of course the basic ideas and simple interpretations can be useful, but it can also be a lifelong study as well.

With the world model from the base of Yin Yang and the ever more detailed and complex interaction of them an understanding and awareness of the Dao becomes apparent. The real world has constant change and even the most stable of things are really just changing very slowly compared to a human life span. When some awareness is developed you can then work with the natural way of things, not against it. Going with the flow is a simple translation of wu wei, but it can also be translated as non coercive, not interfering with the natural changes of nature but acting in harmony with them. Later becoming instinctual in following these changes without necessarily knowing all the who, what and wherefores, and not desiring more and better all the time. These are from the Daoist tradition and are spiritually attempting to reach a similar situation as [in] Nirvana in Buddhism.

Many of the complex and advanced knowledge and concepts are taught through stories and ambiguous phrases, that give food for thought and lead to reflection on the words and all their possible meanings without settling on any in particular. This indirect method of teaching gets round the limitations of language to lead to the understanding of the abstract. Actions may then be done indirectly by acting on say one person to affect another, with an understanding of the relationships between them to achieve an aim. Changing an element to move a conflict to a position of advantage, and having more options on top of the direct.

All of these elements are really like Yin Yang and indivisible and lead to efficient, easier approaches and methods avoiding the head on fight as much as possible using awareness and understanding to find the better route to doing the right thing at the right time, not just once but time and time again.

Applications of Chinese Principles

The basic principle of Yin Yang is applied mainly as a tool of understanding. The western approach constantly looks at the poles using superlatives such as fastest, biggest, smallest etc.,. In most use though a less extreme understanding and appreciation is needed. The question is often how much of one thing or another, not get the most or eliminate all. An appreciation of Yin Yang helps you look for the balance, trying to gather the right amounts not just as much as possible. As well as things timing is a balance like property, trying to add something (or take) at the best time to have the best effect rather than all the time. In childhood it is natural to want more or all of what you want and none of what you do not want, whether it is sweets or vegetables. Children start off selfish and only learn co-operation and sharing later (although not always). Later on Yin Yang helps with more complicated tasks like recipes that require the right ingredients at the right time, where too much of one can ruin a meal. Any task involving several factors interacting that need managing can be understood with the intricate awareness of the interactions of all the elements. The model can become very complex from a basic start.

Polar opposites is not really the correct term for Yin Yang pairings, as they are not really opposite but complementary and inseparable. Any pairing comes together as part of one as the shady and light sides of a mountain and the dark and light parts of a day. One pair familiar to Tai chi practitioners is hard and soft. The common male trait is to fight hard and aggressive and if this does not work try harder still. The hard physical needs to be balanced with the soft thinking to use the hard at the best time and the best place. This balance is mirrored all through life, as too soft would also not be effective. In Tai Chi another use of Hard Soft is in the physical usage where as well as hard force the use of complementary soft force especially the yielding movement which uses the hardness of the opponent to get them in to a worse position that can be exploited. Even the use of Yin Yang in Hard Soft can be applied in many ways. Focus is a general benefit from martial arts training whether it's the focus to break a piece of wood, or the focus on the breath in meditation, it helps work out what to focus on at any particular time. There is a time for thinking and a time for acting the awareness of when to focus and when to be open can be seen as another application of Yin Yang. Another classic pairing is the balancing of the near and the far, especially in time. If you only think of the far you might miss something immediate and not get there. Only thinking about the immediate short term means you never improve your position so you stay in the same position. On many occasions people stand and fight or use a scarce resource inefficiently thus not running away and thinking about a better approach other than fighting or not saving a resource so it is not scarce later.

With more detailed use of Yin Yang you cross over to the I Ching with many centuries commentaries on interpreting Yin Yang and its operation. As well as the perspective that Yin Yang can give, the I Ching looks at the 64 hexagrams that can represent almost all situations possible in sufficient detail to aid understanding and decisions. It is not an instant pick up and understand book but requires careful study and has a depth that a lifetime is not enough to complete its study. The traditional method of use is to ask a question and select the hexagram that corresponds to it (which is by chance for divination). The text and commentaries then give sometimes ambiguous passages to aid thought on the issue. The eight trigrams can also be arranged in two ways one is based on balancing opposites. The aim being to find that perfect balance within a position whereas the other arrangement is of a changing life cycle from youth to maturity and how each stage changes from one to another. Understanding the forces around you and how they balance and how things change over time can help find the right path. That of the right action done at the right time.

The five elements also use Yin Yang, but in a five element situation, each element relates with all the other elements, especially in two ways with one cycle being the destructive cycle and the other the creative cycle, a Yin cycle and a Yang cycle. Each element is really dynamic and get translated as phases signifying they are parts of a moving system rather than stationary objects. They are labelled Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire. Earth is seen as the central element. Most aspects of life have their labelled cycles including the body's organs (Chinese labelling) that are either Yin or Yang and five have the element labels (Spleen, Lungs, Kidney, Liver and Heart). The same use of this model to observe the interplay of elements and find the balance and harmony between them as in Yin Yang and the I Ching and applied throughout human experience.

The oriental attitude to change is that it is inevitable and unavoidable, much cannot be influenced and the best strategy is to go along with it. Going with the flow as much as possible requires less effort leaving energy for other things. Being mobile and flexible so that you can adapt to changing circumstances are the skills to develop. The Chinese like the Romans built major works to control and guide the environment but not to conquer nature. Another part of going with nature's flow is to time actions for best effect, as with music the harmony of notes together and the melody in time sound right when everything is timed including the silence in between notes. Just doing the same thing again and again is not stimulating and very predictable, change to keep opponents guessing and to keep boredom away. Being able to feel change is an asset whether it's feeling physical change like a sailor with the wind or a wrestler with an opponents movement, or seeing change or any other sense and using them together to identify changes and allow adjustment to them at the right time to blend with the changes smoothly.

Daoist belief is deeply involved with nature and its way. A powerful metaphor has been water. It moves on its way flowing round obstacles and finding the path of least resistance. It can also flow as a torrent and a tidal wave with immense power. It acts without knowledge of action or repercussion and still gets to the sea. This is the model Daoists follow to go with the flow of nature and not try to coerce nature to their desires. When any expert performs it is like they are at one with nature and in control, they have developed their subconscious actions to give the right amount of force to control any tools with precise timing. They add no more or less than necessary, with minute corrections to stay in the best position.

The West often deplores indirect methods, seeing them as deceptive and immoral, and yet they use them frequently. The combination of indirect and direct methods support each other offering the chance of surprise and variety for any opponent to deal with. Having options allows you to meet any opponent and choose what is worst for them, not what they are ready for. It allows for more creativity and subtle manoeuvring. It also makes possible things that could not be done directly. Combinations of different stratagems both direct and indirect can be even more difficult to defend against

Tai Chi as well as Bagua (Pakua) and Xing Yi (Hsing yi) are basically the application of Chinese thought to martial arts. Along with other martial arts and other aspects of life it is an opportunity to practice the principles for health and self defence and gain a deeper understanding through long term practice and study of the disciplines and also the principles. An early aim is to create "song" which is a level of relaxation that removes the interfering tension (resistance) that slows action and causes injury. This is paired with posture where the structure is used as a single unit in line with gravity and any other forces applied to it. Being relaxed in the right places but having the structure to be hard helps balance hard and soft. Many other opposites are investigated over time exploring many examples of Yin Yang, balancing different factors such as the directions so you do not lean or lose connection to the ground. You develop sensitivity to your own body and to other people's to feel forces and with subtle movement direct energy to gain a better position or deliver a force. When you move you maintain stillness inside and in exercises like Qi Gong you may stay still on the outside but feel movement on the inside. Gradually you develop awareness of yourself and others and change accordingly, using incoming force to improve your position. Tai Chi even uses the Bagua to label its eight energies, these are opposite energies (e.g. expanding/contracting), balancing and interacting especially with an opponent or training partner. It also uses the five elements to label the directions with many more cultural references being apparent as you study. It has Classics; several books that guide practice that have a lot in common with the other great texts of China like the DaoDeJing, the Art of War and the I Ching, marrying the theory with the practical health and self defence elements to develop (cultivate) the self.

Other martial arts, as well as Qi Gong use many of the same principles and investigate them over time. Other cultural elements such as Chinese medicine, food and calligraphy use the same principles. Meditation works the mind in many similar ways to Tai Chi. It clears the mind of obstacles (resistance) and creates awareness with many different methods and traditions.

Part 2 Branches (Applications of Principles)

Once you have the roots you can grow branches. The second part looks at how the principles discussed in part 1 operate in different areas. Each principle is seen in action in different areas. These are from the individual level for personal effectiveness to a national and international level, affecting many more people. There is much overlap as it is an integrated world and seeking harmony between the different areas of life improves effectiveness. Also the patterns of common principles applied similarly but in different situations is a theme of the book, as well as the use of science and eastern ideas. The principles of both can be used together and transfer from situation to situation. Learning to apply the principles and concepts allows you to be effective in many areas as your knowledge and skills can be transferred as the need arises.

Health (Individual)

Looking after yourself (and family) is the first element for health. It matches Confucian ideas as well as scientific evidence. It is not that you can prevent death of course, you delay it and keep healthier for longer. With an unhealthy lifestyle you basically age quicker. The big killers historically were disease that killed women and children in childbirth and early life. Many did not reach adulthood. Worldwide there have been and are programs to reduce disease. A revolution around 1900 was the understanding of germs and their prevention. Clean water and hygienic living environments were promoted so the viruses and bacteria were caught and passed around less. Better care for all ages but especially pregnant women almost eliminated the most common causes of deaths in women and children. Later vaccination also curbed many prevalent diseases (and eliminated smallpox). Echoing this in modern life means basic hygienic precautions, the habits of washing hands when dealing with food and after toileting (be careful with peanuts on the bar; a lot do not wash their hands!), getting vaccinations and following public health guidelines. Many of these need the herd to follow their practice, so perhaps 70% of the population need to do them. Non hand washing is a major cause of colds and flu. A peaceful world for many in the west has reduced many factors for death and disease. The encouragement of health with a healthy lifestyle and good use of the expert professionals. Many do not follow doctors instructions and complain when things go wrong and do not improve. Understanding what is preventable and what is not is important. Eliminating the current major causes of death is not possible (at the moment), but some things increase your chances of disease and some increase your chance of health.

What constitutes a healthy lifestyle is known by most people and followed by few. Very few people take responsibility for their own health. Introducing poisons is as bad for your health as it sounds, and yet it's a common practice. Around 23% in the UK smoke, the biggest single preventable cause of disease (and death). Many consume alcohol at unhealthy levels especially in the UK. This affects the insides, but also increases violence and accidents. Illegal drugs, even if they contained what the dealers claim, affect health in a myriad of ways both short and long term. The diet in the west now contains many if not considered poisons then things taken to excess enough to harm health significantly. Fat in total amounts and the type, salt amounts and additives cause major problems, but the lack of vitamins and nutrients affect health even in the west. Lacking in most lives is exercise, and half of adults are practically inactive, hardly even getting out of chairs during the day whether at work in front of a computer screen or at home in front of the TV! All of these affect mental health as well. The blood supply to the brain and the chemicals of the brain are all affected. Another is stress, which is really not the problem. It's having too much that causes anxiety! Many stresses like changing jobs, and partners, moving house and financial factors are more common in the west. The other side is relaxing, many people do not sleep enough, increasing stress, and also affecting performance. An hour less sleep affects driving as much as two measures of alcohol. Many who will not drink and drive still drive while tired. The most common reason for more than 3 days off work is bad backs. Being healthy and good technique for lifting and general posture reduce the likelihood of injury and aid recovery.

Number one is smoking for damaging health. The answer is simply do not smoke, which once you have started is not necessarily that easy. As with the illegal drugs (and some medicines!) smoking has addictive properties that effect the brain and body. So the first stage is to not smoke and reduce the chance of your family smoking. The drug or constituents in smoke or powder can damage however it gets into your body, so being next to someone else could be enough. The damaging aspect of smoking starts on contact with mouth and throat, then to the lungs and then into the blood. Like smoking once any poison is in the blood it travels everywhere the blood goes (everywhere!) and that's where it damages. The primary damage now is the blood vessels themselves especially where the blood vessels provide for organs. The coronary artery supplying the heart and the blood vessels to the brain are particularly vulnerable causing various sized heart attacks and strokes (brain attack) with damage and then blockages and bursts. This damage of course happens in Lungs and other organs as well. Cocaine is the biggest cause of heart attack in the 15-25 years range and Ecstasy is the biggest cause of stokes in the same age range. There are immediate problems with allergies and adverse reactions as well as long term damage weakening the body [for] later. They all affect the brain and nervous system damaging them as they go. Mental health is a large factor not just from the influence at the time but also from brain damage and behaviour change in the long term.

Another major area of prevention is the input to the body. Engines need the right and best fuel and the body is no different. The better the engine the better the fuel needs to be. The total energy in must equal the total energy out. If more goes in you get bigger and if less goes in you get smaller. This is the same all over the universe. This imbalance is the common problem for obesity. If the diet contains too much fat, especially when processed then cholesterol levels rise increasing problems in the blood vessels. On average people still eat around twice as much fat as they need. Another problem is the amount of salt which increases blood pressure again in the blood vessels. As well as the fuel of carbohydrates, protein and fats the body needs nutrients and macro-nutrients in varying amounts to help it work efficiently, whether calcium for bones, or vitamins for cell processes. Any deficiency will lead to disease. Keeping hydrated and a balanced diet is the aim, but the odd treat is not a problem.

Energy out is the balancing factor to diet. If you are more active you need more food and if you are less active you need less food. Activity starts by just standing up rather than being sat down, already 10% more energy is used. So even walking more, like with a dog can make a difference. It needs to be everyday. More intense is exercise. The old three times a week for 20 minutes adage is good for health, with many activities (running, cycling and swimming) applicable. If you are less active at work and home then more exercise might be needed. The human body is basically that of a running monkey, so adding some exercises for the muscles like bodyweight exercises and some stretching also maintain health. There are loads of options for classes around that fulfil basic needs and others that meet more advanced needs. If you want to compete formally or informally, then you need to be fit for the sport as well as fit for life. This will need more exercise and more exercise specific to any goals. The components of exercise are cardiovascular, flexibility, strength and muscular endurance and all need to be balanced together to aid performance but also reduce injury and damage to health. Many people exercise occasionally and cause more problems than they solve.

The key mistake made in learning is not recognising that it takes place when you rest, as does healing. Sleep and rest balance activity, no sleep affects even basic thinking and movement quite quickly. People miss on average an hour of sleep a night. Several big accidents as well as many smaller ones have been linked to lack of sleep. It also reduces learning and memory and increases the likelihood of all the most common diseases. We are not nocturnal, so night workers or worse, workers whose shifts constantly change, have higher rates of illness and shorter lives if continued with. When electricity increased the hours we could stay awake practically, we did and now in a 24 hour society it is having effects. The key is to find something close to natural and sustainable. Some people get up early with ease and some do not. The latter do not do as well in education. Relaxation can be a change of action or stopping completely. Variety but also knowing when to stop improves effectiveness. Over-training in sports is a recognised problem as people become addicted to exercise or attribute more with better and eventually unsustainable programmes stop one way or another.

All the healthy lifestyle elements also improve mental health. It is less accepted and allowed for within society. Depression and stress (anxiety) are major health factors. With one in four having problems each year it is a massive often unaccounted for factor. The major prevention needs are social contact, activity (like exercise), use of your brain (learning), helping others and self awareness. Seeking help when problems arise is often delayed for years, not recognising the problem and anxiety about perceptions, but many issues can be improved for the cause of the problems and coping methods used for longer term problems, just as glasses for short sight and hearing aids for deafness, strategies are available.

The Daoist looked for the elixir of life to become immortal, and although they do not seam to have made it, they have worked on the approach for thousands of years. They have looked at energy (chi) work where they try to preserve the energy from birth (pre) and develop post birth energy through all aspects of lifestyle. They had principles of being natural and not trying to beat nature. They looked for balance in all things. A lot of the principles carry into modern life if you do too much of anything you start to get diminishing returns and then damage if you continue. So activity was promoted and careful diet, but also meditation and acceptance of the Dao (the way things are(-ish)). This results in no striving which would produce no science, but it can help to do enough rather than over extend. With science in the west people live longer than ever before, of course then there arises the different problems associated with old age, but trends are changing as bad lifestyle has caught up. It is now expected that children will not live as long as their parents and science is left to save people after disease starts.

The Chinese have many systems of exercise for many purposes. The modern term is Chi (Qi) Gong, which can be translated as 'breath work'. Some sets are very similar to western callisthenics where each muscle group and joint has an exercise, but the Chinese coordinate the movements with breath. There are many methods from simple to complex and varying amounts of Chinese medical theory. Quite often they have balanced sets but also sometimes massive syllabuses. A name still used is neigong which is an internal reference to where the exercises work. They all work on posture and relaxation, but also the breath, energy and mind. They are generally more sophisticated than western methods. The simplest form is standing post (Zhan Zhuang), which is an externally static position but with many variations to how you work your mind. Many systems include bending and squatting and twisting that keep the body supple and strong including arm swinging and waist turning. There are martial sets including the Ba Dua Jin, eight basic exercises. Many people have developed their own sets that meet their needs in a martial art or for their health. The Wild Goose Qi Gong has 64 sets of varying length, with early emphasis on the micro cosmic orbit where the qi is encouraged round the central meridians (qi channels), in western terms you move the spine working every joint.

Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art! One important figure was called Yang 'the Invincible' Lu Chan. The majority of practitioners till recently found Tai Chi healthy because they were able to survive violence. As there is nothing healthier than surviving violent situations. Tai Chi does apply theories that overlap with Qi Gong, so it is a healthy long term way to train. Obviously in modern times the martial emphasis has lessened and the health aspect promoted. There are elements of meditation too, that work the mind. The syllabuses of the different styles of Tai Chi all have exercise sets to be healthy enough to perform, and the key skills needed. Then a form is learnt of varied length that includes the most common movements, later other forms with and without weapons are learned, trained and developed to improve and increase ability levels. Tai chi can be said to be just a set of principles. Good Tai Chi obeys the principles and bad does not. The styles look quite different but follow the same principles. There are eight energies and five directions and the combinations of these form the applications. There are major links to Daoism, Buddhism and Confucianism throughout Tai Chi. The whole body is used in all movements that involves posture and structural alignment and an optimal relaxation of muscles so that they do not interfere with power delivery. There are many books and texts from many years to guide, and quotes and phrases repeated in training to encourage the following and understanding of the principles. Bagua and Hsing yi (XingYi) both have these similar traits that use Qi Gong theory, whole body power and Chinese tradition and give the same benefits.

Another practice in the East is meditation. It overlaps with Qi Gong and the martial arts as mental training. Many Qi Gong and martial arts practitioners include basic meditation practices in the their training. Its main aspects to begin with are the awareness gained of your own mind, how it distracts itself constantly (monkey mind). The practice of clearing and focusing the mind improve effectiveness in just about everything. The martial arts require a basic mental clarity and state even under pressure to be able to react effectively. Meditation is the peaceful and less painful way of developing this. One method in meditation is to clear the mind of the extra clutter that gets in the way. One description is that your mind is like a muddy pond and meditation is the method to get the mud to settle to the bottom and to get clear water. As well as your own mind, methods explore the body and the rest of the world again clearing the obstacles that stop us seeing reality. As with any endeavour basic meditation is easy to learn and needs little but a good comfortable quiet place but more advanced practices will need expert teaching and guidance.

During the Chinese practices you discover yourself, others and the environment. We are all different with unique bodies and brains. Simply being effective is not for everyone. If you have no choice then you have to be effective. Finding what works for you is a challenge. Motivation to be healthy is different for everyone. Some work away from bad health some towards good health. Others want incompatible things either incompatible with health or they can have two wants that cannot be had at the same time. The basic carrot and stick method of motivating has a basic functionality to it and is good to be included. The secret is to have healthy habits sometimes imposing them on yourself till you do them without thinking. Perhaps you can get into the habit of standing to do some things or walking a bit at work or to the shops. Maybe you can get a dog. Getting into the habit of breakfast or healthy snacks, or get help even from friends and family. Removing distractions like TVs from bedrooms to aid sleep, and not buying too much unhealthy food. Semi scientific is the extension to the original Pareto principle, where if you aim for 80% good and 20% bad (or treat) you will not be far wrong.

