Why? Why did I not read this ages ago?

[x_cannonball]

I think I'm going to have to sleep with von Clausewitz here beneath my pillow for a while, though, because I sure don't think I'm going to 'get' it all unless osmosis is involved. What a mind this guy had... this "fascinating trinity" stuff alone... it all make so much sense! And above and beyond all the military stuff, there are some real gems. Like this one:

Two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead.

Wow. Just...wow.

Comments

...

[x-tarot.livejournal.com]

So he is saying that it is important to be intelligent, or perhaps wise and have the courage to keep to your beliefs?

I am not quite sure I understood what you quoted correctly.

[x-cannonball.livejournal.com]

He says that when he's talking about war being "the realm of uncertainty" and chance. I think the intellect with courage is what you use to overcome that.

I'm not entirely sure I get it all myself, like I said. There's just so much here, and it all needs thinking about...

[x-cable.livejournal.com]

Well, you're reading him now, and that's the important thing. Don't sell yourself too short, either; you don't need osmosis, you just need to read him a couple of times and do some thinking.

Back during training I had an instructor who used to drill the class with questions on von Clausewitz and Thucydides and some of the other major military-theory texts. He had an aide keep score, and whoever got the fewest 'points' got a beating and no food the next day. (Not kidding, sadly...) Looking back, I'm kind of regretful that I didn't have the leisure to learn this stuff at my own pace. Probably wouldn't have taken me so long to really grasp it, if I had.

[x-cloud.livejournal.com]

I think I get it...

The inner light is curiosity, right? Because it is curiosity that leads you to knowledge and that is the same as truth. And the courage bit is about understanding that it is the truth?

Maybe I don't get it.