- 2025-09-10 → I’m using this to refer to the fact that I don’t want to make money via non-alive avenues anymore. I’d rather have rapidly depleting savings and be wholeheartedly focused on making things, with the incentive of “gotta make this shit good”, vs spending 3+ hours of energy a day on a non-alive, non-aligned job
Google Gemini summary:
In Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War,” “death ground” refers to a strategic situation where soldiers are positioned in such a way that they have no avenue of escape. With their backs to an impassable obstacle like a river, mountain, or the sea, they are faced with a stark choice: fight with ferocious determination or perish.
The core principle behind intentionally placing an army on death ground is psychological. When soldiers realise there is no possibility of retreat, a powerful survival instinct takes over. This desperation, according to Sun Tzu, fosters unparalleled courage, unity, and a willingness to fight to the last breath. The fear of certain death if they fail to win overcomes the fear of the enemy, transforming the soldiers into a formidable and highly motivated fighting force.
Sun Tzu outlines nine different types of ground in his treatise, and death ground is considered one of the most critical for a commander to understand and, when necessary, utilise. It is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. While it can extract the utmost effort and bravery from soldiers, it also places them in an incredibly vulnerable position. The decision to commit troops to such a perilous situation is a testament to a commander’s understanding of both the terrain and the psychological state of their soldiers.
Essentially, death ground is a deliberate creation of a do-or-die scenario to galvanise an army to fight with extraordinary ferocity and achieve victory against seemingly insurmountable odds.