As well as the major killers of heart attack, stroke and cancer (75% of all deaths), there are many conditions and diseases that massively effect life. Diabetes is a major health cost, to countries and individuals. A healthy lifestyle will reduce the chances of becoming diabetic, reduce complications for diabetics and reduce long term damage by the condition. Much anecdotal evidence has come from people with various medical conditions including joint issues like arthritis that Qi Gong and Tai Chi can help. It may be just reduced irritation of the condition by better usage of the joints. Some ailments involve the brain and the physical and mental relaxation aid many conditions by reducing stress. This stress tends to add an extra problem and if you have one already you and your body have two conditions at the same time to deal with. Many claims have been made and I have read many personal testaments that I cannot confirm or deny for mental health and physical conditions like epilepsy. Unfortunately evidence is now available that the first 1,000 days of your life have a massive impact on the rest of your life. Your health is affected by what your mother and father did from before conception till around your second birthday. All you can then do is slow things down and not add factors that make it worse from then on.

Personal health is an area where east and west have always had the same ideas with activity and a healthy diet. Plenty of information is available and expertise, facilities and equipment. The long term approach is to start early and continue for life with a healthy lifestyle. We allow too many barriers to stop us, such as work and family commitments, and we set that example for children. And they follow!

Health (National)

"Prevention is better than cure" is an established saying that is in many ways true. Preventing disease and injuries is more effective and efficient than waiting until after an event and trying to cure or treat (palliative care). In Plato's Republic there is the statement 'the beginning is everything', if it's not right at the start then the problems start and grow and become greater problems later. On a national level it would be less expensive if people had healthy lifestyles, rather than treating what happens if they do not. Even hygiene has been a problem within the NHS, with the number of deaths of hospital acquired infection said to be higher than road deaths. Living conditions and responding medical care are better than they have ever been (i.e. we live longer!), but the health industry costs a lot of money and of course there are mistakes. The most significant advance in the last 30 years has to be the smoking legislation. As many people have stopped, fewer receive passive smoke and there are suggestions of fewer young people starting. Physical and mental health would receive a boost and save money if a significant change in lifestyle could be achieved.

A large body of research (The Barker Theory) is now identifying the importance of the first 1,000 days from just before conception until about the second birthday. It has been clear that smoking and heavy drinking in pregnancy affect children's health and their health as an adult later. The babies tend to be born lighter and their development affected, leading to increased risk of heart attack later in life and higher chances of diabetes with the heart and pancreas affected. Overweight mothers also produce more overweight children. The mother's body at the time of conception also influences the baby so ill health or any drugs in the system can affect them. Brains are also affected and learning difficulties are more common reducing life chances in education and work. Other things happen over the next two years like the taste buds develop. If the food is unhealthy the baby will want the same diet later in life. Most of these factors mean the baby is behind at the beginning and once behind they rarely catch up. Preventing low birth weight would reduce osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease and some cancers.

Part of the early years professional and parental responsibilities must be to encourage or not give a choice to the starting of healthy habits. From the womb the nutrition needs to be healthy through the mothers diet, through to breast feeding and to infancy. Fruit and vegetables and not too much processed food are the obvious points. Also allowing babies and children to move and be active and not sat in front of the TV! This cannot happen if parents do not have the skills and support to encourage this. The same pattern applies to educational attainment where some children are a year behind when they enter formal education and little prepared for school life. Very few catch up and these are the same children who perform badly at 16 years. Health follows this same pattern. Primary schools need to provide early introductions to sports, games and physical activities. This has to have some quality to it as the first impressions can mark sport for life. Many primary schools have no specialist PE expert so cannot provide this. Swimming is on the national curriculum in the UK and yet not all primary schools provide it (with an increase of drownings in children!). Humans are naturally lazy and greedy for good reasons. If a stone age person overexerted and then a predator appeared they could not respond well, so a reserve of energy is kept [for] just in case. And as winter comes there would be less food so that the body stores extra energy in autumn ready. Of course today this is a disadvantage as we rarely have to run from anything and can always go to the shop in winter. The habits controlling diet and activity need to be positive and sometimes kept with discipline.

Mental health is improved in similar ways to physical health. They really are parts of the same thing. The healthy lifestyle would help the mind as well as the body. "Mens rea sens rea";- healthy body, healthy mind is the Latin saying that rings true. Just as physical habits need to be encouraged so do mental habits, with skills and tactics developed. Many adults suffer stress related ailments and depression, and other mental health conditions. The skills needed to deal with these are seldom developed until medical treatment is given (if the person gets it!). CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) includes thinking strategies and perception challenging methods to change how a patient looks at things. If these skills were encouraged in childhood then there would be a reduced need in adulthood. Unfortunately we have health and education systems that even encourage unhealthy mental perceptions. Educators perceive more talent in older children within each year group, now the older children are physically more developed and have more experience! That is not talent, but the label is used and believed. This incorrect understanding by the children and those around them causes a survival mentality where short term habits, mental and physical, are developed to cope. Once these beliefs have taken root they may only be challenged by a therapist decades later. Learning what your strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats really are, rather than a politically motivated bland 'you can be anything you want to be' or simplistic 'you've no chance lad!'. Are not accurate and a seemingly little inaccuracy at the beginning can become traumatic later on. Self discovery and skills such as planning and analysis are needed not arbitrary cut off points and exams. Of course when people understand themselves better and what works for them they learn better and pass more exams.

The health industry tends to be reactive both in terms of medical professionals and supplying companies like pharmaceuticals. Medicine here has progressed consistently, to treat more and more successfully many injuries and diseases. Many of the big killers of one hundred years ago have been almost eliminated in the western world, and many other countries have made much progress. A problem has developed where the scientific guidelines have not been followed. Resistant bacteria has evolved because people have not taken the full courses of medicines like antibiotics, stopping when they feel better and cannot see the illness any more. In fact a lot of treatments do not work because the advice of the doctor is not followed. NHS figures suggest one fifth follow the instructions correctly, two fifths partly correctly and two fifths not at all; this includes some major conditions. Lack of scientific knowledge and the invisibility of some effects of medical care, lead to lack of care and a taking for granted that they will be made well. Thus believing treatments do not work when the instructions have not even been followed. The maths (e.g. epidemiology) of medicine points to prevention being a big saver on health costs, the amount spent on Diabetes is 9% of the NHS (UK) budget. If half of this could be prevented, it would save billions of pounds. Knowledge of causes and treatments will continue to improve to fight conditions that could also be significantly prevented through preventative medicine, at less cost and more humanely.

Technology has also improved health, based on the science progress in physics, chemistry and biology. The scanning with MRIs has lead to deeper understanding and better treatments, and will continue to grow in its effectiveness. Computerised monitoring and assessment can increase the effectiveness of treatments which may improve compliance to treatment. Even simple text message reminders to take medicine on time can help. But also heart monitors and defibrillators are getting smaller, as are blood sugar monitors. Some are 'plumbed in' and can maintain a level with glucose or Insulin added as needed. Better drugs with less side effects, new vaccines (meningitis recently), are being researched and developed constantly. Cheaper treatments are also appearing so more people can access good or better care worldwide. Genetic and stem cell research and many more therapies and treatments as well as ways of prevention will appear.

When a health industry is committed to reaction rather than prevention it never gets ahead of any condition. Prioritising healthcare based on effectiveness is a secondary concern for private companies and also nationalised industries. The heads of both have goals of keeping their jobs which means profit for business and keeping political office depending on the political system. Research is biased to profitability or political need, rather than health need. Health figures and economics both point to prevention and early detection. Only if these are aligned with the above goals will they be used in the direction of health care and research. There have regularly been health drives from governments and charities. These are often ineffective where the government budget for diet advice is a fraction of the advertising budget of even one fast food chain. Nonetheless Government must invest in the collection of evidence based research into good health practices. These must be promoted and prioritised in education, health and work areas. If there are areas of concern then government must fund research, they must not leave it to the market. This research is an investment for the future along with foundation research into basic science (e.g. Genome project). Profitable research should be left to the market and regulated through professional regulators. Education is important but is insufficient on its own to be effective. Often choices are given at times when they will (obviously) be made in an unhealthy way and not given at other times. Children should be given a good choice of healthy foods not the choice between healthy and unhealthy. Any company that has a product that leads to health costs must cover the cost of those treatments.

Stress is natural and even desirable. Excessive stress is a factor in ill health. Stress levels are higher when there is lack of control, and the lack of the skills to deal with it. People though do deal with stress, mainly by escape through alcohol and food, television and media. Rather than exercise and good planning. Planned stress known for and allowed for in advance is a challenge, where as stress that appears on top of everything else is anxiety forming. In the UK they work the most hours in Europe, but do not achieve the most work done. It is important in the culture to be present and look busy and avoid scandal, not to actually be effective or efficient, but any mention of this is met with denial. This contradiction makes work places stressful, this on top of extra hours (unpaid) with little sense of achievement. As well as badly run workplaces, even getting to work is stressful with inadequate transport links and parking facilities. These have been developed for political reasons, claiming environmental concerns, that are not met by polluting cars running for longer, and insufficiently used public transport. It is important that government policies in one department save in their area and often increase cost elsewhere. The traditional Chinese approach is to go with nature and adapt, many organisations start at 8:45 when they could easily start at 8 or 9:30 or even allow work from home.

No I do not think the western governments should provide oriental medicine! There I said it. Any national service must provide evidence-based care that improves health, being very careful with the placebo effect. What can be used though is ideas and concepts behind eastern medicine, although research is useful on some of the herbs and techniques to see if they are effective. Science though mostly works by isolating one thing and testing it. A more holistic approach is needed for the human body and indeed human populations; it needs to be planned ahead with good information. The unity of the body and mind as medicine has found the psychosomatic factors where physical problems can be caused and exacerbated by psychological factors. Chinese medical theory and practice look for balance, and although they used five element theory and Yin Yang theory a scientific method of balance is a worthwhile approach. When a person does a single job in isolation then balance and the whole are difficult to allow for. A coordinated approach by many specialists is needed. Recently in Afghanistan many medical feats have been done. One example is that in the emergency department there have been several specialists present, who work together to form the best diagnosis and treatment, rather than the emergency team doing their bit and then passing them to another department who get the the casualty several hours later. The Chinese looked for the relationships within the elements of the body that produce health or illness. They may have talked of energy (Chi) rather than the scientific concepts of today. One way of explaining Chi is to say that if the chi is flowing well everything is in harmony and balanced. You keep this in balance by using your body in a balanced and effective way.

One common way that westerners do not use their bodies well is in moving and handling of loads. Work absenteeism is led by this issue and the bad backs it causes. Ironically this is a health professional problem especially with the moving and handling of patients. Bad technique in these common aspects of care for the elderly and disabled patients cause chronic pains in backs but also shoulders, and makes the workers vulnerable to traumatic situations where a patient falls in front of them and they instinctively try to catch them. Now the training and observation of workers that is already done could definitely be improved. Many who do the moving and handling are [done by] low paid carers outside of hospitals and unsupervised. One reason it is a problem is because the workers in the rest of their life have bad lifting technique, it is the habit built up from childhood. So they have to specifically remember to do something different at work. The chronic forces on the body in daily life with bad posture in seated and standing positions, with inappropriate clothing and footwear build up damage and prevent healing. Many injuries are actually from childhood with bad footwear, bags carried to school and sitting to write, with falls and collisions on top. So many people start work with weakness and injury, the correct habit needs to be encouraged from a young age.

Within the health industry there are many screening programmes breast cancer and during pregnancy are two well know ones. Some conditions are easy and obvious to spot, others are hidden. One of the frightening aspects of both lung cancer and liver failure is how late they become symptomatic. It is common for the patient to find out they have very little time left as the condition is so advanced when they first find out they have these conditions. It is important to be precise. Of people who die of lung cancer around nine out of ten smoked. Obviously smoking is a massively preventable factor for this condition and many others. As smoking laws have started, Lung Cancer rates (and other conditions as well) will start to drop. But of course some people get Lung Cancer who do not smoke and may have avoided much passive smoking. Preventive measures are not 100%, but can work and be effective and cheaper in the long run on a group level. Screening for conditions to detect early where treatment exists can also be effective. There should also be measurement in children and adults to discover many conditions. Many tests are available free to children but not necessarily for adults. Eye tests are one that if noticed is tested for and corrected for in children, but adults have to pay. The problem is time and money need to be taken up to find out, but not being aware of a problem are incentives and barriers to not getting the test. If these people do not need good eyesight for work or getting to work then the impact is less, but for commuters in cars there are higher accident rates. The data suggests a quarter of 16 year olds need corrective vision, but there are similar figures for hearing, and for footwear implants that would reduce joint problems later in life. Gathering information is very useful for the professionals and policies for action can be set up. Information though is not only good. The fear and misunderstanding of the information and mistakes made in tests can have big impacts. Finding a lump in breast or testicle tissue can lead to stress and panic. There are a proportion of people who have things removed who would not die of the condition, but go through the anxiety as if they have a life-threatening condition. False positives are a balancing factor in screening programmes, as these can have a large cost themselves. Prevention and detection must be pursued giving treatment a chance.

Modern lives are less active than ever before. Half the population is inactive, becoming obese, and a health cost to the nation. Activity needs to be a habit from childhood. That only 10% exercise enough (some too much) and half are inactive this has to represent the efforts of health and education in childhood. Results that bad in a commercial venture would lead to bankruptcy. Exercise, sport and physical activities must be made available from very young. Probably from before school, activities need to be fun and constructive. Primary schools need to be the adult (professional) and choose the healthy life for the children, both in activity and nutrition. They must have time, facilities and teaching in sports. Secondary schools need to provide a variety of activities, even walking and facilities must be available after school hours, not just TV and homework. Adults do less sport and activities now than ever. The TV and computers (working and leisure) have taken over. Again time and facilities must be made available. Workplaces must support this which will help improve the productivity of the workers being able to do more work an hour, being in a better mood and having less sick days. Lack of facilities and time, commutes, and shifts all reduce participation. The skills of organising and understanding of medicine and health are needed to support the professionals.

As well as physical activities including dance, walking and countless other choices there are mental activities and arts. All the senses need to be provided for, music opportunities can enrich life, but also there is a lot of teamwork in collaborated music. Drama and performance can be energetic as well as mentally stimulating. Many therapies use the arts to stimulate and help recovery quite often adults return to a childhood love and are rejuvenated, whereas if they had never given it up they could have had less problems and be able to cope with any problems they do have. The arts also have many life and work skills within them. Presentation, communication of ideas and excellence of skills and performance can all be gained from the arts, and enrich other areas of life.

I would also like to put forward my thinking for the health industry. Tai Chi covers many problems within [the] industry for the workers, patients as well as for the rest of society. It is exercise starting slow but then speeding up, it teaches how to use the body effectively, from basic movements to martial actions. It involves; mind, body and spirit, and eastern perspectives. It can be done alone or in groups, whether staff or patients. It is cheap to practice. I teach beginners emphasising relaxation and posture. These are key not only to performance but also reducing stress, and using the body efficiently and effectively. Healthcare professionals definitively get stressed and do not all look after their own health. Tai Chi movements were created for self defence. Lone or night workers should have some understanding in this area, Tai Chi can also be used for control and restraint for staff who work with some types of patients. The movement of the body is to deal with forces as is moving and handling. When I taught moving and handling to the care sector (not all of it) I was really demonstrating Tai Chi. Some research has found that Tai Chi can help reduce falls in the elderly, and Parkinsons sufferers. It can help deal with physical and mental stress. It has a reputation for helping arthritis and has all the benefits the last centuries of Chinese medicine have found to be useful.

Business (Individual)

In your career you can also combine eastern and western traditions and methods. A long term plan including education will give direction. Having that goal in mind at the beginning. This is something some people have, a dream, whatever it is based on makes a lot of things clear. Some know they want to work with animals or people and the way to be a vet or doctor is clear. Some know they want to write or work with art. The basic preparation is systematically set out. School, University and something out of school for the CV. This basic structure has a breadth and depth to it, but is based on passing tests, and these tests are influenced by political factors. This is one system that may not offer much more than one perspective. The eastern tradition includes self-development (called cultivation; although often only one perspective) and reflection on yourself and the world. To become an effective person, you need skills, tactics and strategy. These need to be adaptable to change and applied appropriately.

Any long term plan will have to be changed along the way. Strategic approaches need to include options for more specific direction later on where decisions are made by yourself or externally. The plan needs to include how to avoid barriers and opposition. Direct conflict can take up a lot of resources and time, attempting to control these situations and choosing the time and place for conflict gives a massive advantage. It is important not to set the task of avoiding all conflict, as it is impossible. It is about only taking part when it is advantageous to you for your goals, avoiding lost causes and practising winning without fighting when you can. The AoW has much strategic advice, including who is most likely to win (try to be the winner!) the knowledge you need to win, the situations you may face and the tactics to use. The 36 Chapters has stratagems to solve problems with eastern concepts. Some of these include deception and such elements that you are told are wrong and yet are used by others daily. With awareness you can plan and execute the plan more effectively, but also recognise when it is not working. Many aspects need good habits, planning and reflection give an advantage. Once you have the advantage you can attempt to keep ahead. Other good habits are keeping healthy with diet and exercise, keeping informed, and gradually developing your skills and tactics, whether new or modifying old. The plan can help you survive the early years where many stumble and stop. Giving up early is the main block to success. This negates any natural ability and advantage you may have, choosing what to do and how much of it and doing it is clear and direct, of course you may start doing something and change your mind with experience, but then you develop your plan or start a new one with more knowledge.

The first knowledge is self knowledge. There are many aspects to a person and ways of looking at them. One simple method is the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis mentioned earlier, it gives a basic idea of what is and is not possible or likely. What are you good at, what is most likely to be productive, many people battle against nature to do something that someone else can do in five minutes. You need support, personal and professional, if you are not good with numbers you need someone who is, if you are very good with numbers then you should look to do that aspect and leave other parts to someone better qualified. Recently in schools they have taught a learning how to learn course, finding different ways of learning and hopefully working out what works for each child. There are many tools and tests that can get you information on yourself. VAK (people learn better through one or more of; Visual, Aural or Kinaesthetic sources.) is one model of learning styles. As with many they are available online. You can discover whether you learn better with sound, sight or feel. I see many people battling with mnemonics and acronyms that just cannot use them effectively, where other methods are needed. Personality tests can also help you understand yourself and compare to others who have succeeded at different things. MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator) is a common test as is Cattell's 16PF and can provide illumination, giving some self awareness. Motivation is a key factor. Many people have achieved great things through pure will, with overly high motivation. If you appear good at something then you often like it and do more, of course giving yourself a realistic chance of being good is also important. Being prepared; having the knowledge of yourself, your resources, what you are good at and what opportunities you realistically have, helps reduce hard unfruitful work or negative experiences with time and energy wasted. Less experienced and capable people at anything are more likely to overestimate their abilities. Getting experience of different things helps gain an understanding of yourself and your strengths and weaknesses.

A simple perspective to winning and losing is that you need more things positive and you need the opponent to have more negative things, so a lot of what it takes to make you effective is what you may need to prevent in an opponent. Obviously in ball sports if you have the ball and the opponent does not then you have the advantage. You and the opponent are two parts of the whole. Knowledge of yourself helps understand others, how they are the same and how they are different. Using the tests mentioned previously helps understand others and their behaviour. There is a lot of psychology and sociology research that has looked at how people behave and what they think about how they behave. There is often a marked difference between how people actually behave and there beliefs. The SWOT analysis can be done on opponents too. An understanding of non opponents can come from the same approach. Although some people may indirectly influence events, the opponent's friends and enemies are also a target for understanding. Knowing the different cultures and internal and external participants of organisations, communities and countries can be a great help.

