Ancient China’s Relevance to Today’s Military Leaders

I think that all of the different civilizations that were covered in this course can be relevant to our careers as Naval or Marine Corps officers, to some extent. Valuable lessons can be learned from each one because they all had instances of failure and instances of success. But, I think that the most relevant, considering the fact that we are a military force, would be the Chinese. People who took part in China’s ways of conducting battle, specifically the author of The Art of War, Sun-tzu, were very philosophical and methodical about the way they faced opponents. Sun-tzu outlines several different aspects of war and explains how they can be used to overcome the adversary at hand. This is useful in our future careers because as officers, we need to be able to make decisions that will result victory.

Being an officer can be a stressful job. There are so many things that are happening and need attention, but being overwhelmed is no excuse for us to fail. This culture of discipline that the Chinese fostered is very important for us to learn. Sun-Tzu says that “Discipline is Organization, Chain of command, Control of expenditure” (4). Our military is set up like this. We have organization and a chain of command. This gives us the ability to be efficient when trying to conduct an operation.

There is a reason that there were so many dynasties. The military was strong and the emperor was intelligent. When a strong force is headed by a methodical and intelligent leader, conflicts, while still risky, are more likely to result in victory. In The Art of War, Sun-tzu talks about “The Way,” which “… Causes men To be of one mind With their Rulers…”(Sun-tzu 3). An intelligent and respectable leader gives strength and reassurance to the warriors under him/her. This is a good lesson for us to learn because it explains why the Naval Academy is important. We are being educated at one of the best learning institutions in the nation, but we are also learning how to be confident and make decisions under stress, all while constantly being humbled by our shortcomings. This confidence, along with humility and selflessness, will give us the tools we need to be successful officers that the enlisted sailors and marines can look up to and follow into hostile situations.

The Chinese developed their tactics as a military power over several hundred years. They were very experienced and many of their ancient philosophies are still relevant today. But, even with constant development, there are still weaknesses that can be improved upon. Technology is always advancing, making certain beliefs and customs from the past obsolete. Nevertheless, there is a lot of wisdom to be gleaned from the Ancient Chinese Empire’s time as a military and cultural superpower.

Words: 469

Sun-Tzu, The Art of War. Trans. John Minford. London: Penguin, 2009.

Christianity vs. Islam: Similarities and Differences

Christians and Muslims have been in conflict for a very long time. They have argued and fought over who deserves to live in the Holy Land and they don’t see eye to eye on matters of religious practices or beliefs. But, I think it is very interesting that these two religions, which have been so aggressively against each other’s existence, can have so much in common.

As far as surprising similarities go, both of these religions are monotheistic, they give a lot of credit to the same major historical figures, they both believe that their religious books were divinely inspired, and they believe that the Archangel, Gabriel, is God’s/ Allah’s choice angel to deliver important messages to the human race. But, while the similarities are many, there are a few differences, and they are quite major. Some of these major differences have to do with historical religious figures’ roles.

In Christianity, it is believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God. He was both fully man and fully God at the same time. While this is very hard to wrap your head around, it is the Christian belief. In Islam, Jesus was a very important figure, but not a deity. They believe that Jesus was just a prophet sent by Allah. They believe him to have a played a large role in their religion, but he isn’t believed to have been Allah’s son and he wasn’t sent to save us all from our sin. Muslims think that it is outrageous for Christians to believe that Jesus was fully God, fully man, as well as the son of God. Christians are so adamantly in opposition because their whole religion is based around the fact that Jesus (God) was sent down to die and save us all from spending eternity in Hell, as long as we believe that this actually happened. So, yes, Jesus is important in both religions, but his role is drastically different.

Another major difference is the lineage in which the religion came from. Muslims believe that Ishmael, Abraham’s first born, was the line that Allah favored. Christians believe that God’s chosen people came through the line of Isaac, who was Abraham’s second son. The story is that Abraham was promised a son, by God. Instead of being patient, his wife gives him her slave, Hagar, as a mistress to produce a son. This is how Ishmael is born. Then, Sarah miraculously becomes pregnant and Isaac is born. This is why Christians believe that Isaac is the promised son. He was the miracle. So, yes, both religions believe that Isaac and Ishmael came from Abraham, but they have conflicting views on who was favored in the eyes of God/ Allah.

