Author: arianaclaire

The Art of an Officer

Sun Tzu’s Art of War is a prime example of great leadership. His words are decisive and they have an ‘all or nothing’ mentality. Sun Tzu says, “heed my plan, employ me, and victory is surely yours…do not heed my plan and even if you did employ me, you would surely be defeated”. Sun Tzu orders his civilization to abide by his strategy in all aspects to ensure victory. Should any part of the art not be followed, no matter how closely you followed the strategy, you will be defeated. The deliberate decisiveness in his actions are what make him a powerful figure. Characteristics such as this are vital to becoming a successful naval officer. Possessing the ability to not waver or lose composure in a high stress combat situation or simply during the daily routine is a sign of strength. Strength in the core morals that comprise the Navy, honor, courage, and commitment. Sun Tzu conveys these core values through his explanation and strategy in the Art of War. Consistency takes discipline which is “The Way”. ‘The Way’ is what “causes men to be of one mind with their rulers” and therefore fulfills the first aspect in the Art of War. The next valuable lesson Sun Tzu discusses are the requirements for victory. Victory in the fleet can vary from promotions to qualifications to winning wars. Regardless of the severity, victory can be achieved using Sun Tzu’s five essentials. “Know when to fight and when not to fight” means to pick your battles wisely. In the fleet, some arguments are not worth fighting for if it means a bigger more important one can come up later. The next key Sun Tzu teaches is to “understand how to deploy large and small numbers”. As an officer there are many tools and resources at hand, it is necessary that one utilizes the proper ones for a given situation. This comes with the notion of knowing your personnel, your sailors and marines, so one can easily choose one to do the job at hand. The third rule is to “have officers and men who share a single will”. Ensure the sailors and marines you lead are supportive of your mission and standards. This will build unit cohesion which is critical in building trust. Trust is the foundation of Sun Tzu’s strategy and is necessary to have as an officer in the fleet. The fourth necessity it to “be ready for the unexpected” which I take as working diligently everyday as if war is upon you. As an officer it can be easy to slip into complacency when no one is actively monitoring your day to day objectives. In the fleet, any threatening scenario can present itself so it is crucial to be prepared at all times. The last essential key is to “have a capable general, unhampered by his sovereign” which is having the competency to also work outside of your means. The military is composed of rules and strict guidelines to ensure safety and good morals but it is sometimes necessary to think outside of the box yet still maintaining those guidelines. Sun Tzu’s essentials for victory are straightforward and can be applied to a variety of situations as an officer in the fleet.

 

—Ariana McKenzie

Word Count: 544

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

 

The Ideologies of Christianity and Islam

              Islam and Christianity have similar philosophy’s and differing ideologies. Both religions believe in Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary. Certain aspects of both religions line up such as the belief in the New Testament, but the backstories of Jesus’ crucifixion do not quite match. When comparing two of the core ideologies of Islam and Christianity, salvation and hell, they seem moderately different at first glance. Upon further interpretation, they are very similar in their general purpose of being saved from sin by God. In Christianity, salvation is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ. In Islam salvation is attained through good works and worshiping God, Allah. Worshiping and having faith in God and Jesus involves performing deeds of righteousness and repenting on one’s sins. Therefore, salvation in Christianity and Islam are attained in similar ways. The concept of hell is another core belief that has similar ideologies in both religions. Christians consider hell to be a place where unrepenting sinners go after they die, hell is a punishment for eternity. Muslims view hell as a place of torment and fire but there are many levels to it and a person may or may not spend eternity there. Despite the differing potential timelines for hell, it is a place where Christians and Muslims go after death as punishment for sin and evildoing. With the beliefs of salvation and sin being so similar in Christianity and Islam, I find the opposing viewpoints on sin very surprising. For both religions, salvation and hell surround sin because it is a means to a person’s being after death. However, Muslims do not abide by the notion of original sin and believe that people are born sinless. Christians believe people inherited sin from Adam, the first person to sin against God, therefore everyone has an innate nature to sin. I am more surprised with the differences in Islam and Christianity given the amount of similarities in their core beliefs.

                 Christianity and Islam are mutually exclusive despite some of their similarities. Both religions cannot coexist if they do not believe in a monotheistic God. Christians believe in one God who exists in three forms. Muslims refute this claim because they believe that God is one form. God, in both religions, is the presiding factor and basis for which they live their lives. The Quran, the sacred text of Islam, is said to be a direct revelation from God and instructs Muslims on how to live. They must abide by a set of behavioral rules referred to as the five pillars of Islam in order to foster and demand obedience. The pillars are practices that promote good morals and are instructed by God for the people. A similar ideology is adopted by Christians, except their set of rules is referred to as the 10 commandments. These 10 rules are instructions on how to worship God and practice good morals. The commandments are found in the bible, the sacred text of the Christianity, and are given by God. The same God that is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit which are three separate beings according to Muslims. Christians and Muslims conceptualize God in different ways and therefore cannot coexist.

