Terrain (Sun Tzu 1: 5) (James 4:1-9)
Who’s got the distance? Who’s got the speed?
Who has the roadways? What does each need?
Can you move safely? Travel with ease?
Few troops or many? Blitzkrieg or freeze?When roads are narrow as through a pass,
Narrow the column, length becomes vast;
Distance from homeland speaks to supply;
Time’s of the essence – walk, sail, or fly.Forward and backward, options keep free,
How do the landforms speak to this need?
Not just your actions, other side to,
Think about movement, don’t be a fool.Land is a fixture, givens don’t change;
Mountains and valleys don’t rearrange;
There are exceptions, factor those in;
Ask the tough questions ’fore you begin.Land’s about danger – traverse with care
Sometimes is needful – must you be there?
Tough route or easy, for all or some?
Open or narrow – can it be done?World of dimension – open, confined;
Landforms restrict us – action’s defined;
If we’re constricted, held all around,
Expansive actions seldom are found.Safety’s a factor tied up with land –
Some of its fatal, other is grand;
Chances of living in some terrain,
Comes with restriction – trade-offs again.Danger’s inherent – lots of its chance;
Tenable actions hold high romance;
Practical thinking – can you proceed?
Will it exhaust you? danger indeed!What is your preference, open or tight?
Where would you rather disperse or fight?
Fight from the high ground? Flood out the low?
Whose is the homeland? What do you know?In the beginning, God made the land
Up from the ocean, mountains and sand;
Climate is shifting, floods factor in,
Heavens and landforms new mix begin.Earthquakes, tornadoes, lightning that blasts,
Soon will be weapons – not in the past;
What were once factors out of our reach
Soon will be harnessed – then we will teach –Soldiers these factors, weapons indeed –
“Beam me up, Scotty – out of my need”
Why all this warfare? James gives a clue
Ease off the craving – ask (not for you).navigation