In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory.
Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.
There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.
In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they end but to begin anew; like the four seasons, they pass away to return once more.
There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white, and black), yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than five cardinal tastes (sour, acrid, salt, sweet, bitter), yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.
In battle, there are not more than two methods of attack--the direct and the indirect; yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of maneuvers.
The direct and the indirect lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
From "Sun Tzu on the Art of War - The Oldest Military Treatise in the World"
Translated from the Chinese By Lionel Giles, M.A. (1910)
Discussion:
The hint for this translation came from a conversation with a Zen monk, Venerable Yushi Shimada who is a Facebook/Twitter friend of mine. I thought these passages illustrated that the limitation of options did not necessarily limit what we could do about with them. It seemed to me that the notion was relevant to modern healthcare, too. But I thought I would need better examples for today's audience than Sun Tzu used to describe it.
Then Yushi mentioned about our previous discussion about the movie "Matrix" on indistinctness between physical reality and virtual reality. Then I found that I could translate those passages within the context of remote healthcare delivery. I really appreciate Yushi for that.
Translation:
In all healthcare deliveries, the direct method may be used for the first encounter, but remote methods will be needed in order to maintain access.
Remote deliveries, efficiently applied, are ubiquitous as Heaven and Earth, continuous as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they are timely and repeatable; like the four seasons, they accommodate any stages of life.
There are not more than sixteen bits, yet the combinations of these can record more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than eight bits each for three primary colours, yet in combination they can record video streams with more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than blood-oxygen level test, yet pulse oximetry yield more favours than other methods ever be tested.
In healthcare, there are not more than two methods of delivery--the direct and the remote yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of manoeuvres.
The direct and the remote lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
Remote deliveries, efficiently applied, are ubiquitous as Heaven and Earth, continuous as the flow of rivers and streams; like the sun and moon, they are timely and repeatable; like the four seasons, they accommodate any stages of life.
There are not more than sixteen bits, yet the combinations of these can record more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than eight bits each for three primary colours, yet in combination they can record video streams with more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than blood-oxygen level test, yet pulse oximetry yield more favours than other methods ever be tested.
In healthcare, there are not more than two methods of delivery--the direct and the remote yet these two in combination give rise to an endless series of manoeuvres.
The direct and the remote lead on to each other in turn. It is like moving in a circle--you never come to an end. Who can exhaust the possibilities of their combination?
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