There is a consistent link in career pay related to time in education. People with degrees on average earn more than people without. It has still been true after the cost of the education has been included that the longer you study the better off you will be. It must be said education has become more expensive to the student and more students have been getting degrees, also science graduates do better than arts students and some universities do better than others, so this differential may change. This does not mean that universities and schools teach skills best, but the familiarity and demand is for their qualifications is higher. The system though does not do everything! It works well for some areas, but has no bearing on an entrepreneur or new business starter. For employment it is the more common route, but for many it does not provide enough. The environment changes, and as new technology becomes available the young have an advantage as they have no previous knowledge and skills that will interfere with new skills. Education and personal development have to be continuous to adapt, and also have sufficient depth that allows you to be better than most in your specialism and wide enough to deal with change either of circumstance or mind. Persistence with adaptability and the ability to seize the opportunities as they appear.

The most money is made through excellence or leading. The Confucian aspiration was for a sage commander, who applies great wisdom, and who must have great character including integrity, and the ability to make just decisions. In the modern world it is too complex to know anywhere near everything, so although good knowledge is important it is also a skill to get and use expert advice. Many large companies employ consultants who report only what people in the company could tell them with no extra cost. When a director interferes with an expert it cannot go well. Leading people needs their cooperation, but ignoring them and their knowledge when they know better will not motivate them. Leaders need to be able to make things happen, that is organise the organisation to perform. They need to make the strategic decisions and communicate with the people how to do it. They then must stay out of the way and support the people. This is a long term project to create the right environment for people to do good work. Many organisations do a lot to demotivate their staff and blame them for lack of performance.

Work/life balance is a well known problem, whether it's a money or time choice or work preventing enough family involvement or family preventing leisure. Most of these make a healthy life style almost impossible. Work places demand presence and flexibility of the workers, some industries or work roles require this on occasion, but lack of organisation and planning mean even at non peak times looking busy is a requirement. Lack of time for health leads to more absenteeism which costs more to cover and catch up, and of course nationally means more cost through more health costs. Balance needs to be incorporated while being ready for opportunities. Risk has to be taken but over reaching is as dangerous as waiting too long. Security has to be balanced. When you are younger you have more time to recover, but some opportunities are unlikely when you get older. Timing of action is important and others are unlikely to appreciate your needs and best times, a compromise is needed. For long term planning many skills need to be developed from early on. If you have a good base and you are prepared for change, then you can adapt more comfortably and succeed after the change. Many people do little management training before they get a management post, but many skills are transferable and can be gained in many ways before they are needed in work. Teaching and coaching are managing learning and you lead groups to the goals. Sports and arts entail many skills that are needed in later jobs so experience can be gained and with reflection personal development can be made, so you are never thrown in at the deep end, before you can swim.

As well as getting related experience before it is needed in your career you need to constantly increase the depth and breadth of your education and skills. Over focusing on one area and excluding others can be unbalanced and inflexible. Many people and companies became uncompetitive as they did not adapt and failed to recognise the changes coming however obvious. It is also common for people (especially men) to be unprepared for retirement. You need to update your skills as the demand changes, technology is the classic with rapid change over the last twenty years. However the basic principles of IT are the same as they were then. An understanding of how IT systems work and how the user interfaces are designed helps adjust to new hardware and software. Having the base, and keeping up to date with changes can be kept in a few important areas. This knowledge and understanding can be transferred to other areas as needed. The phrase of 'you are either moving forward or your moving backwards' as others progress. As new entrants and others change you must too.

One of the key actions in preventing but also acting in a bad situation is to prioritise. Using the Pareto principle that finds a lot of the time 60-80% of all risks, problems, but also positive factors are down to one or a small number, and if you look after these you will win more than you lose. Finding these key factors and dealing with these first and effectively will put you ahead. In highly competitive situations of high quality, more needs to be done, but most other competition is against the majority of the population who will have little or no preparation. Many people spend a lot of time and energy on factors that will not affect any result, or if they can very infrequently. Some stick to the past, as success can be the greatest barrier to success, as one event is seen as a true reflection and predictor of the future. It is important to try and get a true and effective understanding of events. Many people follow in their parent's footsteps, which means a disproportion number of doctors have a parent who is a doctor, and this is similar in many walks of life. If this is your goal you have to get around this barrier and any other cliques or groups that even if only subconsciously, protect themselves from outsiders.

As you gain skills it is important to become comfortable with the key skills so they are automatic. This allows for an efficiency of action so other aspects that need more attention can receive it. If you are thinking about basics then advanced skills cannot be done. A business task is to reduce waste. Some things should be dropped if there is no or little need for them. If you spend too much time on trying to perfect one thing you are not working on anything else. As in a lot of sports there is very little benefit to winning by more than one nil, any more takes extra effort with diminishing returns. Any effort winning by 3 or more produces little benefit apart from entertainment. Appearance is very important as style is part of substance not in a mathematically essential way but in a human way, we have perceptions and expectations of what people and things are, and you have to meet the expectations of what you want to be. Looking effortless, and having a good reputation are two important image concerns. People act on first impressions and intuition, not on calculation. It is important to remember that first impressions and intuition are very often unreliable but others will use them anyway, some work and some do not. Once a lot of experience has been gained then judgement is good, but without experience or borrowing other people's experience then they are unreliable. Looking the part can often reduce resistance and barriers.

As well as developing your abilities, a key skill is to recognise other's true abilities. Try to find people and things with merit. You need knowledge so find people with knowledge. The common mistake is to attribute success to talent and then attribute extra talents to the person (Halo effect). They can do so they can teach is a common mistaken view. A better policy is to get their teacher's help rather than the performer. Look for actual results and how they were achieved. There will be many red herrings. Some effort has been made to work out what successful people do on average, not just single cases. Modelling the successful and learning to recognise expertise can help get good teachers, bosses and workers. Look for quality products that will do the job, not just look good, and services that are reliable and predictable. Employ any people or tools on merit.

Many people lose games by playing the wrong rules. Different cultures have different social norms and concepts, and succeeding requires different strategies. However there are examples of many common threads in all cultures. Machiavellian is a adjective quite unrelated to the man himself. The use of the word has become normal, based on one booklet he wrote to get a job with an Italian state, and written for a specific purpose at a specific time. It has though been a mascot for underhand and perhaps immoral approaches to getting things done. Deception is an element with many tactics to help a state to survive in very competitive times. It is not unique to the west. The 36 chapters and AoW from China have similar ideas to achieve success. It cannot be emphasised enough that the best are not the ones who come first. It is not the most talented or the most directly hard working. Many people progress by luck and 'cheating'. If it is possible to cheat in war is debatable, but deception is vital, as any obvious move will be countered. The real game for humans is power, using human behaviour to your own advantage. The naive hope that you will do a good job and be recognised for it, when of course your rival is not working but keeping the decision maker happy, and perhaps marking your reputation. There are many aphorisms which guide directly and indirectly. 'Don't shoot the messenger'; which can be translated as do not be a messenger as they often get shot. The message receivers need to be reminded not to after all! Being a threat to your boss means they are given incentive to put you down, so never outshine the master, or step into a great man's shoes. If you do you will never progress. Every progression to the top needs indirect methods not direct 'fair play', and playing the power game is a necessity.

Advantage can be gained from technology, the saying "never take a knife to a gunfight" kind of says it all, inferring taking a gun to a knife fight might be worth while though. Having more recent technology can be a game changer on its own. Although tools used well can be more effective than just having the latest tool. Productivity is the key. Many IT departments have to deal with the latest gadget whether it adds to performance or not (they also have to accommodate careless security practices from the workers). The AoW talks about fire as a weapon (tool of war) and how and when to use it, and many martial arts have a long training period to develop high level skill and building a connection to it as an extension of yourself. Today the levels of excellence with a sword or bow and arrow are not needed for survival, but achieving excellence with the tools you do need is valid. Technology is surprisingly unworkable for many. Understanding the principles is quite straight forward as they are designed from the bottom up with the same logic and then the interface is made familiar with the same logic for all technology. Understanding what tools can and cannot do and then how to use them is a great advantage. Many people underutilise the tools they have or get the wrong tool.

Mankind has always worked as a group with people performing different roles within the community. Loose organisation and communication was used to keep everyone fed, children raised and the group protected. As advances were made and food (agriculture) was provided more consistently then fighting for the resources between groups started the development of warfare. Getting people to work as a team and being part of the team became vital. A unified force is more effective than a laissez faire force. This works at every level using the whole body in physical tasks uniting the legs, body and arms together with the brain are more effective but also the psyche with it's intent and spirit, having everything focused and combined to one purpose. But for your groups of people to be effective they need to have shared focus and be organised together to the same aim. Finding out and practising how to get people to work together for lengths of time is a key skill for management, ensuring discipline individually and amongst a group leading forward to a goal.

Many of the skills that are required to lead people are soft skills (Yin) and need to work with the hard (Yang) skills, to be effective. Confrontation can be avoided and by working long term with others, communicating why things need to be done and best ways of doing them, building up consensus. Listening to others before decisions are taken helps get better information and encourages participation and emotional ownership. Presentation so people respond positively rather than opposing any change after decisions have been made. Of course if change has been imposed on people for many years it will take a long time to build up a productive consensual work environment. Resistance to change involves fear and to overcome this and develop a constantly changing, evolving environment takes soft skills as well as hard.

A long term development of a balanced set of skills and experiences that can adapt to change and seize any opportunities is highly effective. Although perfection is impossible the movement towards it through goals of gaining knowledge and experience that increase productivity, by performing higher quality work with less waste, directed to the real needs in the real world is worthwhile. This will entail lots of dead ends and shorter stages along the road (Dao), taking others with you for varying lengths of time, moving forward adapting as you go.

Business (Industrial and Politics)

As with sport the Chinese are already here in the business world. Since the decline of the colonial powers the most powerful country the USA has competed predominantly through business. It has a low tax, pro-business culture with a lot of resources. The Chinese preceded by the Japanese and with the South Koreans have pursued economic growth. So like it or not they are the competitors to western businesses. They already use the long term approach, with the principles discussed in this book. The Japanese used solid economic principles in their industrial rise. The economic principles from the west allied with the eastern principles helped the Japanese become the second biggest economy in the world, which has just been overtaken by an expanding China. Chinese companies use many methods that westerners see as cunning and underhand. They may partner with a western company and finish the partnership just as they have learned the business model and secrets. At the same time the authorities are encouraging infrastructure development and keeping barriers down to Chinese and up for foreign companies. There are many books available in the west regarding the eastern tradition and business.

Strategy is the long term approach. It has to include change in yourself (company) but also in the opponent and the environment. If you use the Chinese tradition it will aim to win all without fighting, you will need to look for weakness and defend against potential attack. The AoW is a good concise guide to strategy, but needs translation from military competition to business competition. But the laying of plans, the gathering of knowledge and the differing environments cross over well. The business environment includes markets for business like the areas for battle. Many other models on business courses fit in with the translations. The 36 Chapters has many stratagems that can help with problem solving creatively. They all look for balance, change, where nature flows and indirect and direct action. Some books show western examples, where Coca Cola and Pepsi have battled for a hundred years and seem to have used them all at some point. This includes the artifice and cunning frowned upon in the west. You need to make decisions that must be informed. You must know yourself, your enemy and the environment you are in.

The environment that the business operates in must be considered. This is a wide area. The Five Competitive Forces by Michael E Porter labels the forces Rivals, Buyers, Substitute products or services, Suppliers and New entrants. Other factors include legislation, politics and actual geographic factors such as weather. The previous paragraph looked at your rivals, but your customers need to be understood and their motivations and needs as well. Your suppliers also have forces acting on them and will change as well. Many products and services have alternatives, technology has replaced some businesses, for example the internet with retail and communications. Some industries have seen new entrants with other expertise take over. Expecting and recognising the change before it happens or reacting as soon as you are aware of it are vital, as is regular rethinking of every part of your business. The balance of these forces change over time and influence each other. It is very common for businesses to ignore these factors and slowly die. The AoW talks about the nine grounds for war purposes, and the tactics to employ in them, navigating a business through an unhealthy environment and into more favourable conditions is the same idea (for a business) as guiding an army. There are many models available for all aspects of business. Markets are like the ground idea and looking for the profitable and essential markets or ground to position your business. Are there customers, suppliers, competitors and substitute competition (indirect), in the market, all need to be understood and allowed for.

The decision making process is part of the role of the directors of any business where [the] strategic decisions are made. The information discussed must be gathered and the reliability of it judged. It is important to listen to the experts. The world is too complicated to be understood by any one person. As well as decision making a leader must also make it happen. The Chinese idea of a sage commander was one with integrity and competence. The main skills are to organise and communicate, but people need to trust their leaders to be of good character and competent. Competence is as much about knowing your limitations as your strengths. There comes a time to get out of the way so people can do their jobs. They need to be supported and trusted, with mechanisms to assess performance, and to encourage them to perform and improve. It always amazes me how many people in management roles do not have the needed skills and/or are interfered with from higher management that dictates how they do their job. Using the workers knowledge and abilities well helps both the leaders job and the workers satisfaction.

Missing in the west is often the long term plan. To become a world leader takes time getting to the top and staying at the top are different aims with different requirements. The latter though needs to be in mind even in the beginning. Of course your vision of your goal will not be how it turns out. Many things will change by then. This change needs to be allowed for, you need to plan including the ability to change. The growth needed to get to the top must be met by a balanced plan involving all departments. There will be changing emphasis but over time all elements must be developed. Avoiding extremes is important, keeping control of the finances, and not over selling or under performing. The environment will change and you must go with it, looking for threats and opportunities. You must have the plan, tactics and skills to adapt. A lot of jobs change very often especially legally and technologically. Some businesses can only be run as projects with a lifetime including an ending. Another project will need to be started or the business wound up to take over.

Finding balance in businesses is a common theme today for workers. The work/life balance is hard to master especially due to the work culture. In the UK and USA, a common action to get noticed and promoted is to be present. Long hours appear to the promoters to be indicative of suitability to advancement. The telling fact is that in the UK the workers work the most hours in Europe, but are not the most productive. An average of 45 hours a week on top of an hour or more commuting, and perhaps taking work home or being rung on your day off or at night. It is easy to see that work takes over most of their life, interfering with family and leisure. Unfortunately doing 20 hours of productive work a week that takes nearly 50 hours to do is just inefficient and a sign of poor management. Having a healthy lifestyle is very difficult around a lot of jobs. Which of course increases job absenteeism and health costs (to the whole country). Balance also appears in how the functions of business are balanced. If the sales department is too strong they make bad sales and this comes back as high demand for customer service. If the finance department is too strong then everything that looks expensive in the accounts gets cut, with no regard of the benefits or profit that does not appear in the accounts. Business must also manage risk and security. For instance most IT security issues are by the workers within an organisation, where they download things onto the machines which can include viruses and leave passwords written on their desks. Business have to look to new markets and products before competitors release their new products.

Quality was a buzzword in business for many years but only a fashionable use of a well known aspect. There will always be demand for the best, although not a large market. There needs to be a drive towards quality products and services. Some businesses must aim for niches of high quality or some USP (Unique Selling Point) of rarity. It is impossible to be perfect, but being the best is achievable. Benchmarking against the competition helps set goals and measure achievements as everything changes. Quality at all stages with standards develops into CWQC (Company Wide Quality Control) where each stage has a system of identifying the quality of product, then processes like quality circles where groups of workers work out how to improve their part of the business. Understanding the market helps prevent over improving any part that does not lead to the goals set, especially what the customer will buy. Many failures are the result of trying to provide the wrong service or product to the wrong person, then not finding a different customer or new service or product.

The business environment is dynamic. Many factors affecting the business change rapidly. Technology changes probably even office environments annually, so that changes to the IT infrastructure or maintenance are regular. Laws are constantly changed, and rivals direct or indirect appear and disappear every day. Improvements to products and services must be continuous. One factor in the success of Japanese manufacturing industry was Kaizen or continuous development. Every area had everyone looking at how to improve any part of the process. How to do the same thing faster or cheaper, or change what they do. Over time the products became cheaper to build and buy, and more reliable than the competition. This process involving all the workers combining to improve the quality of the process of production or delivering a service. The important factor was that the experts here were not the detached managers and directors but the people on the shop floor who regularly improved every part of the process once they were allowed. Not settling for OK is a mental approach first that needs to be encouraged, and then practised, and that must come from the top. There is a point though when a product or service is superseded. It is important not to over optimise as then you will not be aware that a complete change is necessary. Sometimes we stop positive things happening rather than just letting them happen.

The complexity of the world means it has to be simplified somehow. One way is to use models to view through, remembering that they are models and not truth, and this needs to be allowed for. Another key skill is to prioritise. The process for health and safety is a good example. The first stage is to list the risks, the things that can cause harm, then you need to order them by the likelihood of them going wrong and the impact they would have. At the top of the list are the most likely events that would cause the most damage. Your first priority is then to take the first 3 that may cause 75% of the problems and reduce the likelihood of them occurring. Similarly the opportunities available could be put through a similar process as could the threats and your weaknesses. All of these elements are distributed unevenly. The aim must be to get the most benefit overall. It is quite human to over focus on one element and see it as the whole rather than part. Some people aim for perfection which can not be achieved. It is important to do enough in enough areas with some continuous development, but not to overdo it. Most people do not manage risk but manage fear instead. So they will do something actually more dangerous to avoid something they think is the bigger danger but is not. Another common action is to support failure and throw good money after bad rather than supporting success which is more effective.

The West dominated the world for around two hundred years through superior technology, especially in war and transport. Businesses must keep up with technology. IT has replaced many jobs and can perform many tasks faster and more accurately than teams of people. This must not be ignored. It is a threat, but also an opportunity as new work is opened up and created by the new technology. But the various technologies are tools not wonder solutions. In the AoW a chapter is devoted to fire and the correct usage, in terms of conditions and timing to be used effectively in war. It is important to know what the tools can and cannot do and how best to use them. Directors tend to be sales or accounting focused with some fear of the law. IT and other tools are usually not seen as urgent issues, and are very rarely used optimally. Fashions rather than productivity are often favoured.

If the tools are not used optimally then they are actually less productive and more costly. Chuang Tzu (Zhang Zi) told a story of a butcher who only used one knife and it rarely blunted as his expertise of cutting exactly where the cut was most effective, rather than hacking at the meat and needing to resharpen and replace the knives as less skilled people do. The efficiency of action is precise and produces little waste. Doing things in a timely way and preparing well also decrease waste. The Japanese also reduced waste in their industrial advancement, hence saving money and with less effort repairing or correcting mistakes. Kanban was part of Just In Time (JIT) management that reduced warehousing and timed when things happened so one part would arrive just as it was needed not stored in a warehouse that has to be paid for and with stock bought in advance. People often perceive effort as necessary evidence of passion, skill and quality, when it often means the opposites. Image has to be incorporated but educating the customer and others may have to be included to be efficient.

One of the unique aspects of the Chinese civil service was the exams system which was passed only by those best at the test. Meritocracy must be an aim for recruitment and promotion. The difficulty is measuring especially if you have to justify decisions in paperwork. Essentially documenting some tasks means an oversimplification so that a non expert can understand. This may be a distraction from choosing the best person. Many prejudices exist that have proven to be false, sometimes an effort to amend this has just created a new prejudice that is more acceptable at the time. People need to be selected on ability not inherited status or personal preference. The skills and attributes need to match the role. Unfortunately the skills for performing a job such as mechanic or salesperson are not the same as management of a group of these same people. If you select the best mechanic they may not be the best manager. The main skills in management are organisation of resources including humans and communication. Many organisations have one way communication, even if they claim differently. Some people are good at these skills but not necessarily the job they manage. Some can do both! When you have people in positions that they are not skilled for then bad decisions and mistakes will be made. I would use the bricks and mortar analogy, although I would never call a person a brick! The mechanic is like a brick and the manager is like mortar that keeps the bricks together. A business and a wall both need to be strong.

