atreideslioness: (Beautiful Princess)
Ghanima Atreides ([personal profile] atreideslioness) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2024-01-23 09:41 am
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Diplomacy, Relationships & Tactics: the Art of War [Tuesday, Period 1]

It was once again Monday, and Ghanima was seated on her desk, Trebor in her lap and a worn little red book in her hands, as she let him grab at the pages.

"'There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare,'" she announced once everyone was seated. "So speaks Sun Tzu in the second P'ien. In it, he speaks of provisioning an army, and managing your resources."

"But what he’s saying between the lines is that money and human lives are not be used recklessly, for they are both finite resources, and in the case of people, irreplaceable. If you wage a huge war, it will be taxing on an army; they become exhausted, their supplies dwindle."

"Its often said that the key takeaway from this chapter is to strike quickly. Your army should never need reinforcements or new provisions. Strike quickly, so that the impact on your treasury will be slight. Many losses at war are due to the attrition of people and supplies."

"This chapter also talks about using the resources of your enemy. Do not destroy supplies you can use, do not burn food that you can eat, and don’t kill soldiers that can either give you information or join your own ranks. This chapter is all about resources and using them wisely, not recklessly."

"Today, we look at it from a non-combat viewpoint," Ghanima said, smiling at them. "If you're conducting a business merger, you should approach it the same as any other battle. Prolonged negotiations are something to avoid at all costs, since you usually end up losing something the longer you are engaged."

"Romantic relationships are the same way; as much fun as the chase can be, a prolonged pursuit of your target increases the chance of them slipping away," she teased, eyes flashing with amusement. "Those of you that have been watching the meta for Bridgerton have seen a very Art of War approach to relationships, including the provisioning of troops. Or gossips."

Wait, was that... music starting?

"Though sometimes that's easier said than done, when something like blind nationalism is involved, or love, or passion," she continued, smiling at Trebor. "How do you count the cost, when the prize is personal?"

If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun
If the moment of glory
Is over before it's begun
If the dream is won
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price
But we will not count the cost

We will pay the price
But we will not count the cost!


She blinked quickly, shaking her head as the music cut-out. "Ah. We are having one of those days today," she said dryly.

"Back to the topic at hand... how can you apply the suggestions made in the second P'ien to either relationships or business? How does the 'sunk-cost fallacy' play into decisions regarding a prolonged conflict?"
afraid_of_marshmallows: Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey in Fast & Furious (Sitting - Nervous)

Re: Sign-In #3

[personal profile] afraid_of_marshmallows 2024-01-23 05:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Arden Finch
afraid_of_marshmallows: Nathalie Emmanuel (B&W - Braids)

Re: Discussion!

[personal profile] afraid_of_marshmallows 2024-01-23 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm. Open up her mouth an display her ignorance of business? Or open up her mouth and display her ignorance of interpersonal relationships? Yeah, not even a question, really. (The obvious answer, keep her mouth shut and display no ignorance at all was promptly ignored in favor of encouraging Ms. Ghanima to think well of her.)

"I mean, even if everything else remained worth the exact same amount as when you started - rare and unlikely - you still have to keep paying your people who are doing all the working and negotiating for you, which is going to eat into your profits. And while your attention is on this negotiation, what are you missing out on? If you've moved a bunch of your assets into position for this thing, then they're not gonna be available if something else comes along. You're stuck and you can't get ahead if you're stuck."
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[personal profile] sith_happened 2024-01-23 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Anakin Skywalker
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[personal profile] pun_king 2024-01-23 09:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Graham Cracker
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