So, it is true that these two religions have a lot in common. It just so happens that the few disagreements they do have are major in the eyes of both religious groups.

Word Count: 485

USNA Following the Art of War

Image result for sun tzu

The Art of War, supposedly written by man called Master Sun, is basically a step by step instruction on how to be victorious in war. There are many scenarios and methods given that all work together and allow for a victory. Here, at the United States Naval Academy, we are taught many things that are supposed to prepare us for our lives as Navy or Marine Corps officers. We have to learn the basics of chemistry, physics, high levels of mathematics, english, seamanship, and leadership. We are supposed to be well rounded so that we will have the basic knowledge we need to help ourselves navigate any situation we may find ourselves in. The Art of War just reiterates and adds to some of the things we need to know as officers. Our profession is to fight against anyone who wants to harm the United States. By taking everything we have learned and following some of the advice given by Master Sun, we should be well prepared to take on our role as leaders in the United States Military. Master Sun talks about five “Fundamentals”. These are the Way, Heaven, Earth, Command, and Discipline. Now we don’t necessarily use all of these fundamentals and we may interpret these a little differently than they would have originally been interpreted, but we still follow the same basic principles. Master Sun says“The Way causes men to be of one mind with their rulers, to live or die with them, and never to waver” (Sun-tzu 4). As Americans, we don’t have a ruler. We pledge our lives to the United States, but we do train our military members to be of one mind so that they work together when the time comes for them to fight. The bonds formed in a training environment are stronger than any friendships I have ever experienced. He also says, “Command is wisdom, integrity, compassion, courage, severity” and “Discipline is organization, chain of command, control of expenditure.” (Sun-tzu 4). We do live by these principles.

The Academy is training us to be in command by giving us bits of wisdom through experience. This is one of the reasons we have our summer trainings

We have an honor concept because integrity is a huge deal when leading others. You can’t be trusted to lead others into harm’s way if you can’t even be trusted to do your own work at school.

We need to have compassion for those we are leading, which is something I learned during Plebe Summer. I understand what it’s like to be on the bottom of the totem pole, so I can have compassion for those in that position.

When put in stressful situations, we need to be able to have the courage to persevere, no matter how intimidating it may be. I think this is why we have Sea Trials. There were a lot of nerves building up to that time, but we banded together as a class and pushed through. Nobody gave up.

The Academy is all about enforcing standards because discipline is very important in the life of an officer. There are many things that need to be taken care of, so having the discipline to do things that you may not want to do is the only way to succeed.

A chain of command is vital to running any large organization. By following the chain of command, hierarchy is preserved and power stays organized.

The Art of War may be an ancient text, but it still applies to our everyday lives here at the Naval Academy.

Word Count- 595

Sun-tzu, The Art of War. trans. John Minford. London: Penguin, 2009.

The Threat of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Christianity is a monotheistic religion. This means that Christians believe in one god, and one god only. This god is all powerful and has control over everything that happens. The Romans were not monotheists, but polytheists. They believed in a pantheon. All of the gods and goddesses of the pantheon had different jobs and each one had an influence on the daily lives of all mortals.

Christianity posed a threat to the Romans because their entire culture was rooted in their interactions with the gods. They believed that by pleasing the gods in some manner, they could help influence more favorable outcomes of certain situations. Roman polytheism was a religion that allowed for deals with the gods because, like the mortal world, the world of the gods was also full of corruption and greed. The gods had selfish desires and would aid in fulfilling a mortal’s wishes if the mortal pleased them. Everything that the Romans experienced was believed to have been caused by one of the gods. If it was a bad occurrence, then the explanation for its cause was that the gods were angry. If something good happened, then the Romans believed they had pleased the gods. This also played into political situations. People would pray to the gods to curse their opponents so that they could be victorious during elections.

Christianity’s beliefs, on the other hand, would not allow for a divine being to have behavior like this. Christians believed that their god was perfect and all powerful. He didn’t want anything that they could offer because he had created everything and nothing could be withheld from him. Nothing that any person could do would cause him to alter what he had already planned in the beginning. Christians also believed that other gods weren’t real, and that the worship of anything other than the christian god was considered idol worship.

