Antifragility: An Interpretation

ANTIFRAGILITY: a convex response to a stressor or source of harm leading to a positive sensitivity to increase in volatility.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“Every attack is an opportunity.” – Vox Day

This is actually straight out of my Dragons training. In order to attack, a fighter must open a window. The mere fact of attacking intrinsically renders the attacker momentarily vulnerable. The properly trained fighter has five choices: a) break open a window through force, b) exploit an open window through speed, c) convince the opponent to open a window through deceit, d) follow-through on a window opened by a preceding strike, or e) counter a window opened by attacking.

Most people fear being attacked. They shouldn’t, because every attack is potentially useful to the party attacked in some way. It’s not an accident that “kick the dog until it bites” is not unreasonably described as the core weapon of the imperial USA’s foreign policy.

If there is one thing I have learned in 21 years of being targeted by various individuals and organizations, it is that every single attack will present opportunities that far outweigh any temporary damage inflicted. The challenge is to focus on identifying and pursuing the former while simultaneously dealing with the latter.

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