Thinking deeply it seems that it is conflict which defines us, that harmony cannot exist without something to contrast and the key to good strategy is not necessarily working by principles which become stagnant.
Interesting story about the Prussian Army that was defeated and driven away by the French under Napoleon, the Prussians held fast to old tactics that were no match for the unorthodox methods the French employed.
The Prussians were streamlined, orderly, but the French seemed to work in more of a chaotic harmony (which we see utilized by Armies in todays world).
They were able to move freely, erratically, while the Prussians were predictable due to the utilization of outdated tactics, not necessarily in support of an outdated strategy, but a strategy that employed too many rigid principles.
We are seeing a similar paradigm shift today, in which the enemy no longer follows some of the rules of combat where it is easy to differentiate between civilian and combatant, which catches the modern army off guard and calls their methods and practices to question time and again.
Often an enemy is a reflection of the times and a society in flux all around us. Things are no longer so easily defined and the more we look at it the more we realize anything goes, it is every man or woman for themselves.
Miyamoto Musashi was famous for his ability to adapt, his strategic genious was not based on any one principle and did not rely on any particular tactic.
It was fluid, constantly changing according to circumstance based on intelligence gathered before hand.
Sometimes he used one sword, sometimes he used two, he even used a sharpened boat oar and some comments meant to send his opponent into an emotional frenzy on one occasion, you never knew if he would be early, late, or right on time for a fight, the key being that this would throw the opponents' mental balance for a loop and create turmoil in their hearts and minds.
If you defeat the mind and heart of the opponent then you have already won.
The point being that we have so many people saying 'do x in response to y,' while it is good to gain an understanding of such things the main goal is to transcend it and become fluid like Musashi, or the French when they defeated the Prussians and forced them into retreat.
It is conflict that defines us and without conflict harmony cannot be achieved, this is not a half-hearted harmony that leaves you warm and fuzzy inside, no, it lets you know where you stand in relation to everything else.
Let's face it, we live in a diverse world, there is always going to be conflict making way for new things, the survival of a species, the evolution of a species depends on conflict, you cannot build your immune system unless it is fighting sickness, you cannot survive without killing and eating another living thing whether it be plant or animal, and this is true of all creatures.
To see strategy as useless because you are a pacifist means you have no idea what true pacifism is because you deny its' contrast.
Sure, Martial Arts is about not fighting, or more accurately, understanding when to fight and when to flee, the latter being the best option in a society ruled by laws, but what does it truly entail and what tactics are employed to see the strategy through? To understand strategy the mind must be clear and centered, waging war against those emotions and thoughts that would distract from the task at hand - ultimately living in the moment just as the modern Zen ideal would have us do, to fully live and see things just as they are, respond to the reality, not what we THINK is reality.
