Many of the greatest kings remembered in the history books or among the stories of the people are known as warrior scholars. They fought their battles, and when they had an opportunity to rest, they studied. Most focused on topics along the lines of politics, economics, and military strategy. However, there were also those with interests in religion, astrology, astronomy, and agriculture. A man with a talent for battle was a scary sight. A man with a talent for battle and a brain for making the battle easy was something to truly fear.
Lately, I have been associating with this image. I recently graduated college and took a short hiatus to get away from everything. It was a nice break including family, friends, Christmas, snowboarding, and videogames. Yesterday, I returned to the working world. I say return because after three internships and a couple student jobs, I do not feel like it is a wholly new experience. To me, going to work is stepping onto the battlefield. My coworkers are fellow soldiers, and the problems encountered in breaking greater service to the clients is the force opposing us. It is where I employ everything I have learned over the years. It is where all the training comes to the forefront.
Then I go home in the evening. Where medieval kings may have played chest by candle light, I dabble in web development and other programming projects. They are miniature versions of problems I may encounter at work. I begin to expose the forces at play and develop tactics to meet them. I spend time reading books and blogs. I watch enlightening shows on the television. You may think all I do is watch sports, but I argue that football relates to far more of life than the local three-day forecast.
Tonight’s agenda is no different. Tonight, I resume reading The Art of War.