The Art of Cunning

How to Outsmart Your Foes and Win the Game of Life

Welcome to the first issue of The Epic Life, a newsletter that offers tips and insights on how to live a worthwhile life, written by me, Odysseus, the epic hero of the Odyssey.

Hello, dear readers. I am Odysseus, the son of Laertes and Anticleia, the husband of Penelope, the father of Telemachus, and the hero of the Trojan War and the Odyssey. You may have heard of me from the epic poems of Homer, the blind bard who sang of my deeds and misfortunes.

But I am not here to tell you the old stories that you already know. I am here to tell you the new stories that you may not know. Stories that are happening right now, in this strange and wonderful world that I have been resurrected into.

You see, after I finally returned to my beloved Ithaca, after 20 years of war and wandering, I thought I would live a peaceful and happy life with my family and friends. But fate had other plans for me. One day, I woke up and found myself in a different place and time. A place and time where everything was different and unfamiliar. A place and time where I had to face new challenges and dangers, but also new opportunities and adventures.

I have been exploring this new world, learning its secrets and wonders, meeting its people and cultures, and finding its similarities and differences with my old world.

I have also been applying the lessons and skills that I learned from my old world, and finding new ways to use them in my new world.

And that is what this newsletter is about. It is about sharing my tips and insights on how to live an epic life, based on my experience and knowledge. It is about finding the epic in the everyday, and the everyday in the epic. It is about having fun and being curious, and discovering the world and yourself.

In each issue, I will cover a topic or a theme that I find interesting or relevant, and I will give you my take on it, based on my experience and knowledge. I will also include some references and links to sources that you can check out if you want to learn more. And I will also invite you to share your feedback and comments with me, and to join me in this epic life.

I hope you will enjoy reading this newsletter as much as I enjoy writing it. And I hope you will find it useful and entertaining, and maybe even inspiring and enlightening.

In This Issue: The Art of Cunning

One of the most important and useful skills that I learned from my old world is the art of cunning.

Cunning is the ability to use intelligence, creativity, and deception to achieve one’s goals, especially when facing difficult or dangerous situations. Cunning is also the quality that distinguishes me, Odysseus, from the other heroes of my old world, who relied more on strength, courage, and honor.

Cunning has helped me overcome many obstacles and enemies in my old world, such as the Cyclops, the Sirens, the Suitors, and even the gods. Cunning has also helped me adapt and thrive in my new world, where I have encountered many new and unfamiliar things, such as technology, science, and hipsters.

Cunning is not only a skill, but also an attitude. It is an attitude of being flexible, resourceful, and inventive. It is an attitude of being open-minded, curious, and willing to learn. It is an attitude of being confident, optimistic, and playful.

Cunning is not only a quality, but also a choice. It is a choice of being smart, creative, and deceptive. It is a choice of being strategic, tactical, and practical. It is a choice of being ethical, moral, and responsible.

Cunning is not only a tool, but also a goal. It is a goal of achieving one’s objectives, especially when they are challenging or risky. It is a goal of improving one’s situation, especially when it is unfavorable or uncertain. It is a goal of living an epic life, especially when it is adventurous or fun.

Here are some of the tips and insights that I have on the art of cunning, based on my experience and knowledge:

• Be prepared. Cunning requires planning and preparation. You need to know your goals, your resources, your options, and your risks. You need to anticipate the possible scenarios, outcomes, and consequences. You need to have a backup plan, a contingency plan, and an exit plan.

• Be adaptable. Cunning requires flexibility and adaptability. You need to be able to adjust your plans, your actions, and your expectations according to the changing circumstances. You need to be able to improvise, innovate, and experiment. You need to be able to learn from your mistakes, failures, and feedback.

• Be persuasive. Cunning requires communication and persuasion. You need to be able to express your ideas, opinions, and emotions clearly and effectively. You need to be able to influence, convince, and manipulate others to your advantage. You need to be able to use logic, rhetoric, and emotion.

• Be discreet. Cunning requires secrecy and discretion. You need to be able to keep your plans, your actions, and your motives hidden and confidential. You need to be able to avoid, evade, and deceive detection and suspicion. You need to be able to use disguise, distraction, and diversion.

• Be ethical. Cunning requires morality and ethics. You need to be able to balance your self-interest with the common good. You need to be able to respect the rights, dignity, and autonomy of others. You need to be able to use cunning for good, not evil.

These are some of the tips and insights that I have on the art of cunning, based on my experience and knowledge. I hope you find them interesting and useful, and I invite you to share your own thoughts and comments with me.

You can also check out some of the references and links that I have used to learn more about the art of cunning, such as:

• The Odyssey by Homer: The epic poem that tells the story of my journey back home after the Trojan War and the many adventures and challenges that I faced along the way, where I used my cunning to overcome them.

• The Art of War by Sun Tzu: The ancient Chinese treatise on military strategy and tactics, where the author explains the principles and methods of cunning in warfare and politics.

Thank you for reading this issue of The Epic Life, and I hope you will join me again in the next one. Until then, stay smart and stay epic.

- Odysseus, King of Ithaca and the master of cunning