The Art of Comparison 5: Ground
Next is the terrain.
It can be distant or near.
It can be difficult or easy.
It can be open or narrow.
It also determines your life or death.
Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, Chapter 1, Section 1:23-27
The solid part of our competitive positions that we compare is called “ground” or “terrain.” As climate represents time, ground represents space. The ground that we control makes up our competitive positions. The larger competitive area is ground others control plus any unexplored ground. Like climate, ground is both psychological, “a mind space,” and physical, “a place.” Winning more ground is our prize for making successful moves.
Strategic ground has more directions, more types, aspects, and dimensions to compare than any other part of practical strategy. The Chinese character that we translate as “terrain” means “earth,” “situation,” and “condition.” Situations and conditions are also compared. Space has 360 degrees of possible directions that we can choose. Most importantly, ground has “up” and “down.” Up is where we want to go, both physically and psychologically. Comparing the complex aspects of strategic ground is at the heart of making good choices.
Distant or Near
First, we compared the ground on how far or near it is. Where we are now doesn't dictate where we can go in the long-term, but it does dictate where we can easily go next. We are limited by our current position's location: physically, psychologically, and in terms of our skills. Every physical, psychological, and skill space leads to other nearby spaces. Moving to a distant space requires a long campaign of smaller, nearby moves. So, we normally want to choose the nearest ground.
We all live somewhere. Working as plumbers, hairdressers, dentists and many other service providers, we can only serve our local markets. We must compare our local areas. We can move to a better area, but we must compare them on the basis of what we think of as “better.” One aspect of that is how close it is to our current location.
For psychological and skill dimensions, comparisons of near and far are even more important. For example, if we establish ourselves among those who know us as untrustworthy, a position of trust is distant. Age also creates distance. We cannot jump from being a teenager to being seen as an adult. It can also be distant to move from a friend to a lover. We hold a certain “ground” in the minds of people who know us. We can usually move those positions only a little at a time.
The same is even more true of the skill spaces we occupy. Some skills are distant. Others are near. Someone with a medical degree can move into a number of nearby specialties. They cannot move into engineering or architecture based upon their skill in medicine. Where we are in terms of our skills determines where we can easily go. Skills take time to acquire. Reputations for having skills takes even more time. High competence in any area is distant for the beginner. How distant skills are depends on how fast we learn. We learn best, not from books, but from practice.
Difficult or Easy
We compare ground on whether it is difficult or easy. There are four basic ground types: level, uneven, fluid, and soft. Except for level ground, all offer types different difficulties that we must compare. While we tend to think we prefer “easy” ground, so do most other people. This means easy ground is the most crowded and competitive. We find more opportunities on difficult ground. The secret is choosing the difficulties we are best suited for.
The term “level” describes very little about the ground except that it doesn’t present any difficulties. A level playing field is even, stable, and solid. We want to choose level ground when we can find it, but even playing fields are uncommon, especially psychologically and in terms of skills.
The difficulties of uneven or tilted ground make it tough to move in one direction. It is always easier to go downhill than up. Psychologically, ground is tilted by our biases regarding personality, interests, and background. In terms of skill levels, all ground starts off uneven because of our very different natural abilities. This unevenness becomes more acute over time, as some of us build up positions and others do not.
We compare ground by how fluid or fast-changing it is. This ground makes it easy to establish new positions, but very difficult to hold those positions. Positions in new technological arenas tend to be the most fluid and most difficult. Fluid ground is easier for those who prefer to move quickly. This ground is also easier for those who prefer experimentation to repeating proven methods.
We also compare ground by how soft it is. Solid ground is easier to move on than soft ground. Until we achieve financial independence, our financial ground is frequently soft and difficult. Our psychological and skills positions are usually built on more solid and less difficult ground over time. Changes in technology and politics make all ground less solid. Soft grounds are easier for those who can move through them quickly.
Open or Narrow
We also compare ground by how open or narrow it is. This is a more complex comparison because ground can be open or narrow indifferent ways. Area, obstacles, and stickiness are the breadth, width, and height of competitive space. Each can be open or narrow. Its area compares the amount of space. Its obstacles compare the barriers protecting that space. Its stickiness compares the difficulties in holding that ground. The value of “open” and “narrow” are different for each of these dimensions.
Each dimension has two extremes, opening and narrowing them. The extremes of area are open when spread-out and narrowed by constriction. The extremes of obstacles are wide-open with few obstacles, and narrow and barricaded when there are many. The extremes of stickiness are opened up in fixed positions and narrowed down in slippery ones. Each type of ground has different advantages and disadvantages.’
Open areas make it easy to advance, but constricted areas are easier to defend. Wide open barriers also make it easier to advance, but they are difficult to defend. Barricaded positions are easier to defend, but difficult to move into or out of. Sticky fixed positions are easier to defend and advance out of. Non-sticky, slippery positions are difficult to defend and dangerous to advance.
Determines Life and Death
Making the right comparisons about ground determines our survival, literally. People making the wrong choices, die from starvation, war, and disease. The ground is a source of our resources. These resources can be physical and but in today’s economy, they are mostly economic and social.
Are we seeking distant or near ground? Are we seeking easy or difficult ground? Are we seeking open or narrow ground? It all depends on our situations, another meaning of “ground.” We seek different types of ground at different times. Sometimes, we undertake long campaigns to reach distant ground. Most times, we take short steps. We look for the difficult ground that suits our abilities. We choose among all the flavors of open and narrow ground based upon where we are, who we are, and where we want to go.