The Art of Strategies

A samurai, a fierce warrior, was fishing peacefully on the bank of a river. He caught a fish and was about to cook it when the cat, hidden under a bush, jumped up and stole his prey. Upon realizing this, the samurai became enraged, pulled out his saber and with one blow cut the cat in two. This warrior was a fervent Buddhist and the remorse of having killed a living being did not allow him to live in peace later. Upon entering the house, the whisper of the wind in the trees murmured meow. The people he passed seemed to say meow to him. The children's gaze reflected meows. When he approached, his friends meowed incessantly. At night he dreamed nothing but meows. During the day, every sound, thought or act of his life was transformed into a meow. He himself had become a meow. His condition was only getting worse. His obsession pursued him, tortured him without respite or rest. Unable to stop the meowing, he went to the temple to ask an old Zen master for advice. –

Russian scientists have studied the stray dogs of Moscow and their evolution since the fall of communism. These animals have demonstrated a capacity for adaptation to the environment and to new circumstances that surpasses in many cases by far that of humans. One of the skills developed by these canines is their habit of taking the subway in the mornings to get to the center of Moscow and taking it again at night to return to their homes. In the center of the city, food can be easily obtained, but not sleeping comfortably. They know exactly where and when to get on, observing, even, that they usually choose the cars with the least people (the first and the last usually), something that, according to Eugene Linden, requires reasoning and conscious thought. They are, moreover, capable of not losing their stop, thanks to their excellent sense of time that allows them to calculate their journey, to the recognition of the name of the station or its smell or to a combination of all these

It was extremely difficult to divorce in medieval Europe, so couples who were fed up with each other sometimes opted to end the marriage with a divorce duel. The combat instructor and advisor to the German court, Hans Talhofer, wrote Fechtbuch ("Book of Fencing") in 1467, an illustrated tome that included techniques for couples involved in such duels. Since men have obvious physical advantages, things had to be leveled. Husbands, armed with three clubs, had to fight from within a waist-high hole and about one meter wide, with one hand tied to the body. Wives were armed with three stones that weighed up to eight pounds, tied in a cloth like a battery in a sock, and could move freely around the hole. The weapons of both sides had to be the same length. A husband who touched the edge of the hole lost a club. If he did it three times, he had to continue unarmed. If that happened, he would probably have to try to get his wife into the hole before she hit him on the head. Tal

In the jungle lived three lions. One day the monkey, the representative elected by the animals, called a meeting to ask them for a decision. We all know that the lion is the king of the animals, but for a big doubt in the jungle: there are 3 lions and the 3 are very strong. To which of them should we obey? Which of them should be our King? The lions learned of the meeting and commented among themselves: It's true, the concern of the animals makes a lot of sense. A jungle cannot have 3 kings. We do not want to fight among ourselves because we are very good friends... We need to know who will be the chosen one, but, how to find out? Once again the animals gathered and after much deliberation, they reached a decision and communicated it to the 3 lions: - We have found a very simple solution to the problem, and we have decided that you 3 are going to climb Mount Difficult. The one who reaches the top first will be consecrated our King. Mount Difficult was the highest of all t

A popular tale from Venezuela where the strategy of the rabbit that was caught by a tiger and how he managed to escape is told. On a lovely summer afternoon, a rabbit was resting peacefully, lying on the grass. Silently, a tiger approached him and with a roar, threatened him. -You're mine, elusive rabbit! I've been trying to catch you for days and I finally have you! There was no escape! He had the tiger's jaws so close that he could even feel his fetid breath on his pink nose. The only possibility he had left was to take advantage of his own cunning. – Wait a moment, wait a moment, Mr. Tiger! I have something very important to tell you. – What do you want? I don't feel like talking, I feel like eating you in one bite! The rabbit swallowed his saliva and faced him, disguising his fear. -Have you seen me well? Don't you see how skinny and small I am? – Yes, but I don't care! I'm going to eat you anyway, so don't resist! – Well, you're wr