Learning and application in all things

In the contruction of houses, choice of woods is made. Straight un-knotted timber of good appearance is used for the revealed pillars, straight timber with small defects is used for the innter pillars. Timber of the finest appearance, even if a little weak, is used for the thresholds, lintels, doors, and sliding doors, and so on. Good strong timber, though it be gnarled and knotted, can always be used discreetly in construction. Timber which is weak or knotted throughout should be used as scaffolding, and later for firewood. The foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability. Floor layers, makers of sliding doors, thresholds and lintels, ceilings and so on. Those of poor ability lay the floor joist, and those of lesser ability carve wedges and do such miscellaneous work. If the foreman knows and deploys his men well the finished work will be good. The foreman should take into account the abilities and limitations of his men, circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable. He should know their morale and spirit, and encourage them when necessary. This is the same as the principle of strategy. ---quoted from The Book of Five Rings

I love to study strategy and military history. I remember when I was still in grade school just beginning to learn about the battle of Gettysburg and wondering why the Confederates just didn't move around to the right. I like to read books on ancient battles (mostly about the American Civil War) as well as play table top war games. And I really enjoyed my time as a 'straight leg' infantryman. As I was writting this I was beginning to divert into my thoughts on war, etc. but that was not my original intent on today's entry. What I wanted to talk about is how we can learn from anything. Often battlefield tours (well, at least ones the military sponsors :) ) speak to what was done right, what was done wrong. That sort of thing. In The Book of Five Rings Miyamoto Musashi explains how the warrior can learn from the other professions (the example above demonstrates a correlation between a carpenter foreman and a leader of men in battle). Yesterday I received the book, Guide to the Battle of Antietam from Amazon.com. While reading the introduction it dawned on me. It is not just the soldier that can learn from the study of such things, but the "civilian" can learn from such things too. As a matter of fact it would benefit us all to study things outside of our sphere of interest. Not to try and master another trade or hobby, but to draw parallels and thereby learn how to apply lessons learned to our own daily lives. Verse for today: Job 33:29-33, ESV “Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you. If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”