The Lion has great arts in protection and defense, which are one of the secrets of his excellence. When a man is described as a Lion, it means that he is skillful in defense and attack, and that he plans for defense just as he plans for the attack, this is what we have learned from the Lion. We discovered that they resent many of those who obtain the title "Lion", simply because they acquired the audacity to attack. They told us that they are not that superficial as perceived by humans, and they disown from any attack not based on a defense plan.

Our hearts dilated to them, we found comfort with each other, and mutual trust emerged, so they started talking to us about the secrets of defense they have:

Planning for Protection: Plan for protecting the activity, since planning for the protection of the activity is as important as planning for the activity itself. One reason for the success of the Lions is their interest in the protection of the group practicing hunting, the prey from the aggression of other animals, and the protection of young cubs.

Identify the Den: Draw the red lines which your opponent should not exceed. It must be quite clear and unambiguous; the Lion defines his territory, and prevents the entry of a stranger to it.

Make Fake Lines: Do not allow your opponent to reach to the red lines. Make fake lines beyond them. Announce the roar, if you are strong and ready for confrontation, and prove publicly your full readiness and wakefulness to protect your den. The Lion raises his voice with the roar, to draw a fake line away from his territory, his roar is heard at a distance of five kilometers, and thus declares from a distance his control of his area, and warns anyone thinking of approaching his den.(1)

Avoid Battles: Think about how you can convince your opponent to retreat without confrontation. Male Lions sprinkle their spray on the trees, and roam their region to disperse their spray (urine)(2) on the borders of the region, and from the bad smell other males know the existence of another male in this area, and thus avoid attacking young children. Also, Lions resort to roar at night to scare predators.

Roar without Tension: Do not make an effort in the roar, or appear tensed and tremulous, for the Lion release a loud roar with little effort, and high spontaneity.(3) Thus, the beholder will wonder how these simple movements make this seismic sound. Tension reflects weakness, anger and confusion, and may confirm the absence of a plan.

Unified Roar: Release the unified roar with your entire group to declare solidarity and strength. When the male and female Lions feel an enemy is approaching, they fire the unified roar, which shakes the heart of their enemy and emphasize their solidarity.(4)

After speaking about the defense tactics, we found a great sorrow in the Lion’s eyes. His tears started to ripple. The Lion covers up his weakness by his roar and confident gait. It seems as if it is not for his weakness and the many risks he faces, he would not have used all these defensive tactics. He resumed his lessons with hoarseness and rattle in his voice which revealed his desire to cry…He remembered his brothers who died or became martyrs!!

 

Horse Fly: Your huge strong opponent may be eliminated by you while you are small! It is not required from you to be armed with the same weapons, or use the same tools. What killed the Lions in one of the historical calamities was not an animal having a claw or terrifying the forest with his roar. It was the fly!! Therefore, studying the weaknesses points of your opponent increase your power. The Lion is capable of confronting a zebra, but what would his claw and speed do with a fly?! These tools have no value in a battle based on the sting! This is what the "Horse Fly" paid attention to, when the animals bet that they are stronger than the king of the forest, so the flies waged the battle and their stings claimed the lives of many Lions, they even pushed them to climb trees for fear of them. (5)

 

The Wrong Field: Do not get dragged to the wrong field where your opponent outperforms, and where he wants the confrontation to be. Even if you find a valuable goal, it might be bait or a trap set for you. Crocodiles will get into a fierce battle with the Lions if they think to get into the river, and the battle may end by the crocodile devouring the Lion!! Since the Lion loses a lot of his abilities in the water. Choosing the appropriate environment and field is important, and the skillful Lion is the one who forces the crocodile to get out of the water and crawl on the ground in front of him.

Wrong Assessment of the Opponent: Do not underestimate the capabilities of your opponent, by looking at his self-capabilities only, because you may find yourself in a direct confrontation with his supporters. Remember that of the causes of the Lions’ extinction is hunting the cattle, which made the shepherds kill them. They have entered into a direct confrontation with them. However, they still wonder stupidly…We did not attack the shepherds?? Why they are killing us?!!

Study the Fears: Study your opponent’s fears. It is wrong to imagine that your opponent is invincible or does not fear anything. The King of the Jungle is constantly worried on his kids, spending his time in defending them, and providing food for them, his roar hides his concerns, for three-quarters of the children die!! (6)

By Wael Adel and Ahmad Adel Abd-Al Hakim

Translated by Rana Mohammed  

March 14^th, 2012