—Ariana McKenzie

Word count: 533

Sources:

http://christianityinview.com/xncomparison.html

https://www.allaboutreligion.org/islam-vs-christianity-faq.htm

The Art of Life

                Sun Tzu’s overarching philosophy in the Art of War is to win the small battles before fighting the big ones. The key to winning the small battles is “strategy itself”(15). He includes many compelling arguments in his strategy for winning battles within one’s own army as well as against the enemy. Sun Tzu first introduces his five fundamentals to abide by when planning a war, the Way, Heaven, Earth, Command, and Discipline. Each of these fundamentals assess the conditions of the war by comparing personnel on each side and their inner values for which they fight with and for. Then, the ruler or leader deliberates the fundamentals to predict the outcome for each side. The strategy shifts to the offensive and Sun Tzu gives direction on when and how to engage the enemy. Tzu says “with forces ten to the enemy’s one, surround him with five, attack him; with two, split in half, if equally matched, fight it out; if fewer in number, lie low; if weaker, escape… know when to fight and when not to fight…[and] be ready for the unexpected”(7). He says to know two sides, the enemy and yourself, for it will lead to victory. If a side is not known, each victory will suffer a defeat. Therefore, the first step to victory is knowing one’s own personnel and then comes conquering the enemy. The key to understanding one’s own side is to promote a common goal to strive for. Recognizing and adopting this strategy in Sun Tzu’s steps will achieve success.

               The Naval Academy focuses on training with the Navy’s core values of honor, courage, and commitment. It is the assumption that those who abide by the values will succeed, similar to Sun Tzu’s fundamentals. However, these values are not defined relative to a specific situation but are named as traits to possess when fighting. The emphasis at the academy is to keep the core values in mind while training hard and preparing for the worst case scenario. The class of 2021’s motto says “in order to preserve peace, we must prepare for war”, which means midshipman must train at a high level everyday to hopefully make the smaller battles easier to conquer and the harder ones a little easier. Battles at the academy are not always life and death situations, midshipman often perform in parades and take part in formations. These are the instances midshipman view as battles because they are monotonous, they do not quite equate to anything in the fleet, and they are an inconvenience to midshipman. The guidelines for these battles and evolution’s can be found in a source called midregs. Midregs instructs midshipman to live honorably, courageously, and with commitment in addition to outlining what is morally and legally wrong to do. The documents midshipman abide by lack the specificity and direction to guide mids towards a precise goal. It expresses a midshipman’s limitations and not their freedoms. The absence of clear guidance can be good for innovation but lacks definitive instruction for the brigade to follow. The downside of not possessing direct tactics is it can make a battle longer and harder than it has to be.

               Sun Tzu’s tactics are more effective because they provide line by line strategic responses to specific scenarios. On the contrary, at the naval academy it is very easy to lose sight of what one is fighting for because there are no specific goals in mind. It can be hard to find motivation if the outcome is ambiguous. Often there are training evolution’s and classes that make midshipman question why exactly they are doing them and how it fits into the grand scheme of things, which makes it harder to find the motivation to persevere. Sun Tzu raises set guidelines in offensive and defensive scenarios that give direction on what specifically to do. The naval academy provides rules such as midregs and the constitution which tells midshipman what not to do. The ambiguity in training leaves massive holes in brigade cohesion because each midshipman has their own agenda. Multiple people working towards a common goal is the best way to victory.

—Ariana McKenzie

Word count: 640

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

 

Christianity Triumphs

              The Romans should fear the end of their religious traditions. Jesus is the new wave of Roman tradition. He is a leader of the Christian faith and he gives hope to the poor and all of those who worship his God, with the promise of salvation. Similar to Jews, Christians refuse to worship any other God than their own. The Romans are skeptical of both groups because they do not depict their gods in any paintings or images, an uncommon practice. In contrast, the Romans glorify the ground of the emperors with sacrifice and worship. Hence, the suspicion by the Romans on the Christians. The first red flag against the Romans happens when the Jerusalem Temple of the Jews, “their center of worship” and place that contains their scriptures, survives the Roman conquest of Judea in 63 B.C.E.(Voyages).The Romans attempt to govern the leadership of the temple after transitioning into power in Judea. Many Jews challenge the Roman authority of leadership in the temple which marks the first threat to the Roman Empire. Christianity is comprised of some of the Jews who challenged the Romans in Judea. In the eyes of the Romans, Christianity is seen as a branch of Judaism because of their monotheistic views. Christians believe in one god who is the father of Jesus. Jesus welcomes everyone to believe in his god, even the poor. By appealing to everyone including the poor, Jesus gathers more followers and converts to join the new church with the promise of salvation. The church praises heaven and includes all spirits to join, as said in the Christian bible, even the “poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”(Matthew 5:3).

