BOOKS
Conversation with Thomas Huynh
Author of ‘The Art of War – Spirituality for Conflict’
By Brenda Miesel Posted March 16, 2008
Even as we are reminded daily in the news reports that America is currently at war, does the idea of ending all wars and conflicts sound possible to you? A new book says it is not so far out of reach as you may think.
As a war refuge from Vietnam, Thomas Huynh seeks to put an end to all warfare with the ideals published in his book, The Art of War—Spirituality for Conflict (published by Skylight Paths Publishing). He does not believe that envisioning the end of all wars is naïve, but instead considers the approval of the horrific violence that comes along with war to be the more dangerous way of thinking. “I firmly believe we can achieve progress in ending wars as well as alleviating our everyday conflicts by following the principles in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, a 2500-year-old book that I explain verse by verse in my book,” Huynh states.
Huynh chose to write a book on war instead of peace to point out to us our natural tendencies toward angry emotional outbursts that cause pain and suffering to everyone around us. He feels that similar to how the medical profession tries to understand a certain disease to better find a cure for it, understanding what war is, how it starts, and why it spreads will allow us to “end war and conflict quickly in order to bring about balance and harmony.” He says that following our common human habit of acting out of anger produces little progress so we should consider a better way of dealing with conflict. Huynh stresses, “My book helps you to reconsider your tendency to allow emotions to affect your actions that oftentimes exacerbate the situation, and teaches you how you can critically assess your problem and indeed control the outcome of the situation.” He adds, “In fact, there are instances in the book where I discuss that despite how bad your environment is, you can nevertheless secure a favorable position.”
While he admits that conflicts will always be a part of our lives he contends that it is our response to the disagreements that will have the greatest affect on our inner peace and personal happiness. He feels that his book will not only show the reader how to resolve conflict but to prevent them from happening in the first place. Huynh points out that this book is required reading for every United States Marine Corps officer and is widely read among American business schools. Its philosophies, if followed, will enable future generations to live more at peace with one another and achieve greater accomplishments in life by shifting our focus and energies to advancing causes that are for the greater good of mankind.
He points to his college years, which began at the University of Seattle in Seattle, Washington with an undergraduate degree in business, and later earning his MBA from Vanderbilt, as giving him a strong liking for practical approaches. He believes that the best books on spirituality must be “applicable to the working life, not a life of leisure or endless contemplation.” “The Art of War—Spirituality for Conflict is 100 percent geared towards ideas and concepts you can realistically apply in your life…I would not have written the book otherwise because I’m a consumer of books myself, and I simply don’t have the patience for books that are not practical,” he reflected. Huynh is quick to point out that the ideas have consistently worked in his own life.
His beliefs on these matters have evolved slowly over time and are constantly, even daily, being challenged with new ideas getting incorporated into his way of thinking. “It’s not an exaggeration (to say) I convert every day because I learn something new from somebody with a different perspective every day. The main point is my current beliefs came from people, not events.” Huynh feels that Sun Tzu’s philosophy is relevant still today because we will always have the human element of emotions to deal with. Certain war technologies and strategies can become obsolete over time, he says, but human dynamics will always have a huge impact on our surroundings.
The author lets us know that he wrote his book in plain, every day English, so as to be understandable by the average person. He reflected, “Although the book is the result of input from over 40 scholars of The Art of War, it is for the non-scholar. Therefore, the book’s purpose is to enlighten but it doesn’t require someone with any special knowledge to obtain such enlightenment.” He discusses worldly, down-to-earth topics such as spying and deception so as not to ignore what is real. “Sun Tzu was a pragmatist. He wanted results, not nice sounding concepts that aren’t consistently effective,” Huynh declared.
This published work is Huynh’s first book; however, he has long been writing business correspondences and feels that both types of writing are done “to share valuable information with the readers.” The Library Journal recently offered this critique on Huynh’s finished work, “Skylight Paths [publisher] has restored Sun’s place among spiritual classics of the East with this fresh, new, annotated translation of a timely and perennially popular classic for a non-scholarly audience.” Huynh is pleased that his approach has been recognized as being a work that will appeal to the general public and not just to professionals.
This project took him over a year to complete and involved his having to dissect and review over 20 years worth of information and previous material. He is looking forward to having some free time once again to enjoy his family and relax in his Rome, Georgia home. Huynh is active there as a board member of a local child advocacy group and is anticipating spending more time helping with that non-profit organization. He lightheartedly told me, “I’m also involved with a writers’ group and a chess club in Rome as well. Perhaps when I’m tired of losing to kids in chess, then I’ll fill that time with another book!”