When we look at science it is imperative to ask the right question, follow the right methods and understand what the answer really says and means. This is not how people operate in everyday life. They do not spend time working out the best course of action, or best purchase. Their behaviour is rarely scientific. It is not the actual quality of a product or service, it is the perceived quality, in many products it's the cheapest or closest that is purchased. In business, location and brand development are vital, building a reputation for convenience or price in the minds of the consumer. Marketing needs to court attention and develop a reputation with the consumers. People buy cars (the second biggest purchase they make) on how they look and from the local garage. The real game of business is that of perception. The long term approach is to build a relationship with the customers, dealing with any complaints and problems promptly and effectively. Regular communication needs to be targeted and presented to each customer. Many practices work on customers inertia to change, by getting the customer early as a child or student and then keeping quiet as the customer rarely changes. The cost of getting new customers is higher than keeping existing customers but only if the existing actually do change supplier. The uncertainty of change encourages inertia. As change will occur, trying to change with the customer will keep the relationship alive.

Team work is not secret as a method to be effective. A business works better as a unified whole rather than a loose collection of people. If you overemphasise one area then other areas go unsupported. This creates weaknesses and if they are known to opponents creates threats as well. Focusing on one area also makes you predictable, and although that is good for the customer, it is bad for you if an opponent can use this against you. The Japanese industrial growth was based on all functions in the business working together as part of company wide quality control, every department looked at what its customer wanted and what it needed from its supplier. These customers and suppliers could be internal departments or external to the company. The whole operation worked in each segment towards the same goal. Every person has to do their job and support others in theirs. The departments have to fulfil their function but also link with each other department. At different time focus will have to be on one department at a time, to deal with a problem for instance, but this can not be for too long.

Many of the eastern approaches have been mixed with science already and have made the Japanese economy, and increasingly other eastern economies stronger. Some western companies have had to adopt these methods or go out of business, as many things can be made in and exported from Asia cheaper than being made in the West. Working together as a company and with other companies to improve quality and efficiency will be vital to succeed, while picking and using the best current technology. They will have to plan as much as possible and be ready for the changes expected and unexpected.

Martial Arts and Self Defence

Historically Martial arts (MA) were for protection only, similar to hunting skills and then farming skills necessary for survival. In the modern world there are many motivations for learning a martial art. They have transformed to meet many needs. Some people start a martial art for one reason and then discover another benefit once they have started. Others train the wrong Martial Art for them as it is all they can get to or out of ignorance. Many people watch and sometimes participate in sports martial arts. They have rules that protect the participants and some to boost entertainment value. There are many who study a traditional style that has a historic syllabus. Some arts have solutions related to the past, like sword fighting or taking down a horse rider. Some can be adapted to modern needs, while others are mainly archaic bits of history. There is a self defence industry with a lot of marketing about 'the street'. Some people are real and some are money makers selling the supreme killing machines system (who gets killed is a key issue!). Some people are knowledgeable and experienced, others give bloated, false, dangerous, moneymaking drivel! Another purpose for martial arts is the aesthetics of the actions, they copy the films and become dance like. Image is part of all the styles of course, but competitions of fabricated sets of movement serve no other purpose. Martial of course means war. Professionals also train arts as part of or in support of their jobs. The military need skills if they end up unarmed. Police, prison officers and care professionals need a mix of skills to mainly control and restrain people for their or others safety. There is overlap in all these areas. I have trained in each of these areas, for a wide variety of reasons and benefits. These purposes were pointed out by Marc MacYoung, and Rory Miller also talks of different types of violence with varying rules and restrictions to each.

After a short period of training you start feeling the benefits, both in expected and unexpected ways. Just about all the above purposes when trained involve moving and exercise, which can help towards physical health. Training to a professional level though in any style may push your body beyond what is healthy. It is always worth remembering that professional sports people do not live as long as amateur exercisers. Another health benefit for the elderly particularly is the ability to fall and not hurt yourself, as well as falling less because of stronger legs and better balance. Mental health is aided by the exercise element, but also the social side as well. Working with others and guided by a teacher or coach in a supportive and cooperative environment. In line with the themes of the book you can practice the principles like going with the flow could be using the opponents (training partner) energy to cause them to fall. Finding that head on is very hard against a bigger opponent so going round to an indirect attack is more effective. The biggest benefit is to learn how things are. Learning about yourself, what you can and cannot do can be liberating. So can learning about others and what works and what does not. There are many training myths that get busted when you test them, as are the performance myths created in the media and fantasy worlds of film.

A popular motivation for martial arts is sport. The latest craze of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) has become the latest sport martial art. Judo has had a sport side for many years as has Taekwondo, both being in the Olympics alongside western boxing and wrestling. All follow long traditions of competition of varying types and all over the world there are many different styles of wrestling and striking arts. Competition is a way of testing yourself under pressure that benefits all areas of life. This only works if you are open to learning. The win at all cost mentality neutralises many of the benefits of competition. Many sport MAs have been influenced by the media to be more entertaining, to the detriment of other aspects such as personal development. For some the first competition is a massive leap, and even experienced participants may have major anxiety at competitions. The challenge of the first 'fight' is for many a massive personal battle. Some find success and proceed to teams and regular events. At the top level, like any sport, there has to be long development and high levels of fitness. Although they have common techniques as other purposes of MA they are more restricted and modified for safety and this also changes the tactics that may be applicable, that can be opposite for Military or self defence purposes.

Some martial arts attempt to cover all the possible challenges that a practitioner may face. Others are more restricted to a set of techniques or tactics. Range is one area that Martial Arts differ. Grappling whether standing or on the ground, is close with body to body contact and mainly throws and locks. Slightly further out is infighting where a gap between the body allows for short powerful strikes and similar throws. The striking arts operate at punching to kicking range, and beyond that various weapons have different ranges (to military weapons of many miles). Each range has its time and place and some arts try to cover all, where as some restrict themselves to one range. The various wrestling arts work close and striking arts at arm length, but like MMA other arts will vary the ranges depending on conditions. Some principles like footwork are relevant at all ranges, getting out of the way of the opponent's main power and putting yourself into a better position to apply your power is one universal skill, although with modifications for each range. Many arts have books written by top performers and others advising on techniques and tactics but also principles, which tend to overlap (at least) between different arts.

All styles have fundamentals, the basics that build the foundation of skill and conditioning. For all arts they are the essential element to deal with basic challenges like martial attacks and the foundation of the more advanced skills. Many arts have stance training, mainly holding the stance with an upper body posture, building up leg strength through isometric contraction. Some arts will gradually lower the stance to build more strength, but also flexibility and to open up to the possibility of more techniques. The Chinese arts may use this training in a very sophisticated way, with various visualisations and breath work, that builds up the internal energy (qi) while working on body awareness and structure. Long hours produce body awareness and connections unappreciated at first when the leg pain is all you can think about. As mentioned, many arts have footwork drills and patterns to improve position and escape damage. Moving while performing techniques is practised after the basic movements and techniques have been learnt. Physical development, including exercises with resistance and mechanical disadvantage to build up power and performance. The power may be developed separately and then joined to practised techniques, or techniques practised and then speed is added, and then finally power. The common mistake is to not practice the basics sufficiently before adding power which decreases performance and increases the risk of injury.

There are many different martial arts, from all around the world. In the west there has always been a tradition, but the early adoption of firearms and the reduction of violence in society saw many traditions shrink or die. Ironically a rebirth of martial arts was brought by Kung Fu films which promoted the fashion for Kung Fu, and led to Japanese arts flourishing and then expanding to martial arts of other countries. The different styles were often watered down but had Judo and Karate predominate with massive hype. Judo a grappling style became increasingly competition focused as it was made an Olympic event (against the originator's wishes!). Later Taekwondo (Korean) followed the same path into the Olympics (All the time Boxing and Wrestling have kept going). As well as the ranges, some arts have the different focuses, some being all out styles for survival, and some being styles focused on self cultivation. A lot of creativity has brought many versions and hybrids of the styles, some from individual brilliance and others through incomplete study. Some train techniques and build up the repertoire sometimes into hundreds of techniques and others are principle based. Many have taken philosophy concepts and applied them and others just get ready to fight.

Fighting was the original motivation for systems that could be used for a family or village to protect itself against other groups. China has a vast number that are collectively and incorrectly called Kung Fu. Martial Arts would be Wushu, where as Kung Fu is the work done to achieve something, which could equally be applied to calligraphy for instance. There are many ways of categorising the different styles, North and South labels are used with the differing geography. The North tends to be flatter and more open where longer range techniques are favoured, whereas the South is more congested with waterways and more people so shorter range techniques are favoured. Of course this type of classification is not 100% accurate, but is still used. A famous heritage is from the Shoalin Temples where a massive system has permeated into Chinese society as monks have taught outside the temple. Most styles though share the cultural influences such as Buddhism, Daoism and Confucian as well as the philosophical elements. Many aids to remembering aspects of the arts use the 3,5 and 8s of Heaven, Earth and Man, Five Elements and Bagua, to guide. Other important numbers appear often in quite contrived ways to get to an auspicious number from cosmology for instance. Many styles are also mixed where a person has learned a bit of two or more styles or complete systems and come up with a massive syllabus or a hybrid. There is also use of colourful language to remember the moves and creation myths, often using hermits in the hills who teaches the first known practitioner. It is not seen as appropriate to be the originator of anything some people claimed to have learned things off a mystery or famous person of the past.

Another slightly inaccurate classification is internal and external, which even has different definitions, one being internal to China as opposed to external Shaolin arts with non Chinese influence. The other main way of distinguishing this is the internal chi method and the external muscle method. Yang Jwing Ming uses a graph to talk of both actually being at ends of a continuum, and that arts may start at either end then go to the other, with some starting at the internal end and others the external. In youth physical conditioning is within the capabilities and muscle conditioning can increase capabilities. Advanced skills are often the basic skills performed in much more subtle and varied ways. Internal methods study the energy and small muscles working on efficient movements that can be sustained into old age. There is much more emphasis on mental training elements right from the start, and a coordination of the mind and body. An expression of this concept is the six harmonies where three are external twinning joints the hips and shoulders, knees and elbows and ankles and wrists, as well as three internal connections of chi, jing and shen, as everything becomes not just coordinated but connected working as one. So a punch has the hand just as the contact point between a whole body hitting while using the earth and gravity to hit, rather than just the arm muscles (however strong) being the force. The Internal is the yin element and External the yang element and the need for both in differing amounts according to circumstance is explored.

Most of my experience has been in the internal arts of Tai Chi Chuan, Bagua and Hsing Yi. They work at advanced skills early. A skilled performer is relaxed so they work on relaxing, an experienced performer is aware of their environment and opponents, so they work on sensitivity training to feel your own and others energy. Feeling which direction how fast and what type. For some it is an esoteric experience feeling and seeing different energies, for those without any desire for the martial element (chuan means fist or boxing) have a whale of a time seeing colours and feeling all sorts of sensations. Others have a simpler feeling of pain on being hit depending on their teacher! All three build up whole body power (jing) rather than developing extra strong muscles, They build soft and hard elements and balance of posture and structure. They develop the ability to change as the energy changes. It could be said they develop the efficient mechanics of skill rather than develop muscle that can compensate for bad technique. As the training is not based on exertion it can be very healthy and possible for all ages. Many people practice all three arts as they share a lot of the same goals and similar methods although they have different histories. It must be said that many hard or external styles also develop the same skills but leave them until later in training, or to be worked out by the practitioners themselves.

Many traditional styles were originally for self (and others) defence. Many origins were practical in that farmers learned to use farming tools as weapons or whatever was around. Some training is just skill based as a physical job and life already made you hard and resilient. Today violence is less of a concern in modern societies. Self defence though is a major or minor motivation for some who take up martial arts. It is possible to convert other skills and use them for self defence, or to get a lot of experience and work out what works. The better long term way is to both use the experience of other people and to a logical approach. Marc 'Animal' MacYoung and Rory Miller from the United States are two people who agree a lot on what the average citizen needs for self defence. They both have a wealth of experience of violence in varied situations. They also present the information and reasons for what they say very well. There are other good people to learn from who give the needed knowledge and skills, but the above two are authors and travel the world so are easier to find. Of course most people's needs are only the basics to (avoid and) deal with rare situations. Others though are more likely to need the skills through personal circumstance, including their neighbourhood or family or job. These need a higher ability to perform, and perhaps more skills to (perhaps) control and restrain without injuring the opponent or others, where the challenge is an emotional child or adult. Alternatively there may be more need for weapon awareness and skills. As the severity of risk is higher more precautions need to be taken. Others need high level skills in some areas of law enforcement and the military. Defence is the same idea for all, but actually can be very different. An old Chinese saying goes with "first is guts, second is strength and third is skill". The mental preparation to face conflict is first, although the freeze that everyone experiences is part of this. Skill takes a long time to develop and most people start with guts and strength and develop skill later. An important aspect emphasised by Mark and Rory is to understand the legal position for self defence (and the rest of the competitive situations). Many things could help you defend yourself but then you go to jail. Preparing for self defence situations and preventing violence with body language and conversation are the best skills for the job that meet the aim of self defence by calming a situation down, rather than killing someone with a head plant into concrete.

Prevention is better than cure is the applicable saying here. You need an understanding of what the real risks are. Like the risk of over reacting, but also what is most likely to happen to you. This means what happens and what do I need to be able to do to meet my aim. Sometimes the two above mentioned experts make clear points that just hit you and make you say 'of course' whilst hitting yourself on the forehead. I have learned enough that I do not actually do this out load any more! Most conflict and violence is with someone you know. Lesson number one don't go round pissing people off, do not grope them or their wives and, do not be rude and abusive. Find out what these things are and stop it! Now! Number two is avoidance. Some places and activities just rack up the odds of conflict. If the word alcohol did not just jump out at you then start thinking about time and place. When conflict looks close or starts then talk is the major skill, if running away is not immediately vital. Talking is often missed out (as is running away) in martial art classes and systems. If you cannot talk and run well you only have fighting available (if all you can use is a hammer, then the whole world is made up of nails!). So keep your head up for trouble coming and be ready to run or talk. If these fail then the techniques of violence that achieve your aim of defence, but do not become a method of going to jail are needed. Another area of concern is after any violence and what happens and how to deal with this.

Most people do what Marc MacYoung calls fear management rather than risk management. If something catches the eye and is big and scary the fear kicks in and they start fearing and behaving as if it could happen at any time. This bad appreciation of risk is common in many areas where what is perceived as risky is different from what is actually risky. Many Martial artists get regular injuries (that are sometimes major) in training but never face major real-life violent situations. More family members are injured and killed by guns at home than by intruders. People fear sharks and yet we are _their_ biggest predator (mainly for the fins!) and many more people die from bee stings. This is where maths can give us a cold emotionless guide. Most statistics are fallible and crime statistics are no different as most crime is either not noticed or not reported. In the west the murder rates and even the rate where people experience violence is very low. Violence is very rare but there are patterns to know, such as who is more likely to commit violence, where and how (and the other 3 W's). The link between violence and alcohol for murder, rape and group violence is obvious (but often ignored!). The attacker is most often someone you know, where the communication skills are vital to defuse destructive emotions. Of course if you know someone who cannot control their actions like drinking, then avoiding them may be the answer if you can not help them (or you if your the problem of course!). The location tends to be the most common places like home and work. Defending against predator crime is all about not being prey like, even the lion hunts the weak, young and vulnerable and serial killers and rapists are no different. Avoiding or being vigilant in certain areas where you could be vulnerable is important. There's a list from rapists interviewed in the US where they said what they looked for. They liked hair to grab (long pony tail), clothing they can remove easily (they commonly carried scissors or knives for this), distracted people (phone, music etc.) in car parks. Peak ages of victims are around 15-25 years, with less survivor violence (not around to complain) present before 15 years. This is the same peak as road deaths and suicide. Although most violence is by someone known to the victim, some is from a a stranger. Dr Hare's research and books have been identified with by many who have dealt with violence. Miller talks of predators who effectively hunt for victims. Dr Hare has looked at psychopaths; people who account for half of the worst crimes, although only five percent of the population. They include many serial killers! Although more research is needed, on a national level finding out how to recognise and educate psychopaths from an early age is essential. Perhaps it's lucky I am not attractive, but also I do not have obvious objects to steal, or behave aggressively or wear clothing to attract attackers!

Some martial artists venture into weapons training or a weapon art. Although they are obviously pretty redundant for most of real life needs. In terms of violent crime around a quarter involve some implement (UK). Practical need is rarely a factor, but a basic knowledge and training will teach the basic needs. Apart from the practical advice of never take a knife to a gun fight the basics are an understanding of use to appreciate their usage and how to avoid them. Many arts practice versions of fighting methods as opposed to self defence. Duelling all around the world had a winner who just died second rather than first, which are not the skills for self defence. There are other reasons to train weapons though as well as interest. Many arts use the same principles in their weapons training so each weapon has areas of empty hand training that can benefit from it. In the Chinese arts the broadsword uses the waist at close range which can enhance application with empty hands and straight sword practices at medium range and uses more wrist movement. Staff and Spear training practice longer range actions and build power. Practising the main four Chinese weapons builds up skill for any improvised weapon that may be needed and at hand. Of course firearms have taken over for most professionals but sometimes back up is required if a loaded firearm is not available.

It is always worth asking why people do anything, and martial arts is no different. Many people are sold on claims made in advertisements or the fantasy from films and computer games. This is exploited by Pseudo martial arts that either practice aesthetic parts of the arts or mislead with unrealistic claims. False confidence can be dangerous when people step into situations they really do not have the skill or experience to deal with. For many people their only experience although it can be vast is on a screen. TV and film professionals are amazingly skilled at what they do, but they produce shows, not a depiction of reality. Many of the self defence instructors talk of the effects of adrenaline and all the senses firing. As entertaining as TV and film are, they are for entertainment and they pander to perception and emotion, not to educate including the alleged documentaries. Whichever art you practice you have to practice enough of the correct training to be effective. The skills need to be tested under pressure. Some skills can be tested in sports but many cannot with any safety. Some arts have safe practice methods. Others have very effective marketing.

The Chinese arts all use the eastern concepts. Balance is used in many ways not only physical and mental, but also the balance of training. If you just train one aspect you become predictable. Finding the balance of training between conditioning and skills, testing and competition, training and of course the rest of life. An hour a week of exercise should look after health, basic skills need maybe thirty hours practice to get hold of. A lot more is needed for the more complicated aspects, or to face a professional in any of the focuses takes years. Many start with one focus and find another or more. The arts also use the energy of the opponent and go with the flow, finding the natural level of training that can be sustained and effort to be used against the opponent. The constant changing nature is rapid within fighting situations whatever the rules, especially if the social norms of conflict in self defence situations. Finding indirect methods to avoid strengths and find weaknesses of the opponent is often missed without good guidance or persistence. There is subconscious practice of the principles and realisation occurs sometimes after many hours and years.

Military

This chapter is really beyond my experience, but as the martial arts and its literature have been entwined with the martial element it needs inclusion. It must also be said that war is a case of extreme competition where the relationships between factors and people are the same as in competitive areas such as sport and business or in many other situations. Clausewitz a German military author has a famous statement of 'war is an extension of politics'. The interrelated nature of all elements of life mean that we are all affected more or less by everything else. Wars and conflict have a big impact on people's lives directly and also indirectly even generations later. Being effective on the topic is important because of the lasting repercussions. There are many ethnic and community rivalries around the world that originated many centuries ago. So doing the conflict and war thing effectively is vital. It is easy to believe myths and biases of the past, and learn the wrong lessons. Napoleon was a great general at winning battles, but ultimately he lost not once but twice. It is important to achieve victory in your goals not to win battles. Many victories have been Pyrrhic, where the consequences of fighting and even winning are catastrophic. Internationally there is the UN which attempts to keep peace but compromises at every turn. All nations are self interested and act accordingly with many zero sum situations where if one nation wins another loses.