              Jesus is gaining momentum and begins preaching of his plans to “reform and challenge the abuses he saw” under Roman rule (Voyages). At this point, Jesus is basically claiming his throne as a king and the Romans start freaking out and need to take drastic measures to confirm that their governance will remain intact. The Romans are justified in fearing the threat to their empire because Jesus has enough influence to lead an uprising against Roman rule. In order to end the movement of political threat to Rome, Pontius Pilate crucifies Jesus. Unfortunately for the Romans, Jesus’ believers took his death as a beneficial teaching to Christianity which further expanded the Christian religion in the empire. Christianity gradually invaded the land until it was banned by the Romans. The Romans feel threatened because the tradition and culture they have worked so hard to instill in the public, in regards to worship and sacrifice, is being overshadowed by the newfound religion of Christianity. The very act of Christians opposing typical Roman religious customs is a sign of disrespect and can compromise the integrity of the culture. It would look even worse for the Romans if the newfound religion of Christianity overthrows centuries of Roman culture. Should the Christian mindset and religion take over the Roman Empire, which is does, the stability of the empire will change because Christians oppose the current one. Therefore, the Romans have a valid fear for their normalcy and way of life being compromised.

Source: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1p5KUTpKDxZjq1kx5dsg7QDSTkaiN86fn

Word Count: 510

Technology is Tyranny

              In ancient Greece a tyrant is a ruler who obtains power in an “unorthodox way…and exercises a strong one-man rule”.[1] Although tyrants were viewed as well-known and beneficial, they “expelled many aristocratic opponents” despite their intentions of maintaining alliances.1 Towards the end of the sixth century, tyrants held a bad reputation in the Greek states and were known to defy law and tradition. However, the tyrants’ contributions aided Greece in developing technology and communications which secured prosperity in the future for Greece.

              Modern tyranny takes on a new face that is seen in a variety of actions and movements. One aspect of modern tyranny is the advancement of artificial intelligence. Intelligence, as branch of technology, plays a key role in developing modern democracy but is also viewed as an act of tyranny. Tyranny is now considered to be any “oppressive” act that is capable of hindering our basic human rights.[2] The rights that our society has created post-rise of democracy such as freedom of speech, religion, and press. Therefore anything that challenges the freedoms of modern democracy are considered to be tyrannical and have taken on a negative connotation. According to author Yuval Harari in the Atlantic, technology has embedded itself in “our inner lives, our emotions, thoughts, and choices [which can lead to unprecedented upheavals in human society, eroding human agency and, possibly, subverting human desires”.[3] For instance, the advancement of artificial intelligence in the military has given rise to UAV’s, unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones. Drones are replacing military personnel and their minds when targeting foreign enemies. The ability of a computer to control the fate of a person’s life goes against what American democracy stands for. This results in a fear of losing the very morals and freedoms that encompass our democracy. America then becomes divided, in regards to the extent of artificial intelligence due to its controversy against our morals, the foundation of democracy.

The current context of the word “tyrant” takes on a harsher connotation in post democratic society than in pre-democratic society. However, I think Yuval Harari’s article uses ‘tyrant’ in the correct setting because most people do not think of technology as something cruel, or ‘oppressive’.  This article bridges the gap of modern tyranny and ancient tyranny because it is conveyed in a less authoritative context. The article suggests that tyranny does not always have to be harsh and brutal, as depicted in modern society. There are other ways to define tyranny that have benefits and positive connotations associated with the term. The notion of technology as a form of tyranny fits the ancient definition of a ‘tyrant’ because it includes the advantages and disadvantages associated with the term. This article helps readers to see tyranny in its purest form with both negatives and positives, a mix of modern and ancient. Both scenarios of tyranny bring about negative connotations but have made big steps in stimulating economic growth.

[1] From Chapter 3 of The Heritage of World Civilizations, Tenth Edition. Albert M. Craig, William A. Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. Copyright 2016 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

[2] “Tyranny.” Merriam-Webster.com. Accessed 5 Sep 2018. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tyranny.

[3] Harari, Yuval Noah. “Why Technology Favors Tyranny.” The Atlantic. August 30, 2018. Accessed September 05, 2018. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/10/yuval-noah-harari-technology-tyranny/568330/.