217;t do that either. He said: If you cannot even do that, at least do not go striking others more than you would want them to strike you. They said: We cannot do this either. Then the elder said to his disciple: Go cook up some food for these brethren, for they are very weak. Finally he said to them: If you cannot do even this, how can I help you? All I can do is pray. (Merton 1960 75-76)These monks were expected to give all they could to everyone they might meet, which included those who wronged them. It is part of the Christian philosophy to be kind and charitable to everyone and never to judge a person who has sinned, since all are sinners. Patience and humility are again emphasized as important traits, as Merton quotes one elder saying; “the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord and humility with patience.” (Merton 1960, 75) These values are in a ways similar to the strategies of Sun Tzu, who stressed patience in controlling the movements of an army but felt the opposition should be dealt with swiftly and at times severely. The monks wanted peace in their lives, but realized just as Sun Tzu did that a fight would be necessary to accomplish it. The Art of War and The Wisdom of the Desert both deal with the theme of conflict. Sun Tzu wrote of conflict in a war atmosphere while the monks fought a more spiritual battle on a daily basis. Each however, used certain tactics to overcome any problems or complications. Sun Tzu encouraged detailed planning and strategy as well as harmony within the army to conquer the foe. In the same way, the monks used strategies of their own to overcome temptation and 9weakness of the heart and mind which was their own worst enemy. They felt that by prayer, love patience and humility, all conflicts of internal and external nature could be conquered. They, too, needed to know what temptations were at hand in order to succeed in conquering them. Although the way of dealin...