We must have aims as a country, and the military must fit into that. The country must see the whole picture and not over focus on smaller elements. The military must give the country options. Without a military opposition then there is little deterrent to take notice of. And although most of the time nobody will, it only has to happen once and your country now belongs to someone else! A phrase that sums the overall approach is to win without fighting. It is important to avoid direct all out war where everyone loses, more indirect methods need to be used. Political and diplomatic methods need to be used with other nations directly and indirectly involved. If you can negotiate a win/win arrangement then both sides win. To get this, or at least a win to you can be obtained in many ways. This has to have long term benefits, so their win or loss must not give them the advantage after. You need to be in a position of advantage. The classic advantage is being bigger and more capable, then failing that, you must make a fight very costly to the opponent. One simple method is to stay united and divide the opposition, by interference and alliances.

The Art of War (AoW) is only thirteen small chapters long, but it summarises the key elements of strategy. It is concise and detailed on strategy thinking. It is as relevant today as it was 2,500 years ago, with the experiences of war, in the warring period. Sun Zi (Tzu) was, like Confucius and Lao Zi (Tzu), a wise real person or a name used as the representative of many people's thinking. Throughout this book the ghost of the Art of War directs the discussion. It talks to a general about how to act in the best way, how to plan and what information must be gathered, and the key methods and types of waging war. The principles in the book are of the Chinese philosophical and practical tradition. It involves trying to win without fighting, explaining the disadvantages of the methods that lead to head to head fighting. It has the direct and indirect methods of avoiding strength and attacking weakness. It includes deception such as spy usage and the foreknowledge of different situations and terrain and the best decisions to be made. It discusses mobility and speed, which in Sun Zi's time was met with chariots but can equally be applied to helicopters and armoured vehicles. It talks of controlling the enemy so you dictate the actions of all sides. It even talks of the leader's needs, their character and requirements. The Art of War has several translations and many books have been written trying to explain and explore its knowledge and guidance for all purposes, especially business. Many readers including the US forces, sports coaches as well as martial artists have read, used the information and quoted the book to others to improve performance.

Lesser known outside of China are the rest of the seven military classics. The other six help expand and further explain the Art of War, although not written for that purpose. The Ssu-ma Fa was written about the same time as the AoW. It is more thorough, discussing government and military matters with the strategies of these levels. How to administer the military and keep the people happy, military preparation and battle management are covered. Written later was Wu-Tzu, by a man who gained power and used it wining all his battles. He talks of the need for forces and measuring elements, working with the people, training the forces as well as running and fighting with the army. In a later period three more classics, the Six Secret Teachings, Wei Liao-Tzu and Three Strategies were written. All three and the later still Questions and Replies discuss civilian and military matters with different approaches. All of the classics have some compilation and co-authoring. The 36 Chapters also overlaps but with 36 stratagems like game plans for different situations. They contain many ruses of war that are covered by artifice, tricks and cunning which have a very negative portrayal in spite of being used by everyone in the West. The Machiavellian approach from the Prince often misunderstood in the west covers similar ground. Concealment, misdirection and exploitation are used in various positions from superior to desperate.

In the West Napoleon gets special mention as he won more battles than anyone else. He went to a military academy where he excelled in the maths of artillery and was well read and prepared, so he was successful in his first skirmish and soon after that his first campaign in Italy, winning with better knowledge, strategy and tactics, against more experienced generals, and while his own fellow generals struggled in Germany. He worked with speed and mobility to find the opponents weakness and exploit it. He would have his army travel in two parallel paths that could mutually support each other. He then became emperor (awarded it to himself) and then went on to make strategic errors in Spain and Russia. Overall though, he and France were fighting several countries with larger forces. He did not win without fighting later on, but the Russians did, as they tactically withdrew drawing Napoleon deeper into Russia till the winter came. The British did operate indirectly on a strategic level, in Spain, using its navy and through alliances.

After World War I, B H Liddell Hart addressed the high death rate with one principle, the indirect approach. Millions died and the war lasted four years, and it was full of direct attack followed by direct attack. His principle is in common with the Chinese approach, but in his book of 1954 he describes Napoleon and Scipio, a Roman general of circa 210 BC, and how they achieved great success with indirect approaches. He set out his strategic ideas including keeping the objective in mind and following the path of least resistance. He talked of mechanised forces which were indeed used by the enemy in World War II to great effect in indirect attacks. They kept their opposition guessing keeping their options open so they could change their plans if they met heavy resistance.

If a country is attacked it either fights or is taken over. Only a head on fight is available. To avoid this a country has to be prepared during peace, as well as active in meeting its aims. The generalship and country leaders need to know and understand the environment and the other countries. For western states this involves the whole world. The AoW has a chapter on spies, they must gather and deliver information about and to the other countries. Diplomacy must create alliances, and the military must be prepared to meet opponents. To win without fighting takes a lot of preparation. The supreme strategy is to be invulnerable and wait for the opponent. There is though need to organize, train and motivate for attack as well. There has to be harmony with the people. In the AoW it talks of avoiding a long war. The public in the west are very hostile to long wars where their soldiers die. There is a section of society that is against all wars on principle and is very vociferous in its campaigning. It is though part of nature as a whole and humans are no different. There always has been conflict and always will be. It must be prepared for. The phrase "if you want peace prepare for war", highlights the need to be ready for conflict. But the aim should be to win without fighting, accepting that this is a great challenge and will not always work. A large barrier is the civilian leadership that may not have the knowledge and aptitude to prevent war let alone run a war when it occurs.

The diplomatic and security services need to be active and secrecy must be maintained. As well as gaining knowledge of the political climate of other nations they need to assess the people who make the decisions and those that influence them, and the capabilities of the people and the countries. The aim must be to avoid any surprises, although some regimes are very unpredictable. It is also important to combat the effect of the opposition spies and diplomats. The appearance of your forces and your leadership affect the opposition's actions. It may be important to appear strong to avoid a fight, or weak to encourage an alliance. Being ready to exploit, and react to changes slow or sudden, means deployment of forces must be varied and with some secrecy and unpredictability of the opposition. Sometimes it is the right time to fight, as the cost of not fighting will be greater. The number of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan is often exclaimed by opponents to the action. They never compare the figure to that before the actions, or to an estimate of a world were no action was taken. This is bad maths and is only an emotional statement for effect. It is interesting that according to game theory, the west should have defeated Germany and carried on against Russia in 1945 and won the Cold War straight away. Instead they had the Cold War that lasted over forty years with many little conflicts costing many lives around the world. Not being prepared to fight mentally or physically has often been punished in human history.

Another concept from the Chinese tradition is Orthodox and Unorthodox. This concept is alive and well in the West. The conventional forces are able to perform on mass. This hopefully means that if anyone was to attack, they could not just walk straight in without direct conflict. This has a basic deterrent value that makes any opponent have a challenge at least. It also means that any one who is not defended could of course be attacked by you. They then have to be prepared with the same expense as you. Unconventional forces can include special forces. Many forces have special forces troops for working behind enemy lines, and counter terrorism type roles to deliver and deal with the non conventional opponents. Navies may have some submarines and air forces stealth aircraft that can deliver surprise and uncertainty. If an opponent has to defend against the unorthodox it will not be concentrating on the orthodox, even their existence when known can help divide the opponent. As technology is developing new methods and capabilities give potential advantages for their adopters. The AoW also has a chapter on Fire, a special weapon and gives guidance on when and how to use it. A similar situation exists with nuclear weapons today where their usage is only in certain situations, as they do not let you 'conquer all intact', just what's left, nuclear weapons are obviously more destructive.

Conflict should also be dealt with directly and indirectly. There should be a conventional discussion diplomatically, but also the conventional forces on guard. To avoid the head on fight, the development of alliances to deter attack or to threaten from another direction divides attention. When in conflict, as well as the military forces, other targets can be attacked or manipulated to weaken the opponent. Modern forces need fuel and ammunition so the communications and transport links and equipment can be attacked to reduce the main force's effectiveness. It is important that these work together. There must be an army in front while an attack proceeds indirectly. Any one method performed all the time is predictable and defensible. The aim is to attack weakness while being strong. Here creativity can come up with effective plans to weaken the opponents.

All the principles have opposites that need balancing. Orthodox and Unorthodox, Direct and Indirect. The art is in balancing these elements. Napoleon dispersed his armies but could concentrate on a target. Before he concentrated the opponent did not know where he was going to be attacked and could not defend. Napoleon then attacked the least defended or at least a weakened target. Generalship also needs to balance discipline and kindness. In Sun Zi's time until today indiscipline has even meant execution. Sun Zi is said to have demonstrated the effectiveness of reward and punishment with an emperor's concubines. He attempted to drill a group of them and they giggled and were not successful. His response was to have two of the emperor's favourites executed. After that the concubines marched perfectly well. Although a little over the top for today, discipline is still vital for effectiveness. The art though must be to balance the punishment and discipline with rewards and kindness. Napoleon won battles and that was a reward. Fair pay and medals (recognition) must also be present. The good leader will also not abuse their power and the trappings. Many Generals will take time to eat the same food as the men and share some of the hardness of the soldier's life. This of course does not mean they should starve and do all the work or withhold punishment. They must still perform their job and help the soldiers do theirs.

Sun Zi and the other seven military classics talked of chariots and horses as the latest technology. After the European renaissance and then industrial revolution the progress of science and technology gave a massive advantage to European forces which pretty much beat the rest of the world until the other nations caught up and the western societies changed. This extreme advantage was a massive imbalance, revolutionising the world. Having a massive advantage such as this can cause as many problems as it solves. The prejudice towards the old colonial powers is strong today all round the world, generations after the power was exploited. Now many European nations are not able to intervene and are hampered around the world through this reputation. This was an over-extension of very hard (yang) with little compromise and negotiation (yin). Nature though returns to balance! Technology is only a tool that will distort the relationships. The tool must be used appropriately and timed to be effective. Many tools must be used together, harmoniously and unified, to reduce weak links and also to avoid over-extension like the first tanks which just kept going until they ran out of fuel, but with little support. The Germans in World War II joined the tanks with troops and attacked indirectly with surprise and overran France with lightning speed. They linked the tools and used them effectively.

The highest form of strategy is to become formless. You become unknowable by the opponent as you can change and adapt at will. Rather than a fixed fort in one place, you can go anywhere by many routes and find the weaknesses of the opponent. The Chinese (Dao De Jing) regularly talk of the attributes of water. Where it follows the path of least resistance, it can flow into the smallest gaps, and it can combine and amass the power to break rock. You cannot grasp it and yet it can knock you down. To have these properties in a military takes a lot of preparation and training, and probably some practice. It needs mobility as well as the ability to be solid and unmovable, it needs to adapt to changing opponents and circumstances. This needs solid basics and training formations, but also changing from one formation to another. Modern forces will maintain special forces for less common roles, to be experts and have a plan of how to train many more. An army may have marine forces for amphibious warfare, paratroop forces as well as Arctic and desert units, maintaining the skills but also keeping up with the changes in these elements.

Although your aim is to win without fighting, this has to take into account the situation you are actually in. The highest form is the planned, integrated strategy of trying to win before any conflict, by having major advantages over any opponent that can be direct and used if needed, or indirect that may be used to reduce the need of the direct methods. In discourse of the 36 Chapters (in some of the translations) the stratagems are categorised into when they can best be used. Applying the same principles (indirect, balanced etc.) in a superior position you need to act to discourage escalation. If there is confrontation it may be necessary to fight and quickly defeat the opponent. If you have to attack you need to probe their defences and try to move the opponent away from their strengths. Amidst conflict with confusion you need to exploit the chaos to find weaknesses and use them. When you are at a disadvantage as the opponents hold the strong position you need to attempt to appear strong, bait with traps and keep changing to create urgency and mistakes. In desperate situations the best tactic is not the fight to the death, but to run away and fight another day. The AoW talks of differing ground in relation to the opponent, like their territory, deep or shallow or yours. It also looks at the terrain including marsh and mountains. These need to be used to your advantage and to avoid disadvantageous situations.

There are real examples over the last 100 years, where these methods have succeeded. Chairman Mao was in a desperate situation, and ran away, he also spent many years avoiding major contact while gradually strengthening till he defeated the western trained opponents. Once in power he then declared war on businessmen, intellectuals and even sparrows, which showed his weaknesses. Mahatma Gandhi also helped gain independence over many years by non-violent actions that eventually got independence for India and kept friends with the British at the same time, but the country split into two with the formation of Pakistan and many died at this time.
Education

The Chinese have had an education system for thousands of years based on the Confucian classics. This system has fed the civil service and leadership throughout China. Achievement in the tests gave high status and was pursued by many for years. Still today modern education is very respected. Many Chinese have gone abroad to Europe and America to gain the modern skills and knowledge, where they are often the highest performing ethnic group. The old system was very meritocratic, but based on memory of the classics. The Confucian's theory was to show one quarter of the subject and those with the talent will find the rest.

In the West, especially the US and UK, they are very exam orientated, with politically monopolised systems. The teaching is directed mainly at the tests themselves. Many sections of society do not see the value of education, mainly where there is no history of it within the family. The results of the systems are often decried. Businesses complain about the young peoples abilities and attitudes. In UK universities an expansion in numbers has been made of students without all the necessary skills and experience to achieve. Drop out levels are higher and the whole system fails to get children from lower economic groups to the highest standards, with private schools massively outperforming the state schools. There is a political movement that has campaigned against the private schools and selection in favour of more state schools. This is anti elitism, but also anti excellence at the same time. In times where politicians claim an ever improving education system, at the same time as there is record youth unemployment, and complaints from employers this is a massive contradiction.

Any education system has to be very large and able to deal with a lot of different factors. The system needs to produce for its participants. Employment is a key destination for many when they become adults. As this must be an aim of the system then the customer; employers need to be consulted and researched so the necessary preparation within education can be done. This needs a breadth of education for people to be contributing workers. The breadth of education must include academic learning almost entirely for a proportion that prepares for work requiring knowledge. These people will still need balance including some practical skills and experience. A rounded (holistic) education has many benefits that will reduce weaknesses in people's ability to contribute in business and the wider society. Many employments do not require an academic learning bias. Although the rounded education is still important, the bias must be to practical skills. Here Germany has a much better recent history and reputation, where the manufacturing industries have been supported. If employers find that education does not provide the prepared youth they require, they must step in and do it themselves. Education has to identify talent and encourage and support it. There is an inequality in distribution of many things. Production is one; most production comes from a small number of people. So in sales, although you may have ten sales staff, it is rare that all ten produce the same amount of sales. It is an economic reality that you should back the winners, to optimise production. Education needs to do the same as the work required to get one person an 'A' may be a lot less than to get another to get a 'C'. In the sales team again it will be a lot less work to support the best sales staff than to get the lowest performing up to average. Although education must prioritise, the more people who have an education focused (but still with some balance) on employment needs the more productive it will be. Excellence requires excellent inputs. Education will need to be to smaller groups and one to one, avoiding the crippling distractions of less able academic learners, and spreading the educators resources too thin. Tests are limited and only measure what they can measure, and although they are an important part of education they are not all! One point raised from the military strategy of east and west is the vital element of discipline, both individually and groups. Simply the Army that is ill disciplined loses, and it is no different in education the ill disciplined students lose too. The results of state education are easy to criticise in the UK and USA. In the UK a survey found that half of adults have maths skills and knowledge of year 6 (last year of primary), which means that maths education in secondary schools is half wasted or at best gets children up to a pre-secondary level. Every subject can be attacked by similar measurements. Can only 10% of adults exercising be a good sign for PE, can very few people being able to speak a foreign language be a good sign for their tuition in schools?

As well as employers and the state, education is important to the individual. Each person requires preparation for employment, but also the rest of life. Physical and mental health, relationships, and parenthood are examples of areas of life that need preparation. Individual differences are very significant to teachers but also the students. They have to be discovered and allowed for. For example the amount of time wasted in schools where non-academic students are forced to sit through academic classes, it is close to impossible for the student and very difficult for the teacher. The result is very unproductive - well apart from stress – loads of that produced! There are many measures of individual differences that are known, and sometimes measured and once or twice used in education. Some are science based others have some success as a tool for planning education and helping learners. Lately Howard Gardner's Multiple intelligences theory has helped frame many differences as people have strengths and weaknesses in different areas such as physical, musical, logical and linguistic. Another tool is VAK where people are biased to visual or aural or kinaesthetic aspects of input. Personality tests also can help with much established researched data existing. As in physical activities where many sports for instance are biased to certain physical attributes, such as height for basketball and rowing, and things like hip flexibility, body type (muscle type, thin, stout etc.) which give other advantages. The mental abilities such as introversion and extroversion, whether people reflect or dive straight in all have different advantages and disadvantages, that are themselves more or less valued in different subjects and activities. Linking your physical and mental attributes to where they are most effective, not battling against very long odds of success. Quite simply, people need to know their real strengths and weaknesses and not be given the vague encouragement ' you can be anything you want to be'. Oh no you can't!

Achieving a balance between state and the individual is the paradox of the system. The preparation of future workers and social participants, needs to be balanced with the needs of the individual. Productivity must be used to help balance. Giving everyone the same education whatever their social circumstance and abilities, is not economically productive. Individual learning based on selection must help match up people to the skills they need and can achieve. A base education is important to deal with change, as well as learning about change itself. The Chinese have had the Confucian balanced by the Daoist, with authority balanced by nature. The aim is to support those with excellent potential and keeping the average high as well as supporting those with little ability. Self discovery and experience are vital. As well as basic formal education, research and projects that crossover subjects and are more individually selected can help build the bricks of the subjects and the mortar of the links between them. Experience of the arts and sports can give breadth to understanding. Understanding competition is important, but also winning and losing must be put in context. This should include realistic results, effort and personal achievement.

Know yourself and you will win fifty battles, know your opponent and you will win fifty battles. Know yourself and your opponent and you will win one hundred battles. This maxim from the Art of War points to what the learning process must achieve. Many of the tools for measuring individual differences can be used to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Helping guide you to your opportunities and threats. I see many teachers and students working with acronyms that just will not work for the student. If something does not yield results it may just be not right for you! Some people work better hearing, some seeing and some feeling, with most wanting a little of each. Experience helps understand which works for you. Once you have an understanding of yourself you can use the right tools to learn with. These resources of course need to be used well. Many imposed and bureaucratic systems use only limited methods and approaches. The teachers teach how they are trained to teach, where as those self taught teach what has worked for them(selves). When you have developed a knowledge of how you and others learn you will be better able to learn from others, even if they do not teach in your style or to any standard. Leonardo De Vinci is the standard bearer of self teaching who constantly developed himself and produced many varied results whether paintings, statues, designs or even parties. He experimentally learned through trial and error and careful observation and is deservedly called a genius.

Only when the desired end or ends are known can a learning plan be designed. There are many disconnections between the school curriculum and the real world needs of the learners and society. Much of education is academically orientated, which for a few is what is desired. But for many it is irrelevant, especially when there is no mention of why the topics covered are being taught. It is important to emphasise what is needed for work and life, with explanations of context. The qualifications are a little arbitrary and compromised. Background is useful to understand why, but that is the second level not the primary doing level. It can help learning and can be used to frame the course content. Communication comes first and then the study of language, and why it is how it is. Exercise comes first and then applying it to sports and the whys and hows. Many aspects of life such as health; where exercise, diet and hygiene need to be habits (good ones that lead to better health). You are best to be healthy even if you do not know why. Of course most adults know they are unhealthy and why, and very few succeed in doing anything about it! Communication and daily maths and science follow the same pattern of bad habits and myth rather than knowledge.

