189. The art of Weiqi (Go/Baduk) war (碁#23) - The World War that never Comes

For most people, if they know the game of Weiqi (or Go, as it is more popularly known) is just another strategy game. If they do get any good at it, then maybe they will choose to go professional. For this is the path proscribed for most people in Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan, wanting to master the game. However, if you are listening to this podcast or any one of the other Weiqi Art of War podcasts, then you, in your deepest of hearts are wanting something more. And the name of that game is "World Domination". The game of Weiqi goes beyond just money and consumerist satisfaction. You are here because you want more. Much more. And you dare to dream big. Really big. And you are here because you need a way to express this desire. When two people decide to play Weiqi, what they see is not just another board waiting to be played but an untouched world; A blank slate waiting for one player to be the dominant force at the end. Maybe some of you can relate to this sensation, even if it is not literally thee world, or a continent or some country somewhere. It could just be your world as defined by you. And so, while we prepare for world domination, we use Weiqi to test our battle theories. Not against people who think like us, but against people who want different things and are prepared to get in the way of success. We deliberately face-off against opponents like these, so that we have a simple way to test the beauty of our plans while watching them crumble in the face of some of the most mundane human stuff out there. It helps to think of it like this: Your Weiqi strategy is to play with moves that resemble high powered boardroom takeovers, and you're prepared for either hostile takeovers or counter-coup-d'états. But your whole strategy starts to unravel because your opponent's strategy is based upon their reality of going to the shops to buy a loaf of bread. Your strategy is unravelling because their reality is different to your reality and in the process of living a different life to yours, their car crashes into your car and you're delayed for your showdown. Same planet but two players living in two different realities. By being a simple game of stones on a board that only gets played once, it forces us to confront these contradictions. While the example given is a bit extreme, it highlights why these days most wars tend to drag on way longer than needed. And why very few leaders can match their grand words with grand actions. If there is to be another world war, the lessons from the Weiqi (Go/Baduk) Art of War will reveal it to be highly exciting in the movies, but a ho-hum letdown in real life; Saved by a guy in traffic eating a meat pie, who's life will forever stay unremarkable ⚔️圍棋戰聖