| Fine weapons are instruments of evil as soldiers can be: quite ill-omened things, often hated. Those with fine dao turn away from weapons that are most often hated. The gentleman favours the left hand side among people in peace; peace people are of good birth. In a fair peace the symbolic left is the place of honour. Yes, a good ruler honours the left and its good omens when at home, but in war this is reversed: On military occasions he favours the right side as the place of war honour. And so he honours the right of bad omens. The durable, even when he conquers, does hardly regard weapons as lovely things. Weapons and soldiers can be bad and evil-doing tools. They're not often the tools of the gentleman and good ruler. To hold them dear means to delight in them, and so to delight in slaughter of men. And he who delights in the slaughter of men will never get what he looks for out of those that live and function under heaven. In ugly victory there's no beauty, and who calls it handsome perhaps preaches slaughter. Use of soldiers [and police] can't be helped, best policy is calm restraint. Who delights in the slaughter of men wont succeed, wont succeed in ruling the world; and slaying of multitudes should be mourned. A host that has slain men had better be received with grief and mourning rites; he that has conquered in battle had better be received and celebrated with some mournful funeral custom.. A victory is the grand occasion for funerals. |
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