Education needs to be balanced and specific. Good habits such as health as detailed above, and experience of many areas will support the specific skills needed for any specialisation or more restricted work and social circumstances. Core skills built on the good habits, will save money in the future. The health industries, whether the state monopoly in the UK or private schemes in the USA deal with a lot of preventable disease, and a fitness instructor costs a lot less then a doctor! Prisons are full of people without qualifications who never succeed in education. They have often not achieved anything in the education system. What is essential to motivate learners is that there has to be relevancy to the subjects covered and reasoned presentation. Many qualifications are balanced for many purposes. Language qualifications have spoken, listening, reading and writing parts. The problem here is that in practice very few people need to write in a foreign language, the need is predominantly conversational with some reading. Added to many not having a great ability to write their own language, the written section is demotivating and not as relevant to the learner. The qualifications are set up as a preparation for later study, not practical usage.

Education has a culture of its own, with its own beliefs and norms and it operates with children of the state and their subcultures. The overriding sociological influence on educational attainment is the socio-economical element. Quite simply the children of the less well off are outperformed by those of the wealthy and better off. The maths here show that even at 3 and 4 years of age the differences in ability and experience are stark. The better off children are much more likely to have had more conversations, be able to sit down and to delay gratification, and use a knife and fork. The differences can be measured as some are a year below average and some a year above average. If you are two years behind at 3 or 4 years, you're in trouble. These children are just not successful in education, and in fact life. The studies show that a poor child who has some preschool experience in a nursery or similar, is half as likely to go to jail, and twice as likely to get a job as one without. Very few of these disadvantaged children are helped by the system. Religion has also been a factor in education, with many schools set up as church schools originally. Religion as a topic is important to understand yourself and others. A big mistake is to confuse religious belief with science. The argument to include creationism in a science class is massively flawed. Often the misunderstanding of the science concept of theory, is misused. Of course this sort of misunderstanding of a religious concept is sometimes contested in extreme ways. Some areas have a subculture as well. I have taught in schools where the children see no value in education and neither do their parents. This is often in areas where there was one industry like coal mining, where whatever your attainment you were probably going down the pit anyway. This is a big problem when the pit closes and something else needs to be found.

Stereotyping is a sociological term that describes the human tactic of seeing patterns and devising reactions to them. Just like any danger cue sets off reactions of fight, flight or freeze, everything is seen as a simplified pattern. This includes people who have a pattern of expected behaviour, and a behaviour is in response to the pattern or stereotype rather than every detail at the time. Of course some stereotyping is productive and some unproductive. Labelling someone of low ability (e.g. thick), then influences their behaviour and often leads to the person believing and behaving as if they are like the stereotype. This modelling is how the brain works, sometimes a little help can improve the process to be more productive. I have already mentioned the contrast of talent vs hard work and how the attribution of talent to someone who has practised more, is a common label. This label is then used and becomes self enforcing. Nature is a big influence, but lots of things are found to be able to be changed by nurture (after). The brain and body can still change throughout life, so learning can occur and skills be developed and maintained with effort in most people. Lifelong learning and exercise would be a massive factor on physical and mental health.

The learner as a child has very little input into their education. They may be given some choices or sometimes left to themselves, but most is imposed. If you can choose for yourself or another the teacher is important. The question 'how do I find a good teacher?' is often asked. Planning and preparation has to be done. The knowledge you need is what is it that you want? Teachers have strengths and weaknesses as well, you need to match up your needs and their strengths. A common mistake is one of choosing a good or excellent performer to teach or coach (and indeed manage in work environments). The problem is that teaching is a different skill set to performing. Many performers do not know how or what they learned. So they just copy what their experience was while they were being taught, coached (or managed). There is often little understanding and little ability to adapt to others. It almost amuses me how, although managers from football like Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Ariggo Sacchi, three of the most successful managers of the modern era, had very unspectacular playing careers, (and yet) a lot of clubs have ex-top internationals who sometimes are clearly out of their depth. Finding a teacher that performs at teaching is the more important factor. Then looking for the teacher that performs with people like you, from your background with your strengths and weaknesses. Most times compromise has to be made. For practical reasons like logistics you have to take the best available to you. You can learn and develop enough to advance. As well as changing teachers at times as your situation changes, self-teaching using resources and hard thinking is possible, and actually a very useful skill. The world is full of compromise and sometimes you will want something that cannot be taught. The self knowledge and self discipline of self teaching can be invaluable.

Learning is not something that happens in the teacher, but in the learner. The educator creates the environment to encourage learning. The role of the educator changes as the level of the learner changes. At the beginning a teacher is required. Here the learning is lead by the teacher with clear instruction and demonstration depending on the subject. The basic skills and general ideas are introduced and practised. Quite often modified games or questions are used to test and practice, and not full games and real world problems. A middle level is where the basics are developed and used together tactically in combinations and where full games are introduced and practised with coaching. Here more learner input and more thinking skills are encouraged. Strategy is introduced. Once the learner knows the basics and how to use them tactically and with basic strategy, they need to develop their own specific skills, tactics and strategies that will work in all situations they may face. Here the learner leads and the educator takes on a more consulting role, answering questions and offering pointers. This pattern sees a change from educator dominance to learner dominance. The learners start off (for it to work) more receptive and reactive (yin) to the educator's dominant (yang) role. Over time the learner becomes more assertive (yang) and the educator almost backs off and becomes more reactive (yin). If the learner becomes an educator they start the cycle again being the Yang Teacher and gradually becoming the Yin consultant.

There is often problems with definitions. These are clear descriptions of elements of learning and performing. Although this is more western and definite it is present and even easier to miss in the Eastern tradition. In education there is learning, training, drilling, experimenting (playing) and doing. They are intimately related but different, although sometimes only subtly. People often try to learn when in a situation of pressure and competition. Learning skills is best done separately, with instruction and observation from a teacher. The skill is learned and can be practised in drills that gradually become more complicated. Once the skills are tactically incorporated with others they can be trained with a little pressure to start with and then progressively more. When a learner has got the skills accurately and consistently under pressure, they can experiment using all sorts of inspiration and just going with the flow to see what happens. Then performance can be tested in live competitive situations. If full on competition is entered too early then short term coping strategies are developed which hamper higher skills. The football example is where British children play full football games at 10 years of age and Brazilian children play Futsal a small sided game until 14 years of age. Futsal allows the children to get many touches of the ball and develop skills under pressure, whereas British children stand in freezing weather hoping to touch a ball sometime. The beauty of sport is the clarity of results. Brazil 5 World cups and 8 Copa de Americas to England's 1 World cup. If 13:1 is not a clear scoreline and a motivator to change, well you get the results you deserve!

Change is the only constant. Everything changes and education must adapt. This is where principles come in like the acceptance and investigation of constant change. These can be taught and adapted. The West Indian's saying "giving the roots to grow and the wings to fly". The principles are the roots and may look different on each tree, but do the same job. Once they have the skills and tactics and understanding of strategy they can choose their own path. The Chinese principles of balance (Yin Yang), going with the flow and indirect action can be taught and experimented with. Also the scientific principle and how far it can help and how far it cannot. Scientific knowledge is growing every day at a fantastic rate. It is constantly learning and relearning how the universe works with evidence. Keeping up to date with who are the best guides in other fields and in your field is the framework to keeping up. The important gap that science has found is the first 1,000 days which impacts and directs the rest of your life. Without the start being good then the catch up can only be a little successful and more expensive.

Sport

Sport is one area where the Chinese are already here. They are now at the top of the medals table at the Olympics. There are some sports they have been strong in for a long time and others they have caught up over the last twenty years. They have a focused set of programs for elite sport, where they start looking for talented young children and give them access to top level training. They collect many children into their programs and the ones that survive become medal hopefuls. They do concentrate on sports which are in the Olympics, even at the expense of their national sports and pastimes. Sport and exercise for health is both a western and an eastern activity. Badminton and table tennis are very common, but so are Tai Chi (Chuan) and Qi Gong. These were promoted as an alternative to building expensive hospitals in the 1970's and 80's. Sport versions of the traditional martial arts have been developed called Wushu, where the practical and health elements are de-emphasised, in favour of aesthetics.

Being effective in sport is determined by the rules and the results achieved. For a nation's pride and political bragging rights Olympic and World medals are key. At the top level the lengths people and states have gone and go are extreme; at the highest level the competition is fierce, bordering on war like competition, with many indirect, deceptive and dishonest methods used. To get to the top in a lot of sports it becomes all out!

The beautiful clear thing in sport is that it is often (very) blindingly obvious when there is success and failure. If your nose hurts in boxing then you failed to stop the punch. If the ball is in a net then it is probably a goal. Some events have the quickest time or highest or longest and the winner is simple to decide. Officials and rules are needed, with vigilance for infringements and enforcement of the rules. Some success/failure is less obvious and often more important. The first trap people, especially children, fall into is how they measure the result, and the conclusions they reach. The level of your development needs to help set goals and interpret results. Beginners need to be realistic especially in competition against unknown opposition. Some people are kept in a lower group to gain better results. The alternative successes are harder to spot. The simple questions of; did I do better this time? Will hopefully show progress or not. Some sports are clear as to the result and the elements of performance. Others are very complicated and assessments are very difficult. The opponent can make a good performance look bad and vice versa. This is where a teacher that is trusted comes in to help the assessment.

There are many ways of categorising sports. Some are obviously athletic such as running, swimming and cycling. Here they are almost fitness events where even team events are often done one at a time. The team games can be called 'Invasion games' as two teams invade each other such as football (soccer) and basketball. Fitness is a component of the game, but skills, individual and team, are equally important to success. All sports though will have strategy components for long term development and competition. Many sports have developed from practical activities such as archery, javelin etc., and others that involve a bat or racket on a ball that train the hand eye coordination that was needed for sword fighting. Other sports and activities have developed from child or adults play, with only passing practicality. Many sports and activities have the same elements such as fitness, skills and strategy. Even mental activities gain from fitness such as chess and snooker where the best have fitness trainers. They also offer different benefits outside of sport, although sometimes these can be missed depending on the approach to participation, by participants, but also others from teachers to the media.

For elite competition as in education, there has to be long term development. There is a large myth about talent, perpetuated by the social systems. Although there are physical and mental advantages that some people have that others do not, such as height for basketball and rowing and muscular-skeletal advantages such as hip proportions for flexibility, and many believe advantages put down to talent are just where one person has practised more. Ayed 's book "Bounce" includes several examples in children's experience, where talent is spotted in a year group where some children are 11 months younger than the children they are being compared to. The results are that most professionals have their birthdays early in the year. So if the cut off is 1st January then most professionals will have birthdays in January, February and March. When first seen they were physically more developed and more experienced in the activity. Any child who is 11 months younger is rarely able to look talented. Effective programs around the world have used biometric data to talent-spot. But in invasion games selection and stereotyping is started young and discrimination is systematic. Programs need to avoid missing out on talented, but younger children. They also need to serve the children until adulthood. Professional coaching for all raises the level for all, including the most talented.

Competition in sport is distributed differently, with some once a week and like the Olympics sometimes once every four years. These require planning to be at a peak at the time of competition. A long term plan for an Olympic athlete may be designed to peak in Olympic years, where as a footballer in a league needs to perform in every week of a season. The latter cannot achieve the same excellence that a one off competitor can reach. They still though may aim to have smaller peaks at important times, where their standard must be higher. But even in the Olympics an athlete may have to go through qualifying rounds before the final. The aim of the rounds is to qualify, not break records, then in the final the aim will be to come first. For a one-off event then peaking is simpler, but opponents also are in a similar position. There may be several peaks a year for important games, tournaments or events, that require the plan to be periodised (sub-divided) with plans up to each competition.

The professionals should be aiming higher to achieve a higher standard. They have the advantage of preparing full-time. They also though have to prepare deeper and wider as their opponents will be doing this. It is important that more advanced skills are built on the basics, these must be practised from childhood so the skills are fully automated. The Chinese talk of a weapon being 'a hundred day weapon' if it is simple, a 'thousand day' if it is more complicated and 'ten thousand' for the highest level weapon and skill. To be effective at a lower level than professional, working at the basics provide the greatest return, although working occasionally on the more difficult skills can enhance the more important basics. At the higher levels risk has to be taken. I like the point that the best figure skater in the world has probably fallen on their backside more than anyone else! Planning and supervised (coach) risk taking is essential when competitors are trying to beat everyone else and the records.

A plan has to be thorough for a professional. It can be a twenty year career, with twenty yearly plans that may be periodised to competitions in those years. This is a plan of development, to peak at the right times. How you train and develop, as well as how you compete will be part of the strategy. Here a SWOT analysis or a similar method needs to be done to work out the best plan contents. In team sports there is often a range of successful participants, with differing physical and mental attributes. Allowing for these differences will increase the chance of success. You may not train all tactics and skills, at least all the time, but a style of play according to a game plan. Some practice of the rest of the skills is good for balance. Also the SWOT analysis can be done by the opponent and their threats are your strengths and so they may have a plan to overcome them. Each component of a plan must be balanced over time although at any one time you may focus on one main element. Periodisation allows focus (prioritising) on fitness at one time while maintaining other elements, or focusing on a selection of skills now and different ones later. Hopefully this can be fitted into a long term plan. Often a physically more developed athlete can use this advantage without developing the skills, but when their opponents learn to beat this or catch up in their physical development they then cannot win, early success often being a barrier to later success. Of course the important point for a plan is when things change. Many things vary over the course of twenty years. New opponents, changing rules and technology can change the emphasis of a sport. The ability to adapt a plan to change is also vital as is the awareness that something has changed and what it is and when.

Each sport, and in some different roles within the same sport, have differing requirements. The training principle is the specificity of exercise. Simply; a press up improves press up ability not kicking a ball. A lot of people spend much time practising skills, fitness exercises or tactics that are not specific to them or their sport or their best game plan. Each opponent offers differing opportunities and threats (swOT analysis) and needs different specific preparation and planning. Many people do the same thing against everyone and sometimes it works and sometimes they think they were unlucky. Being predictable makes you easy to beat, sometimes even by an inferior opponent. There are two codes of Rugby (League and Union), which involve many of the same skills, tactics and fitness needs and yet they are games where in some situations you need to do the opposite skill, quite often skills that need to be automatically performed. A balanced set of skills needs to be developed but only some can be taken to the highest level. Specialisation is part of sport and is an economic principle where one person can can get much better at one skill and another person at another skill, and this is far more productive than the two people trying to do both skills.

Preparing the body for sport requires the body to adapt to the load placed on it. To achieve fitness for high level sport needs a long term plan. It will need a base of fitness that is for everyday life, which must be balanced including the key components of fitness, including strength, flexibility and aerobic capacity. When a higher level is required then specific fitness is required. Top level sport places huge demands on the body way beyond healthy abilities. Any short-cut will place the body under damaging stress. The Chinese approach is 70% effort every day, whereas the Western approach demands 110%. For fitness for life (health) the Chinese approach is sufficient. As is early development in children. Adult elite performers need some higher, more risky training after the basics have been mastered. Other practices are very common to varying degrees that allow faster recovery and more intense workouts. Most of these are against sports rules. It is difficult in many sports to see how to be successful at high level sports without these methods. Some people have claimed surprise at the exposing of Lance Armstrong in cycling, but many other cyclists he beat have been caught breaking the laws. How he beat them has to be questioned.

As well as the body, the mind has to be prepared. Quite often the difference between two competitors is the psychological aspects. A lot of limits to growth and performance are psychological. Your beliefs about yourself and others determines your attitudes and approaches to tasks. The common phrase is 'if you think you can't then you're right, but if you think you can you're right'. Of course I cannot fly like a bird so there are limits, but we use many constructs and heuristics that limit us, that are not based on real abilities. Of course it is not good enough to tell children they can do anything they want to. They need to be helped know their real limits and capabilities. The dedication to get to the top level is a massive deciding factor. To do 20 hours a week for 10 years is rarely achieved, especially with sufficient quality practice, and ignoring the many distractions (sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll). Sports psychologists are used by many to create a plan and implement plans. Motivation and constructive thinking are constantly challenged by the desire to be normal, and play with friends at all ages, and losses can be taken out of context very easily. Structured learning and training with goal setting and goal achievement keep forward movement. Team work often needs psychological support.

Many athletes miss a lot of training through injury and many are forced to stop early with career stopping injuries. Many participants at all levels train with injury. The long term approach will include steady progress with controlled risk. There are many pressures and motivations for people to play on with injuries and play while injured however serious. These often aggravate the injury and lengthen the time away from training. People also train not just around injuries, but through them. Then they return to action before they are healed or rehabilitated. Often the fear of opportunities being missed are drivers to participate, and sometimes the fear is of a real situation. If a scout is present only once and they do not play they will not be put forward, not that one game is sufficient to spot all that is needed to succeed. Many injuries are first formed in childhood, just as many children leave school with bad backs from lengthy sitting and carrying bags, let alone falls and collisions in and out of sport. The systems of talent spotting use the weight of numbers of participants to make the decisions for it, rather than working out the best talent and working with them. Any plan for an individual may need to include being in front of a scout, and performing well.

One major attribute that gives massive advantage is speed. On a pure level there are biological differences in muscles and the nervous system that give some people a speed advantage. But people can get faster. But if you are just fast and always use speed you become predictable. If you think of fast as Yang and slow as Yin then it's the change from one to the other that is harder to combat. In a lot of invasion games it's the acceleration and deceleration that are more effective. Changing speed and direction and from one skill to another needs to be developed. The way to beat superior speed is to have a better position, here you use geometry (probably subconsciously) to have a shorter distance to travel than the faster opponent. The centre of the circle travels less distance than the outer edge, so controlling the centre of the playing area (sometimes just standing there!) means the opponent has to move more. Another method of using speed is to quickly get to an advantageous position where you are strong and they are weak. All skills and tactics should be built up in a progressive way, starting with accuracy then speed and finally power. The common error of trying to run before you can walk can lead to injury as well as bad technique.

Of course there are plenty of famous sports people who have succeeded. A lot of time has been put into what makes a successful sports-person. The discussion above contains much information gleaned from successful sports-people (no I did not make it up). The 10,000 hours is the first element to success at the elite level in sport, as it is in music and most areas of life. Many top performers start before they are 10 years old and have many hours practice more than most others. 10,000 hours of mindless competing is not enough. Ayed uses the term 'purposeful practice'. This is where skill, tactical and strategic development occurs. A common way is to use guides and many of the top performers start early with good coaches. Many sports people now have video footage of themselves at 5 years of age playing competently at their sport. The coaching obviously allows for the age and level of the athlete and develops the mind and body over many years. A lot of this is obviously invisible on the day of competing. Garry Kasparov was a great of Chess, but everyone in chess knows he had a team of grandmasters helping him prepare. He did though lose to one of his team of advisers and lost the world title. Another classic example is in Brazil where the youth play futsol a modified game of football (soccer) that gives the players lots of touches of the ball, which gives more skill practice than a full game. Britain still has many young children playing on a full size pitch with a full size ball when the children are half the size. Only the biggest and strongest (oldest?) will achieve success and dominate, and they will not develop the skills they need when they meet a team the same size as them. A simple example is how in the UK some sports have produced many Olympic champions and medallist (mainly sitting down events!) with sophisticated programmes of athlete selection (e.g. physical attributes) and development. On the other hand in the national sport, football the national teams have won exactly nothing since 1966, apart from one fair play trophy. Football is simply not set up for success of the national sides, and even the top league employs mostly overseas players.

Achievement in sport at one level is medals. These at the peak are World and Olympic, but also include national and area (county/state) championships, all of which require hard work and ability. All of these are achievements which some can clearly be seen as excellent, but also demonstrate high performance. The process involved is a way of practising principles that can be applied in other areas of life. The non-professional can often only apply themselves over a few hours a week, but can still gain above average health with sensible training. There has always been a strong association between a healthy body and a healthy mind (Mens sana in corpore sano – Latin saying). Sports participants have better achievements in education, and brains are definitely helped by exercise on its own, but also any success made during physical activity. Garry Kasparov has written a whole book about what he has learnt from chess and how it is applied to life and how to succeed. He has found principles. Of course the Chinese principles have this all encompassing nature, where benefit can be gained in everything by acting with the them in mind. Practising planning, mental and physical skills, dealing with change and nature. Reviewing and reflecting on knowledge and performance. All these skills can be approached within sport and then used for the rest of life.

