It is easy to lose oneself in the midst of chaos, but we are called to awaken our inner coolness and see the impermanence of the chaos so that we can see and seize the possible opportunities. On the level of form and physical existence - it may seem there’s chaos. It may seem we’re facing great challenges. This is because our interactions are based in the material world, fixed in time and governed by our sense of “self” and “mine” which are defined by the limits of our skin, walls of our houses, and borders of our countries. All the while, the Absolute, the Unified Field, that underlying reality which spans beyond of our experiences, remains unaffected by the tribulations in the relevant sphere of our lives. 

Naturally, one may ask “HOW do you locate the right opportunities during chaos?” 

He is not naming what the opportunities are, neither he gives instructions on how to find them. Sun Tzu merely states the opportunities are there. It’s important to note that based on his expression, he does not limit the availability of opportunity to our army or our ‘enemy’ or a third party. From his quote, we can assume the opportunities are available to everyone. Really? - you may ask. But why not? For anyone and everyone who manages to see it and takes action to seize it.

The sage’s instructions are subtle and concise, but require preparation and certain readiness to invoke a moment of insight. Sun Tzu’s quotes are universal axioms and formulas based on the rules of nature that govern the activities of physical activities. Just as this Absolute, this Unified Field is the underlying reality of natural cycles and processes, it is also the underlying reality of the global markets, industries, and computer systems. This Unified Field is orderly and that’s why we can trust that our Internet will be there tomorrow and the next day and we even build our technologies and our lives around it. In the same way, this Unified Field containing all the Laws of Nature permeates activities of warfare and conflict resolution. Each action will have a response visible and known in the material realm in correlation to these laws.

Our physical and even subtle realities are orderly functions of the Laws of Nature. As physicists observe nature and derive the laws, then put them to work building aircraft, spacecraft, and the next Mars rover. 

As a methodical scientist of warfare, Sun Tzu distilled the rules of nature he observed, which are present in this particular field of action. He gives us axioms and formulas so we can adjust our actions based on our abilities and present situations to achieve desired outcomes. 

In terms of the pandemic and the lockdown, the opportunities may be: educational reforms - distance learning; millions of people are working from home and businesses are adapting; the corporate culture is rapidly changing; breakthroughs in science to battle and contain the virus and so on. In terms of social and political chaos, the opportunities may be the social reforms to establish and protect racial and social justice and equality. Government officials are under political pressure to take action and bring about the reforms. As soon as the pain of political pressure is greater than the pleasure of comfort to keep the status quo, we have a great opportunity for improving our social justice system. 

Since these laws are universal, they will work for every situation. The goal is not to abandon action under the sway of chaos in the physical realm and remember that the storm is only on the surface of the ocean. The depth of our Being is orderly and it takes being grounded in that reality to see the hidden opportunities chaos presents to us.