This severe difference between these religions did not sit well with the Romans. It threatened everything that they had built their cultural foundations upon. If Christianity became a widely accepted religion throughout the Roman Empire, then the polytheistic foundations of the empire could crumble. The Roman authority figures who were polytheists would have no credibility among the Christians and would eventually become powerless. The Christians would have the ability to take control, elect new officials who weren’t bred into Roman politics, and get rid of traditional Roman customs and religion. The possibilities of what the Christians could accomplish was a great threat to the Romans’ way of life and they were fearful.

425 Words

Athenian Democracy vs. American Democratic Republic

The Athenian democracy was a good idea because it allowed everyone to have voice when decisions, which would have an effect on everyone in the city, were being made. The flaw in this form of governance is that the likelihood of the majority of agreeing on a single decision is quite low. When the whole city is involved in decision making, things can get very chaotic. Multiple ideas are being thrown around, people are arguing about nonsense, and frustrations begin to build up among the people. In a setting like this, decisions are nearly impossible to make and tasks don’t get done. People are selfish and quarrelsome. A person will propose an idea that is in their best interest, which will then be rebutted by someone else who has another idea with their best interest in mind.

The American democratic republic is similar to the Athenian democracy in the fact that it also utilizes many people from each area of the nation. But, it differs because these representatives are few in number. In Athens, anyone and everyone could be a part of the decision making process. In the American form of government, the many vote on the few. These few represent the many and make decisions based on what the many want. The issue with this form of government is that there is a great chance for corruption due to the selfish motives of those in power. When someone is given the power to make decisions, they are not only affecting the lives of those they represent, but also their lives. An example of this could be that an elected official is supposed to vote on a certain policy. The majority of those he represents want him to vote against the policy, but he, the individual, has concluded that it is in his best interest to vote in support of the policy. He has the power to vote for it, even though he knows that he shouldn’t. If he votes against it, he has done his job. If he votes for it, he has allowed corruption to seep into his career. Ethical dilemmas like this are what can cause corruption to run rampant in the modern American governmental system.

While both of these forms of government have their flaws, I believe that the American form of government is more effective than the Athenian democracy. While the American way is more susceptible to corruption, decisions are still being made and the nation is able to move forward and continue to better itself. The Athenian democracy would just take way too long to come to a conclusion, then they’d move on to another matter that would take just as long as the previous issue. So, in terms of effectiveness, the American democratic republic is superior because it takes less time and is more organized.

Assassin’s Creed and History

Assassin’s Creed is a series of video games that take place in the past and are based on actual historical eras and events. Assassin’s Creed: Origins, the newest game in the series, is a prequel to all of the other games and its story is set in ancient Egypt. The story line is all about finding and killing corrupt people who are in highly powerful positions. The virtual landscape and scenery encountered when playing the game is mind blowing and actually makes the player feel as if they have gone back in time. There are many parts of this game that are accurate, but there are also many parts that were made up for the enjoyment of the player.

When it comes to accuracy, this game hits the mark. It’s packed full of famous landmarks, real Egyptian religion, and certain events that actually took place in ancient Egypt. There was a lot of research and consultation with historians in order to make sure that the game was actually historically accurate. The map, in which the player has the freedom to travel wherever they wish, is full of actual landmarks such as the pyramids of Giza, the sphinx, the Nile river, and even some of the major cities in Egypt. The clothing, transportation, weapons, and the architecture all accurately represent the time period in which the game is set. The Egyptian gods have a large representation throughout the game, as they were a huge part of everyday life in ancient Egypt.

Although the game is historically accurate, for the most part, there are also some additions to the game play that were added to be more entertaining for the player. While the Egyptians did believe in the Egyptian gods, there were no actual interactions with deities, but the game has a few parts where the main character does have actual contact with a deity. Along the same lines, there is also an aspect of the game called “eagle vision” which allows the player to scout the land around him by seeing through the eyes of the main character’s pet eagle. When it comes to weaponry, while most weapons are accurately represented, the hidden blade is a fictional device. This is the main weapon that is used throughout the series, but there are no actual instances recorded of anyone really using a hidden blade strapped to their wrist.

The history that people learn from modern sources, such as video games and movies, isn’t always reliable. These sources have certain aspects that contain accurate representations of the past, but they also contain quite a bit of inaccurate information in order to be more entertaining.