Life Plan

As well as applying scientific knowledge and the method to areas of life such as work, and leisure, applying them to yourself or your child can give you or them the best chances in life. Please remember a plan is not dogma that must be followed at all cost. The principle of change from the Chinese perspective helps us to accept that things change and we will have to adapt. A plan and strategic thinking help us be ready for those changes and perhaps see them coming. A useful question to ask is how people succeed. This can be seen in two ways in terms of averages and in terms of excellence. For instance the average graduate (University) earns more than the average non graduate. So a formal education through to degree level, is a valid component. What is important as well is that Leonardo De Vinci and many others who excelled, received informal education and were self teachers. So its not just get a degree! Its the right degree, and developing yourself in other ways too. In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Stephen R. Covey talks of 'beginning with the end in mind'. A plan with strategic intent, will ask where do you want to end up? Then what is the best way to get there? As you get better at planning then you will start to see better the challenges that following a plan will entail. Including the barriers to overcome and the ifs and buts of circumstance. Developing a plan made of smaller plans to reach stages along the way, helps make the plan easier to follow and easier to recognise where you have got to at any point. Thinking again with the concept of change and the old adage from the military that 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'. Having the beginning stages that set up a good general position and gradually getting more specific closer to the goals, gets you to a strong position early where you can adapt to changes foreseen and unforeseen. So this chapter is divided into three areas for life planning. Number one is Child which is mainly for adults (e.g. parents) to try and give children the best start in life. I expect that there are teenagers who could read it and gain a perspective from it as well. I look back at my education formal and informal, and just do not remember being told why school was relevant, and how things fit together. My education was very passive, with many important gaps both generally and specific to me. The second section is a bit looser, Adult overlaps with Child and the last section Senior. Many adults are unprepared by their first 20 years and may need to catch up or push on to greater things. Senior again could start as a child till your last years. The role of senior is to not just look after yourself, but support others giving them the best opportunities so they in return are able to provide the best care for the elderly (Which will be you!). Complaining about the 'youth of today' is not a reflection on the youth but on the adults who care, parent, teach and interact with them. Complaining about the reap when you have done a bad job of sowing, is of course part of the human condition!

In line with the theme of the book it is important to see the available scientific evidence but also look at how the principles of eastern thought can help. The general question is what does it take to be an effective human being. Evidence of the productive patterns from the 'successful' is both scientific and anecdotal. What are the patterns that see people who are wealthier, healthier and most productive. A common socio-economic pattern is that poorer children from poorer backgrounds are at the lower end of most things. They are more likely to have health problems, to stay poor and spend time in Prison. So the problem can be seen as reversing the effects of being poor. This has been done by individuals, communities and nations, but not consistently. Finding the scientific identified factors like nutrition, education and opportunities both positive and negative. Many of which have been identified, but weakly remedied. What I look at, is the aim to 'give them the roots to grow and the wings to fly', they must then grow and fly themselves, but hopefully more successfully than without the application of scientific knowledge and methods, along with the Chinese concepts of balance and constant change and others to give perspective and improve application.

We must look at harmony and completeness of the physical, mental and spiritual whole. What are the needs to achieve health and productivity? One pattern is to find out good habits and then develop and of course keep them. The first level is to have healthy habits that lead to effectiveness. The basics of living a physically and mentally healthy life enhance all areas of life. It is human nature to want to just get things out of the way, or just get rid of the pain (with immediacy). But we do not not think what is the best way to remedy the situation. Some things need to be trained into good habits so they are instinctively done. Other things need to be understood why they are done, or understanding can be gained later, so better decision making can be supported.

Of course human nature does not apply scientific rational automatically. There are many traps we fall into. We often make important decisions too early and then resist change, however obvious that things are wrong. Many people want to be the decision maker to keep control (Of their fear?) or do the glamorous jobs regardless of their (in)ability to do so. Very few people do any planning let alone effective planning, making decisions without thought. Many adults are not prepared from their early life to meet these challenges. So helping children develop habits that allow them to deal with change and imbalance and avoid the traps hopefully follows:

### Child

The Barker Theory contradicts current medical provision in the West. Although the healthy lifestyle factors known by all and practised by few do affect adults health prospects. A key time in everyone's life is the first 1,000 days from conception to 2 years. Women during pregnancy while breast feeding and even before conception affect the babies health for the rest of its life. If the women's body is unhealthy it does get passed on to the baby. The standard healthy life ingredients of a healthy diet and exercise are key, but smoking and the use of alcohol and other drugs also impact throughout the babies life. The diet given to the baby affects the babies taste buds and helps set the diet habits for life. Changing as an adult can make a small difference, but the average diet of children, along with early use of alcohol, smoking and illegal drugs form habits that have a huge impact even if the habits are kicked later on. The straight forward aims of any health policy from individual up to state must be to improve chances from the beginning of life. Healthy diet habits from birth as well as women's health during pregnancy and before conception need to be improved. Mirroring this is the instilling of activity levels above current averages. Later on at nursery and primary school level, a range of balanced opportunities need to be provided to a professional level. Few primary schools can provide skilled delivery of physical activities, including even rudimentary activities designed with children and their development in mind. The foundation guidance on the national curriculum needs to be met rather than being a poor relation of literacy and numeracy. Being able (if it is actually achieved) to read and measure how unhealthy you are does not make you any healthier! Secondary schools to university need to provide a range of activities as well as supporting out of school activities. Helping children find activities they enjoy and will actually do rather than on sport enjoyed by the oldest and biggest children. The maths is quite simple! 8,000 reported stomach stapling operations in the UK at £8,000 each just for the operation, could actually fund 8,000 professionals providing healthy activities in and out of schools. That would save large sums of money spent on the care and treatment of not just these operations, but diabetes care and circulation and respiratory illness later on (e.g. heart attack, stoke and cancer). And that's just the money! A reasonable amount of humanity to reduce the suffering of the physical and mental effects of bad health would not go a miss. The instruction and guidance needs to go through:

  * The general essential skills of fitness;

  * Skills and tactics to more specific fitness;

  * More complicated skills and more advanced tactics and strategies.

Good basics with skill development that decreases injuries as well as improving performance. The teachers and coaches need to identify potential to guide children to more fruitful activities.

Anyone who has had tooth ache or any persistent chronic pain knows that it is very hard to concentrate, you need distraction away from the discomfort. Any bad health has similar influence on the brain's activity. Using the brain is the great human strength. To utilise it well needs practice, to be effective, needs careful development. This needs to start at the basics and build up, those who do not master the basics rarely proceed much further.

Much of this book is about mental development. improving thinking skills, tactics and strategy for all aspects of life. Being able to use any tool that gives advantage, and use it with good timing and appropriately, needs planning and practice. There is vastly more to know than can be known by any one person. Selecting the most common knowledge and skills to be able to adapt to any demand and maximise options is an aim. One useful thing that science has provided is on human limits and what we are bad at, what we really do rather than what we think we do. The human brain evolved and has survived without science, it does not require evidence for decisions and for things to add up scientifically. The model of the lizard brain and its survival instincts and the monkey brain with its emotional drives and then the rational brain, that needs training to be the boss in decision making. Becoming familiar with mathematical and scientific principles early in life and using them daily and allowing for sciences progress. Actively stopping and thinking are required until it is embedded and automated. If practice with day to day numbers and education do not seem to work, then expertise should be used to become familiar with the principles, and patterns. Oriental children familiar with the abacus are able to do more difficult sums in their head as they visualise an abacus. There are many methods of calculation that are not taught in formal education like vedic maths which has much simpler methods of division than long division. There are many patterns within number theory have been discovered that allow mental maths faster than a person on a calculator. Even the times tables can be simplified by a few steps, rather than learn it all by rote.

Language skills are also vital for communication. Some knowledge of the study of languages can help give meaning to an individual language. Learning a second language is much easier as a child than as an adult. Early immersion is a very effective method of gaining a new language. It has been found that fathers play a key role in language development, by talking in adult language to children. Once you have a good understanding of your own language then a second language can be leaned. Many languages share history with others, learning the history and patterns can speed up learning. English is made up of a type of German, where a lot of everyday words are very similar with most words coming from French and Latin, which are very similar to more formal English. Once a second language has been leaned, then a third is easier to add if needed.

Eastern principles can also help thinking skills such as the common skills of planning and gaining knowledge. The added perspective of learning other approaches helps reduce limits. The eastern ideas of balance and constant change can help balance the over reliance on over simple ideas. Practising skills in different contexts widens the appreciation of the skills and builds up knowledge of the relationships between things as well as the things themselves. Once skills have been learned they need to be put together and then combined to solve general problems. Many activities include skills that can be transferred to other areas. Garry Kasparov's book "How Life Imitates Chess" discusses the lessons he has learnt at the chess board. He sees that the planning, preparation, problem solving and competition have the same principles as the rest of life. Chess is an ideal medium to teach life skills and the experiences can be explained in relation to other things as well as encouraging reflection. They have to be addressed deliberately as well as letting the learner learn by themselves. Many people compete to win only and many lessons are not learned due to such a narrow focus. Although learning to win is valuable, many who win do not know why they win and cannot change when they later cannot win, or they stop and do not gain anything apart from false belief of ability. The same is true for those that cannot win. They often do not know why they lose and attribute all sorts of things, true or not, as to why they lose. Other activities can be used to gain or improve skills and knowledge when carefully guided, and different approaches such as projects overlapping formal education subjects, can build skills not addressed within schools.

Children obviously need the skills and experiences identified within education systems. It is impossible to give individual attention with thirty children in the same class to any sufficient degree. For a parent to provide for a child's development, formal education is not enough. The success rate of western schools in balanced education and the core subjects is very low. Less than half of children get the passes needed for further education and employment needs, and some 'passes' look very suspicious when seen by employers and colleagues later. If your child is not above average in the core subjects it is important to support them. Education systems tend to be quite narrow in their approach as they are a compromise between many stakeholders, many without any expertise. Finding direct or indirect methods that are available outside formal education can help. Kumon operate in many areas, and offer direct maths and english programmes, but in a relaxed supportive environment. Indirect learning could be parent led through other activities practising the key skills in an applied way. There are also many little tricks, patterns and rules that can be remembered in most subjects which can cut through overwhelming topics. The times tables are a classic example. It is a foundation for all maths and then science, and yet many children struggle with it and then avoid maths later. And yet up to ten the time tables are easy. They can do the 1X, 2X, 3X, 5X, 10X which is more than half the time tables (e.g. 1X9 is the same as 9X1). Most people know patterns for the 9X (digits in answer add to 9), and the 4X is double 2X. 6X is double 3X which only leaves 7X and 8X except most of that is filled in through the others, so actually only the small centre (7X, 8X), is harder but then four sums can be remembered anyway! Searching for these sorts of patterns can yield methods your children can do rather then just the schools way. As well as setting a good example the other support for children comes first before they go to school. Before school they need to have basic skills through play of working with others (adults and children) and life skills such as toileting and sitting at a table to eat (in the west).

As well as setting up and supporting children through education, there are other aspects that are not covered in education at all. The subjects are divided from each other where in the real world they are integrated and part of the whole. Working on the links between subjects helps give a more complete education but also supports the subject learning. One approach is to do projects with your children relevant to their interests and see where research takes them. Planning and reviewing the project gives added skills and understanding. Another facet is to give experiences of different activities, places and people. Learning a second language is best done early when the brain is learning the first language. Exposure and immersion in another language from childhood will give a massive advantage to language development, obviously as part of a trip to another country with trips to see historic and special sites, but also experience of normal life to see both how things can be done differently and how people are the same. A lot of these ideas help put the knowledge and skills looked at within formal education into context, and help with motivation as well as understanding.

To achieve a high level of performance takes a lot of time preparing and developing. The 10,000 hours that no known excellent performer has not done, is approximately 20 hours a week for 10 years. Some children know their dream from very young, most have had a good range of options. To set up the possibility of excellence, a range of activities need to be explored by the child to see what they get good at quicker or have talent in. Another key element is what they like doing, the only problematic issue is when they love something they will never be excellent at. If any talent or strong desire does emerge, then finding the best provision and teaching/coaching possible is essential. In an ideal world there would be great teaching and coaching everywhere but there is not and will not be. It must also be said that if you do one thing for ten hours a week then that's at least ten hours you cannot do something else, so where several activities are competing for time then eventually a decision (priority) must be made. Balancing opportunity with desire and the likelihood of success are difficult to judge and are unique to each decision. Following the path to excellence provides many lessons about yourself, others and the world and so any level achieved is useful if reviewed, but so is failure. This offers valuable opportunity to learn and some say 'there is no such thing as failure only feedback'. And this is true but also an obsessional approach, learning the difference between focus and obsessional may take a while. A good teacher/coach is needed to teach the skills of review and to help with the practice.

### Adult

Although there is a difference between a child's world and an adults world, it is very arbitrary. For some, childhood is fleeting and others never make an adjustment. Accepting overlaps from the child type role to an adult type role and a process of change of emphasis from dependent to independent and from learner to practitioner, there needs to be continuation and change. Much of a plan will just continue from childhood. Activity whether sport, exercise or just moving a lot through walking or work needs to be continuous. There is a big drop off in participation of sports and pastimes at 14 years of age, 'Boy meets Girl' is a big factor. The 'Teenager brand' comes through the media and although labels a period of major physical and mental change, and a definite time of re-emphasis, much is made harder by misleading media coverage. Adults have to allow for this massive hormonal factor that occurs at varying ages from ten (with increased nutrition) till sixteen (adolescence). Set times and ages just do not work. The continuation to adult should mean continuous development in physical and mental learning, and moving from basics to applying them and looking to deepen understanding in areas that are profitable in an adult world. Keeping the breadth of education and experience is also valuable, where many stop doing things they actually enjoy, such as sports and music, when other priorities take over and lack of provision hampers development. Maintaining activity and learning is vital to adapt to changes over the adult life time. Keeping up to date with skills and knowledge, but maintaining awareness of different areas. Over the previous decades IT has left many older people behind, replacing the job they know and isolating them from many areas of life. Focus on a specialism is vital to fit in to work environments for many roles. A doctor may specialise in a specific area such as one organ or one condition rather than the whole body beyond a GP's needs. Niche and mass market skills are needed for focus but also readiness for change. New skills are needed for management although hopefully these have started to be developed in childhood, rather than being a sudden change, from practitioner to manager over night.

A process of continuous improvement needs to be followed. Like Kolb small projects can be taken on looking at a new area of work or life, keeping the skills of learning fresh. Allowing for rest where non-work projects that are off any career plan can be refreshing. Time for volunteering and leisure is vital. Some people will want regular every week time for non-work activities and others will want chunks of time. If people do the same physical task again and again they can develop Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Many back problems are this exact problem, but work area design has been tasked to deal with RSI in its many forms. Healthy working needs to include sustainable practices both physically and mentally, as stress through bad working practices is a massive factor in health but also work productivity. Time spent asking questions that are often avoided needs to be routine. Is there a better way of doing what we are doing?

Having a career plan with direction does help guide decisions. Integrating balance with the rest of life is vital. Having a family life as well as leisure time needs to be factored in, and will improve life as well as work productivity. Many of the barriers within not just the work environment are the games people play, many have been researched in psychology and sociology, but also many aphorisms dealing with how to play these games and win power struggles. Violence and aggression has been tackled by law and culture change within a lot of western countries. It does not change the fact that people play games just that they play different games with different methods. I have found in schools that no physical methods of behaviour control are allowed by the teacher, I would even doubt whether a teacher's legal rights would be upheld very well. And yet passive aggressive behaviour is rife. Physical bullying has been addressed but mental bullying has not been touched. Not 'out shinning the master', not 'stepping into a great man's shoes' are still valid today as they ever have been.

### Senior

Continuing a healthy life physically and mentally should just be a life long set of habits. Sustaining good habits all through from childhood is best but redeveloping better and new habits will also be needed. Senior is again something that starts in childhood, as a supporting friend and colleague through adulthood as trainer, teacher and mentor through to old age offering the value of your experience.

On a personal and population level, being physically and mentally active slows down decline. 'Use it or lose it' is a good reminder to look after your body and brain to stay productive and reduce illness. As well as old skills and knowledge, new should be added too. Work patterns often change around 50 years of age as people's original skill sets become obsolete, but also new skills for the demands of retired life are needed. Preparing for retirement even from early adulthood is not a bad idea. There are of course limits and the ageing process is so far irreversible. Working within limits and going with nature are really not a choice. The physical peak is the twenties, after that modifications need to be made going with the flow. For performance more indirect methods have to be used especially on younger opponents.

An important part of the senior role is the support of others, both children and adults. As I mentioned earlier this role may start when biologically the person is a child. Supporting others is organisational in attempting to create the circumstances so others can thrive. Complaining of the youths attitude may just be what they copied off their role model who was of course is you! Helping others develop the healthy habits and guiding developments happens regardless so being a good role model is vital. Trying to help people avoid dead ends, letting them see when they are unrealistic or off track, while letting them make mistakes in safety. Helping people find themselves and their potential. One of the premises of outdoor education is that the group taken out by the leader into nature sees danger everywhere, but the leader has control and knowledge to keep the group safe. This control of circumstances to guide towards the best decision making, making them easy. Timing actions and decisions and knowing when to quit are such areas that need support from experienced seniors.

From outside objectivity is much easier, keeping awareness of the whole picture and how things interact. Looking at the strengths and the weaknesses of anything. For children, the perspective of education and its strengths and weaknesses are paramount. Formal education has major failings. No organisation would claim success with the data related to state education! Relying on state education does not produce high standards. Informal support of children is needed and must not be hindered and prevented by bureaucracy and political opinion. Working or volunteering to work with children costs money for CRB (criminal records checks) and time to document activities for health and safety or funding. In an emergency with a child many men do not help the child but go and find a women. Schools are seeing reduced proportions of male teachers especially in primary, let alone nurseries. Senior support providing breadth of opportunity and individual support is really only replacing extended families of old.

Probably the most important advice for seniors is do not stop being a child! Fun, play and learning are not to be child only activities. Supporting and filling in gaps may be essential for the future, but sometimes doing nothing too serious and enjoying the moment is essential.
Conclusion

The East and the West have developed mainly separately with fleeting contact until recently, as first Japan and now China have purposefully grown into international participants. In many areas they have already made a mark and it is impossible for westerners to ignore them. They have their own cultures and have taken on board many western ideas and practices. Industrially they are here now making money and China is developing very fast. It has used the very principles discussed in this book to become second only to the USA, and is still growing. China will have issues to deal with politically, environmentally and in many other ways. It will have to adapt to change like anyone else and face massive challenges. The East is not a utopia of perfect action, but a long history has produced a powerful competitor to the West. It is vital the west learns about the east as friends and competitors and avoid being enemies and getting into conflict. Not just understanding the traditions but learning from them to be more effective. Learning from western and eastern success and failure using eastern methods and ideas as well as western.

The Chinese tradition is founded on Yin Yang and balance, and their change. These principles of balance in competition, and all areas of life can help match them but also help effectiveness and efficiency. Balancing the Yang of force with the Yin of negotiation, using direct action but also indirect to compete. China is, and will be operating indirectly and directly. It has bought up large areas of the world for raw materials and controlled their internal market which is to have control of its destiny. It is a long term approach that is holistic with many areas of unseen growth and development on top of the obvious. Any lack of awareness in the West will see too late the challenge. The current leadership perhaps lacks the harmony with nature and environmental issues and resources especially water, which may even become a scarce resource. Science will aid the West and East, but the West needs to understand and compete without disadvantage to stay competitive.

To stay competitive the West will have to think longer term. Its position is not unassailable. The political system will have to incorporate practices that last longer than electoral terms, and make sure it knows it is in competition with the East already and will need to prepare. It will have to gain knowledge of itself and the competitors and maintain its advantage in science, although the East is fully up-to-date technologically in many areas. It may also apply Western knowledge before the West does. Building thinking skills that use Eastern ideas but also incorporate a rational approach using the scientific knowledge effectively. Individually the same ideas can help personally but also in leadership positions. Balancing education, work, social life and habits being ready and aware for change, efficiently acting with nature and indirectly as well as directly. Getting the skills you need to the level you need for all eventualities.

