“Like Flexi-Color” [Reflections on Sun Tsu's Art Of War #11 – 15]

The way paint mixes in the tin
For walls of house I’m living in,
Is tint until the color’s nice,
Then stop, lock in (or “satisfice”).

But in this mix and matching game,
I’m hearing it’s not quite the same –
A tint that’s good one time and place,
May not be good for later case.

It’s not just “Balance strong with weak
So gaps don’t form” – “One strength you seek”,
But rather, it’s a fluid form
Which should exist as army’s norm.

That is, the patterns of terrain
Are shifting, do not still remain;
And such is strength of new terrain,
That strength won’t ebb and flow the same –

As it did just a while ago,
Or later will – you’ll need to know
About the movements, impacts, flows,
Of all the factors, not just those –

Before you on this battlefield,
Lest unexpectedly it yields
To new surroundings – mix of tint
To which response is imminent.

It’s also like a dance, where scene
Has impact on both calm and keen,
So those responding on the floor
Shift constantly from less to more.

So all in all it’s movie pix,
Not stills shot where the picture’s fixed;
So “Composition rules” one learns
Must shift as each component turns.

That’s like “Biodiversity” –
One species by itself we see
Is so susceptible to death –
Broad-spectrum helps each take a breath –

And rest while others carry on
When context, climate things go wrong;
Then, when things shift back other ways,
Right hand relieves the left – which pays –

In terms of victory for all;
So strong and weak troops, short and tall,
The skilled and new, the brave and scared,
In shifting landscapes better fare.

So too with Your troops, Lord, I sense –
There’s place for all – attack, defense,
Or slipping out ahead to check
What’s coming up, lest folks get wrecked.

Is that the task I’m on right now?
Have been through life, as You’ve allowed?
For those of us on Jacques’ sixth floor?
Uncommon, thus by folks ignored?

Are You now saying, “Be yourself –
Sure, grow in life, get off the shelf –
But be aware, as contexts change,
Your value to us still remains.

“And so each context plays it’s part –
Collector lanes on freeways start
Each new adventure – comfort shifts,
As you select what context fits.”

Lord, thanks for this – that helps a lot;
I’d got hung up – still-life has got
A lot of value, but this “Mix
In motion” is much better fit.

Thanks Lord for this.

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