How to Read “策士策に溺れる”
Sakushi saku ni oboreru
Meaning of “策士策に溺れる”
“Strategist drowns in strategy” means that a person skilled at cleverly using strategies ends up failing because they rely too heavily on those strategies or make them overly complicated.
This proverb doesn’t deny the value of wisdom or strategy itself. Rather, it warns about a trap that capable people are particularly prone to fall into. People called strategists are usually quick-thinking and able to devise clever solutions for various situations. However, overconfidence in their abilities can lead them to choose complex and elaborate strategies even when simple and reliable methods are available.
This proverb is used when excellent people fail in their areas of expertise, or when someone chooses complex methods over simple solutions and ends up making problems worse. It’s used to express situations where “that person is smart, but they failed because they overthought things.” Even in modern times, such situations are not uncommon in work and human relationships.
Origin and Etymology
The origin of “Strategist drowns in strategy” is thought to be rooted in ancient Chinese philosophical thought. The fact that the word “strategist” itself was used to refer to military advisors and politicians who were active during China’s Warring States period shows its ancient history.
The expression “drowns” at the core of this proverb is a metaphor for drowning in water. Just as even a master swimmer can drown if they become overconfident in their skills and enter dangerous waters, it contains the lesson that those skilled in strategy are more likely to fail due to overconfidence in their abilities.
In Japan, this expression began appearing in literature during the Edo period and was used in the context of worldly wisdom and political maneuvering in samurai society. Since the samurai of that time needed both loyalty to their lords and the wisdom and strategies to survive, this proverb likely held special significance.
The phrase “drowns in strategy” contains a warning about the human tendency to turn strategy, which should be a means, into an end in itself. Our ancestors keenly perceived this pitfall that intelligent people are particularly prone to fall into.
Usage Examples
- He’s a sales professional, but losing a contract because he made his proposal too complex is truly a case of “Strategist drowns in strategy”
- The usually quick-witted department manager ended up with a “Strategist drowns in strategy” result with this project
Modern Interpretation
In modern society, the phenomenon of “Strategist drowns in strategy” appears in more complex and diverse forms. Particularly in our information society, situations where this lesson applies are increasing in fields such as data analysis, marketing strategy, and social media management.
In the business world, there are endless examples of excellent marketers failing by planning overly complex campaigns, or data scientists becoming too fixated on advanced analytical methods and overlooking simple solutions. There are also cases where people create elaborate strategies for social media information sharing only to end up causing controversy.
With technological advancement, we can now use far more “strategies” than before. AI, big data, automation tools – various means are readily available in our era. However, the danger of becoming too dependent on these tools and losing sight of our original purpose has also increased.
Interestingly, in modern times, more people are using “Strategist drowns in strategy” simply to mean “failed because the plan was too complex.” It’s increasingly understood in the broader sense of “failure due to overthinking” rather than the original meaning of “failure by someone skilled in strategy.”
This change may reflect that modern society has become one where many people are required to think like “strategists” in some form.
When AI Hears This
The tech industry’s data supremacism has created a new form of “drowning in one’s own schemes.” Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt boldly declared that “with data, intuition becomes unnecessary,” yet in 2018, the company faced massive employee backlash over its AI military project “Project Maven” and was forced to withdraw. A project deemed “efficient” through massive data analysis had overlooked the “incalculable element” of human ethics.
Facebook fell into a similar trap. During the 2016 presidential election, the company’s algorithm perfectly achieved its goal of “engagement maximization” by spreading misinformation. Mathematically correct, but socially catastrophic. Zuckerberg himself ended up apologizing before Congress.
Most ironic is the phenomenon of AI developers blindly trusting AI decisions. In the 2018 Uber self-driving car fatality, the system had correctly identified the pedestrian but delayed action by categorizing it as an “unexpected movement.” The developers had over-relied on their algorithms, dismissing the simple judgment that any human driver would make instantly: “just stop.”
Today’s strategists are drowning in their own digital schemes, losing sight of analog humanity.
Lessons for Today
What “Strategist drowns in strategy” teaches modern people is the importance of balancing ability with humility. The more you gain experience and develop skills in any field, the more important this proverb’s lesson becomes.
In modern society, efficiency and optimization are constantly demanded, but sometimes we need to remember the spirit of “simple is best.” Complex solutions are not necessarily superior. Rather, methods that are easy for others to understand and implement often lead to success in the end.
This lesson particularly shines in human relationships. Rather than devising complex strategies to move someone’s heart, straightforward and sincere communication is often far more effective.
Your wisdom and experience are certainly your assets. However, when using them, always ask yourself, “Is this really the best method?” Sometimes step back and look at things from a beginner’s perspective. Such flexibility might be what true wisdom is all about.
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