The Science of Defeat
As defeat happens more regularly to countries, societies, armies, and people, no doubt a “science of defeat” should be developed and taught. Can defeat ever happen, or is it a state of mind? Meandering into the spirit of martial arts, we are reminded of the words of Bruce Lee: “Defeat is a state of mind; no one is ever defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality."
Today’s strategists tend to believe in technology warfare far too frequently, particularly when it comes to the major powers. We must remember, though, that war does not only show its heroes and victorious people, but also those of its victims. War primarily reflects itself in its victims: the dead, the wounded, the scared, the homeless, and the refugees. For example, what has been gained in the War on Terror of the twenty-first century, given the inability of technology to safeguard life and the decline in all security? When the human cost is thus high, it takes precedence over worries about “winning” or “losing.”
Even if there were no more violent deaths of people in Iraq, Ukraine, or anywhere else in the sacrificed world going forward, talk of victory or defeat devalues humanity and the lives lost. We lose sight of the actual losses when this war is evaluated in such terms. Will “we” ever succeed? We have all already suffered losses after so many fatalities. Undoubtedly, there needs to be a Science of Defeat.
