Sun Tzu and Seizures

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized." Sun Tzu, although he lived years ago, has been studied by every professional military and paramilitary organization, for the very reason that what he has wrote is correct, with regards to combat operations. His writings, most commonly quoted from "The Art of War," have resonated with not only sailors, soldiers, and others, but should very much so with those who are fighting seizures. Those whom are waging combat against these, along with conditions such as Angelman Syndrome, CDKL5, Dravet's Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and others, must incorporate his tactics, through mainstream media sources, but also through other efforts. It has to be a multi-tiered approach, much like a chess board, in that you have to have your pieces lined up before you strike. Right now, that battle is going on. There have been casualties, whether it be lives lost, dreams crushed, or financial woes due to constant medical issues that have caused a lot of pain. Yet now we live in the time, when all of us, across the globe, are able to stand united and say enough.

General Patton and in more recent history David Petraeus, are students of Sun Tzu. They have used various methods of everything from deception when necessary, to building relationships, and also bringing in their enemy to the same table. We are at that stage now, as it is time to defeat seizures, and this can only be made possible if we band together. 2/3rds of epilepsy are unknown. 1/2 of 1% of U.S. medical research money goes to seizures. That is unacceptable, and it is time to go on the offensive, whether it be through political pressure at the election booth and being involved in your community, using advantages that we have such as free radio time through FCC laws for public service announcements, the media, blogging, or social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. This is much in line with what Sun Tzu proclaimed, as the more we ping away at seizures, the more opportunities shall be reached, and from there we can have a victory over this menace. It is our enemy, and while it would nice if a magic bullet could stop them, we haven't reached that point yet. However, with the newest developments in technology, whether it be IBM's Watson that is being used for medical research, or other techniques of using supercomputers to configure mathematical equations or do beta testing without harming a human being, we are now in the prime position to cross the finish line.

Yet it won't be, if we rest on our laurels. Rather, we must what we can, on multiple fronts to get to what matters. That is results of course. Nothing else matters, and the methods to get there don't matter, whether they are good, bad, ugly, or a combination of all three. We must keep plugging away, as the new laser technology and less invasive procedures hold promise, as do numerous devices being provided via grant money from organizations such as the Epilepsy Foundation of America. There are other developments, at the molecular level that have occured at facilities such as UNC Chapel Hill and others across the world, and pharmaceutical companies are now involved in a lot of the research. No, they are not all Mr. Burns from the Simpsons, but rather they stand to make profits from treatments that work, and if they figure something out, kudos to them, and their stock portfolios and profits will reflect on that. It is almost 2012, and it is too late for some of our children, other family members, or friends. Others suffer from debilitating seizures, and it is our moral obligation, to do everything possible to improve upon their quality of life. This is our time.