The reality is that it is a competitive world and that everyone and everything is competing, even if they do not know it. The East is competing with the West using whatever is needed to succeed. Understanding competition takes knowledge and experience. Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy is key, using a process that uses competition as a learning tool to develop and learn what are the means and what are the ends. The majority of people enter or find themselves in competition and only understand winning and losing, but this is the basic idea of competition only. Using competition as part of the journey, as a part rather than thinking it is the whole, understanding what things actually are, is the real point. The difference between a battle and a war is that you can lose a battle but still win the war. Using competition in sport to help get better at competing for when you are in the situation (if you ever are?) of real war or conflict will help you out. Many people get on the wrong path early on, when misunderstanding of what losing at play as a child really signifies. Understanding what sometimes is in the lap of the gods and not talent or effort. Scheduling competition and reviewing the results as a process for continuous improvement is a longer term approach using a Kolb like process.

The main Western source of knowledge is science. It is amazing how much difference maths, science and technology have made to human life, and yet the vast majority of the population are completely ignorant of any of it. The rapid pace of development of science and technology has left many behind in terms of understanding. Many of the inner workings are understood only by the professionals the interface of science being designed ergonomically for the user so things can be used without understanding. What needs to be widely understood is the basic principles of science and how it is not magic but a process using a method that aims to be reliable and valid. The principles are logical, there must be evidence and testing before anything is accepted, and the belief in the possibility that new knowledge will change the theories. Unfortunately the media and political industries are also very poor on maths and science and misrepresent, misunderstand and manipulate information for their own purposes. In the UK Parliament there is only one trained scientist and it is evident that scientific advisers are not consulted or listened too. Many people use the word scientific incorrectly but there is no blasphemy law against it. Use of incorrect science is systematic and costs lives, only when experts make the decisions rather than biased politicians will they be effective.

The social sciences have used several methods, including the scientific method, to accumulate evidence on how people really behave, individually, socially and economically. There are now many tools available to discover about yourself. Added to experience of life, many psychological tests can help to work out elements of yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and help predict how you will behave in different situations. The same tests have been done on many people internationally and give information on how people behave, how they are similar and how they are different. People tend to behave the same in the same situations. People do not assess risk very well, they do not step forward and help people in a lot of situations, they do not think rationally about purchases, they do not prepare, and the list continues. If you assume (like most people do) that humans act in a way they don't, then you're going to struggle to predict yourself or others and find it very difficult to be effective. Once you can predict yourself and others there is an element of control. You may change how you behave to be more effective and you may use how others behave to be more effective.

The aim of this book is not for Westerners to become Chinese. The East has and does produce effective ideas and methods and gets results. It uses science and technology as much as the West. The aim is to look at the Eastern approach and see if it can be effective for Westerners as well. The main concepts of balance, change, going with nature and indirect methods are not unknown in the West, but the Eastern perspective aids their understanding and context of how and when to use them. They are principles of the natural world as seen through the Eastern tradition. Science has looked at the same phenomena and gathered many reliable and valid theories that can help select effective actions that produce results. Using the eastern principles as aids to thinking to add perspective, perhaps to put the science into context and cover where science has not yet gathered enough information to be effective. I see them as valuable as rules of thumb and tools to be used to increase effectiveness they have reliably served the East and can serve Westerners too. You gain understanding of other ways but also your own ways.

Intelligence can answer questions and see patterns and many other things. Wisdom asks the right questions and looks for the important patterns and may even do less, gaining the knowledge of the real world where it is needed, and acting with knowledge and forethought, questioning what needs to be questioned, hoping to do the right thing at the right time. Finding out what works and when, not sticking to one tool like a hammer and treating every problem as a nail, using tools with precision, efficiency and timing, not indiscriminately causing more unintended consequences.

Appendix - Where to Now

This book can give a reader a start in science's usefulness, or an introduction to Eastern tradition or how Eastern and Western thought can be combined or how to apply principles to practice. So what next? Most bibliographies are either just showing off (or exaggerating) or the bare minimum. I want to provide not just an introduction to the above mentioned but also help in where to go next. The trick to development is something like the Kolb cycle, experience, reflection, thinking and action. However it is phrased the continuous cycle using action and thinking, not one without the other. Practising not just each element but also the meta skills of learning how to learn, seeing principles in action, testing ideas, skills or readiness. So have a process and try to improve the process as well as yourself. Learning by doing is vital to putting thinking and acting together repeatedly.

The first place to start is formal education. I may well find it easy to decry it, but it is a start; it is often free to the receiver when young and readily available. But it is not enough to just turn up. To be fair to educators they do say to read around the subject, what they do not say is "because that's where the important stuff is!" The curriculum are set not for you but for those in positions of power. A balanced education of first and second languages, mathematics, science (natural and social) and using tools such as technology. Gaining experience as well as good grades is vital, grades are the currency that others work with and you have to go along with them. Aside from pleasing others to make your way actually seeing what is around not just what people want you to see, allows you to meet challenges and deal with obstacles. The second key area is reading, many people who have succeeded either wrote books themselves or have been discussed by others. I cannot list or summarise thirty years reading or experience. I must condense it. You need to follow your own path not mine. You can choose a balanced approach (say one topic a month) or you can start with what is most useful for you now (while keeping an eye on the bigger picture!) or what interests you now, just take that first step and see where it takes you. Reading round a subject can include the history of the topic, putting things in context. There are documentaries and talking with people with expertise also can help with connections and relationships not just dry facts.

The key missing area from the West is long term thinking, having the awareness to see long term and prepare for when the unprepared will have surprises and insurmountable problems. Picking up thinking skills that can save work are so satisfying when those around you are losing their heads. Aim to be ahead all the time like a chess grandmaster. There are books on strategy, but it may be easier to start with a topic you are familiar with and then go more general and diverse. The history of strategy is from a state and military level and later to business matters. Many strategy books apply military principles or use a military book for business. Practising planning and actioning and reviewing will build up the skills, seeing how reliably you can forecast what will happen, and can be attempted in all areas of life. There are many jobs that do plans for different areas such as business plans are required for businesses. Looking for the balance of enough planning and not too much, being able to deal with change, and achieving the desired results must be the aim.

Science is a massive topic. The first stop is formal education, but there is extensive literature on many aspects of science. Keeping up to date is the hardest aspect, science reading will need to be regular to keep track of trends and new developments. There is also a large barrier of pseudo-science used to manipulate and persuade. The background of maths and logic are a foundation that many lack. Science and much of technology are often applied logic. I found a book Mathematics for Non Mathematician (Kline, 1908) that included some of the history of maths and real world applications of the maths I had already studied. The context made a big difference when the quality of teaching (and environment) made progress unlikely when I was younger. Once I controlled my study and found the answers to questions and persisted with study, I found the maths reasonably straightforward. The Internet of course offers many sources to find the answers to questions and links to related areas and the background information, both in text but also with many video resources. There are also podcasts for magazines and blogs such as Science magazine and Nature magazine but also The Economist. There are also many authors with informative websites such as Dan Arialy, Freakanomics and many more. The popular science books are often easy to read and informative.

The Chinese tradition does have a lot of books available in English, but many suffer from translation issues. As with any translation words in one language are not equivalent, and direct translation cannot be done. Many literal translations just look like jokes or make no sense. A lot of Chinese teaching is by allegory and metaphor which are impossible to translate without a language specialist who is also an expert on the subject of the text. This problem was highlighted when the first religious type texts were translated by an active Christian and later another by a western Buddhist. These biases on top of other cultural issues mean distortion is inevitable. So start off with any translations but also non-fiction books with this in mind. I have found that reading the same book (eg Art of War) in several translations, and the choices of the individual translators help highlight the areas of issue. Quite often you see several words that are together in the thesaurus. Many Eastern (and some Western) phrases are meant to have ambiguity and deal with abstract concepts that need reflection and time to appreciate, avoiding the simple ten year old's need to have yes/no answers. So a book list will include different translations of The Art of War and the Dao De Jing, and later look at the I Ching, as it is more complicated. There are many books commentating on these books and also chapters in others. Using many opinions can help show the bigger picture. The Art of War starts off by warning of the dangers of war and discusses how to win without fighting and yet many comments refer to it as warmongering and inappropriate. Many interpretations appear from all the texts and most have an element of truth but also prejudice. I find those who have a practical bias like martial artists give a consistent opinion. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West are very good stories and well worth reading, remembering these were used for peasant (the majority of easterners at the time) entertainment and education. I defy anyone who has seen the Monkey TV series to be able to read Journey to the West without hearing the dubbed voices while you read the text. As you want to get into more depth then Dao De Jing; Making this Life Significant (Ames, Hall, 2003) looks at the Dao De Jing in context and detail, Understanding the I Ching (Javery, 1997) breaks down the I Ching a little and The Daoist Body (Schipper, 1993) discusses Daoism without the interpretation of a Christian or Buddhist.

Martial arts are probably the most common way into Eastern culture for the West. Of course the films and glamour are not necessarily true but do inspire many to start participation. And of course I say why not? Most types of Chinese 'Kung Fu' share the cultural heritage and philosophical background. They often have an appreciation of how a martial artist should behave as a force for good, protecting the weak and only using the skills developed for defence. The Japanese arts like Judo and Aikido, along with Karate and Taekwondo (Korean) have been westernised into shallower representations, with sport bias, like boxing and wrestling, as the need for defence has reduced in the West and now the East. They have unfortunately thrown the baby out with the bath water, limiting their value. They do though have value as long as you seek out more than just the sport aspects. Studying an art for a period of time in depth and its context can have wide value and accessibility is greater although not necessarily for the higher levels. If you focus on the sport aspect then sports studies is available in formal education and many martial sports have coaching available and coaching education. Many books, web sites, and videos are available of all qualities. I would advise looking at the other foci of Martial arts as well to understand capabilities. The classic mistake is to equate sports ability to fighting ability and the same skills as dominant and correct for self defence. The two authors I recommend are for dispelling this myth Rory Miller and Marc 'Animal' MacYoung (Books and Web). Understanding the difference between sport and self defence can be life changing and even ending. If this is your focus, these two, through books and videos, but also seminars can support any martial artist to see the strengths and weaknesses of their arts but also to understanding of the issues of violence in society. As most of the application chapters discuss, there is a lot in common with each author, linking say your martial arts practice and the lessons from it, and looking at business or health can enhance all. The philosophical underpinnings can also be widely applied during thinking and action. I will of course be prejudiced towards Tai Chi, Bagua and Hsing Yi. They offer me daily exercise that I can continue for the rest of my life, I can study there depth and width directly and through their culture. I can meet friendly people and keep skills for self defence. I have read all Nigel Sutton's books as I entered his organisation in the beginning and gained so much, not just grounding but enough to keep me busy training and studying. Bruce Frantzis' books and articles were where I first heard of the internal arts and they have continued to aid me. I do though have a big pile of books by many authors that are worth reading. I now find very little new in the books I continue to buy but sometimes just a different way of explaining the same things and revisit aspects.

The military is obviously only a small employer in most of the west with no major war at present, or national service, so professional interest is probably not the biggest motivator. Like any profession fighting without fighting has to be a good idea, achieving your goals without conflict is a life saving approach. There are many that find war interesting (eg boys of all ages!) and personal through direct experience but also family history or political situations. The military as an extension of politics means that military knowledge and understanding is vital for politicians but also voters. The realities of history show countries that weaken their military for whatever reason often do not remain independent for too long. It is not seen as an immediate concern to daily life during peace times, and many people do not understand much about conflict or military issues. Violence is one area where most people's ignorance comes from the media and the portrayal of it in films and TV programmes. Most people have a grasp of the basic horrors, but are in no way capable of supporting returning service personnel. Hopefully it is clear that losing a war is not a good idea and when you look at the problem for any state, they need to be forewarned and forearmed, whatever some members of society may claim. There have been many celebrated but also less famous military commanders who can be researched to find how they acted but also the many weaknesses they had. Julius Ceaser, Napolean to Swartzkoff have books and programmes about them that offer examples of winning and how it was completed. This knowledge can then be transferred to other organisations, leadership, or competition situations and you can learn from other's mistakes. Military strategy books are available including Strategy (Liddel-Hart, 1954) and the Chinese classics (Seven military classics including AoW).

An early area where military lessons were applied was business. There are an enormous number of business books, quite often saying nothing especially new but published anyway. A lot of good business practice is the same as it always has been, produce a good service or product when it is wanted to the people who want it, do not let them down and charge a fair price. To do this you need to organise as Armies have been organised, communicating to people as generals have done, choosing the right product or service like rulers have chosen the right wars to fight (or not fight). The language of business (and sport) is often taken from the military. Most new businesses fail and the pattern of successful business gradually shrinking as the generations pass continues. A successful business needs to meet the goals or needs of the stakeholders. Every year a hyped book comes on sale and makes the publishers some money. Some are useful and others are not real progress. The ideas in this book are those that were written down 2,500 years ago when Greek and Chinese people were able to. Being knowledgeable and prepared is not secret and yet most people do not do these even remotely well. A book from the 80's and 90's was Tom Peters; "Management while Walking About" it had many ideas that help appreciate quality and how to maintain it. "The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People" by Stephen R. Covey presents timeless ideas for a personal approach. One of the problems is that there are thousands of business and self help books that say pretty much the same thing without adding much. As well as my piles of these books I have many Art of War for business books, again each has its merits and many are seen on the Sonshi website. McNeilly (Sun Tzu and the Art of Business) does discuss this and six strategic principles which helps narrow down for starting research and applying the knowledge. The Art of the Advantage (Krippendorff) does a similar approach to the 36 Stratagems with four principles. I have used both of these categorising methods within the text. Once you have done some reading, it is important to reflect and connect what you have read to the real world. Many business schools use case studies of real and imagined situations that are useful before applying anything to the real world. The popular teachers, trial and error are timeless.

The personal level of education is to learn about yourself and how you learn, this can then be added to by learning about others and how they learn. Formal education has many stakeholders and the individual learner is but one. It is important to do more learning and developing outside of the institutions. They are restricted and restrictive with many doors (opportunities) opened or closed in spite of the system. Outside of the system you have the freedom to pick and choose your direction. To be successful in an area will need specific knowledge and skills and if they are not provided for in formal education then you must gain them elsewhere. Employers are constantly complaining about young people's attitudes to work, and their basic skills which they often have qualifications in. All the basic skills need to be developed to satisfactory levels, here there can be some creativity when you find out how you learn and remember, there are many tricks that may not allow you to write your working out down but can get the answer that you need. Other skills that are very useful for work and life are not covered in formal education, but can be gained outside. Learning through practical activities gives context to a range of skills. This is where sports, activities, and pastimes improve a person. The connections need to be made easy to find and finding good coaches and teachers is vital in a constructive environment. Research and self discovery are useful paths that provide skills for different tasks but also keep the mind working. I have mentioned personality tests of which many are online. They are better done in context with interpretation of the information so guidance is necessary for the more complicated tests. You do not have to invent the wheel every time when there are people that can support you. If you only read their books you can gain a lot. Reading can be developed gradually, with small essays and chapters in text books and encyclopedias, some fiction has researched science behind it. Gradually extending the length and depth of the work you read will develop the skills to read and understand and then apply. Once you have practised this cycle a few times, you will get better at it. Howard Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences" (1993) is a useful theory that matches up to a lot of people's experience. Getting experience with each intelligence to understand where your (and other peoples) strengths and weaknesses are, helps avoid wasted effort and the pain of going down the wrong path. Opportunities and threats are important to discover, the greatest limiting factor is socio-economic, where those without are greatly disadvantaged at just about every turn. Formal systems need to be put in place but informal avenues should not be closed.

Sport is a simplified part of life organised with rules and restricted competition. Most things that happen in life happen in sport at some point, it is a situation where you can live even if you lose by a record margin. It gives clear results most of the time of success and failure, although other factors are in play and need to be understood. The good news is how to be successful at sport is well known and documented. And yet many get nowhere. The classic situation is English football with one major title and Brazil with thirteen, and yet has England changed to the Brazilian way or something close? Futsol (the five a side game from Brazil and practised by other nations too) develops the better players and involves the others in a modified game. Of course the game is only over fifty years old, and there are other modified versions of other games in existence. They aid early skill and tactical development as well as the fun aspects. Getting into these games or starting the organisation for children is essential with better environments to develop skills, fitness and tactics. There is a greater domination of table tennis by China and South Korea and badminton by the same two nations along with Indonesia. One book by Clive Woodward, "Winning!" (2004) gives his account of managing England the World champion Rugby Union side (2003). He tried a variety of things and with a depth of organisation that was enormous to get ahead of three very strong nations and is eye opening. Of course he resigned a year or so later when support for the next attempt was not forthcoming. The key to excellence is to master the skills, tactics and strategy of your chosen activity. They build on each other and the gap between the top professional and an ordinary professional can be huge, The 10,000 hours practice needs mindful practice and guidance to avoid wasting time and effort. Formal education does provide courses above the average performance level in the UK, but the culture is a barrier to those attempting to be excellent, except in a few sports that succeeded in the Olympics 2012 with large medal hauls.

Sport can actually be damaging to health and many people get injuries that stop them playing. Health is essential both physical and mental. Being active physically, mentally and socially are the key aspects to health in order to prevent problems, but also deal with them when they occur. Formal provision for preventative medicine is clearly essential to improve national and international statistics. Exercise needs to be made easy to access, and barriers to participation reduced. This must be done nationally but individually you have to balance missing out on exercise and the costs and the benefit of the distraction. Work performance is limited by ill health when the workers are absent and even when they are there, concentration on any task, ability to remember, learn and perform are all better done by those that exercise, and yet many workplaces make regular exercise all but impossible, and in the UK the health costs are borne by the NHS. Individually the key is to get the healthy habits. A biggest difference is from conception to 2 years of age, but for adults benefit can be gained, especially from avoiding the unhealthy habits. Finding a way to be active from walking or gardening to a sport that you enjoy and can do regularly enough to keep the body moving, having a balanced diet where no more than 20% is unhealthy is enough with some care. A lot of stress is from bad planning and low skill in preventing and dealing with the causes of stress. Better life and work organisation, and the ability to say no reduces stress, and healthy diet and exercise improve the body's ability to cope with stress loads.

Perfect is not possible on the journey through life. Being more successful or better than average means going against a lot of human instinct as the requirements for survival are different to the requirements for success in the 2000's. Continuous learning and development in the key areas, adapting to change along with nature can bring harmony, and an easier run through life. Having direction with knowledge allows many routes to be seen and the best one can be chosen to give the most benefit. Practice and experience together with thinking increase your chances of success in your goals, and of avoiding the many pitfalls along the way.

Back Cover

Do you want to be more effective at one thing or all things, perhaps like a fictional character or how you think a real person is who you admire? Do you want to have an idea about China and why its in the news every day? Do you want to do business in the East?

This book looks at these points. Attempting to 'move beyond the monkey mind'. What actually works and how to do it. The West can do many things, but the mysterious East is constantly in our peripheral vision. Using ideas of the east with the ideas of the west to help thinking and acting is the theme of this book. As the West have been dominant it was easy to ignore the East and how they were massive forces before the recent past and are threatening to grow again!

Inside are chapters that look at both perspectives and how to join them using the strengths of both traditions together. In the west many do not understand or trust science while relaying on it to make their lives rich and comfortable. Using the ideas of science and the perspectives of the east to gain knowledge and thinking skills to improve performance in understanding, decision making and in action.

The book offers an introduction of the whats, hows and the whys of being effective, with a basic background it offers both the principles and concepts (Roots) of east and west, and essays on the application (Branches) of those principles in many areas of life. They discuss the parts that are essential and how they link together. The common errors that lead to misunderstanding and bad decisions, that then lead to ineffective action are discussed. Links to more in-depth study are also included to keep developing yourself and the ideas contained within. The book is a broad starting point to becoming more effective in all things.
