AESOP TACTICAL GENIUS

Aesop was not just a mastermind in creating and telling fables, he was a tactical genius. His insight into the ways and faults of people is as relevant and significant in his times as it is today. His genius for his messages on moral behavior is well-known but his detailed grasp on the weaknesses, failings, flaws, imperfections, faults, and defects of humans is not.
Underneath the entertaining and educational stories, there are countless tactical lessons on offer. Did Aesop knowingly and intentionally blend his tactical genius inside the fables? Practically, it does not matter. His fables are not bed-time stories, he created his fables for adult audiences. Sadly, his tactical genius is rarely appreciated.
To correct this error, The Art of War by Chinese general Sun Tzu, the oldest and most revered treatise on conflict resolution, is used to reveal Aesop’s true brilliance. Strategy and tactics are Aesop’s’ tools in trade.
Aesop did not create bedtime stories. From engaging crowds, he advised and entertained kings, queens and other powerful individuals with his deep, intricate, and oft misunderstood fables.
THE EAGLE, THE CAT, AND THE WILD SOW fable contains at least one lesson from every chapter of the Art of War. Just this one fable provides a wealth of knowledge on tactical warfare. The subtle and artful way the CAT defeated two enemies with one strategy, without any violence, would make the revered General Sun Tzu smile. It is a lesson everyone should learn.
How to manoeuvre an enemy into a weaker position is revealed in THE OWL AND THE GRASSHOPPER. Did the GRASSHOPPER stand any chance? THE LION AND THE FOUR BULLS fable deepens the understanding on the use of this tactic. The LION defeats an overwhelming enemy with only words, carefully chosen and even more carefully spoken.
A second vital lesson is the importance of penetrating deception while using a deception of your own. Discover how the HORSE defeats the WOLF by piercing the deception. Multiple deceptions are in THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE AILING LION allegory and the dire results of not understanding a threat hidden behind a fraud. This fable also highlights the dangers when forming alliances, especially false alliances.
The importance of fully understanding a situation is revealed in THE LARK AND HER CHICKS. This and knowing the nature of mankind. This theme is also explored in the fable, THE HUNTER AND THE HORSEMAN. The second lesson in both fables in the words of Sun Tzu is “rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” Tough times are a permanent feature in everyone’s lives, both men warn us to be prepared for them.
THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE AILING LION is as fast paced as it is short. The WOLF sets a trap for the FOX, but the quick-witted FOX turns the table on the wicked WOLF. The fate of the WOLF is not for the feint-hearted.
The tragedies of Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) reflect Aesop’s warning in THE BUTCHER AND HIS FLOCK. How many times has Aesop’s’ warning been ignored throughout history? If we don’t look after others, who will look after us when dark times overwhelm the best of us?
His tactical genius is easily missed because of his brevity. His fables are short yet contain multiple messages in each. Only with the help of a highly esteemed veteran general can his messages be decoded properly. Sun Tzu is also brief with his maxims, containing many messages in the fewest words. Together, they open a doorway into a deep understanding of how strategy and tactics effect our daily lives.
Each fable and maxim are powerful on their own. Each fable and maxim are blocks that when combined provide a unique education.