Balancing the Warrior Ethic with Peace and Love

To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.
George Washington

The true warrior trains in many different areas in his quest to perfect his character. One of these areas obviously is the art of self-defense and martial arts. This of course includes ways to severely injure, and even destroy, the human body. The trained warrior knows how to end a conflict quickly, and permanently, if the situation requires him to do so. And, not only is the true warrior trained and capable of inflicting severe pain and destruction on someone, he is also very willing to do this if he is forced to.

This causes many people to have a false impression of the warrior lifestyle. Many people wrongly see those who train in these ways as violent brutes who live to fight. They have the false impression that the warrior is basically a time bomb just waiting to explode on someone who crosses him. The general public doesn’t understand why anyone would train to obtain skills that would enable him to easily take a life or permanently injure someone else. The very idea that the true warrior is a man of peace and love is so foreign to them that they can’t even wrap their minds around this fact.

Each action of the warrior is performed from a place of fundamental wisdom…it is completely different from the ordinary behavior of a fool. Even if it looks the same, it is different on the inside.
Takuan Soho

How could a man trained in martial arts, self-defense, weapons, and the art of death, be a man of peace and love. This seems like the ultimate paradox. Why would a man of peace and love train to develop skills to hurt or kill another human being? Shouldn’t he be spending his days chanting in a cave or meditating on loving his fellow men? Well, let’s take a look at that theory.

Is the recluse who walks away from society, hides in a sanctuary, and spends all his time maintaining a peaceful spirit, really one who loves his fellow man or his he actually being a bit selfish, only concerning himself with his own well-being and peace? What is he actually doing for his fellow men? Not much. On the other hand, the true warrior serves his fellow men, even at the risk of his own peaceful existence. He is not only trained to handle himself in violent situations, but is willing to step into such situations to help others, even at the risk of his own well-being.

Peace is not the lack of war, but an inner virtue which has its source in the courage of the soul.
Baruch Spinoza

The irony is that the general public sees the reclusive monk as a man of peace, only concerned with love, while they see the warrior as a brute and someone to be feared. After all, the monk trains daily to keep a peaceful mind, while the warrior trains in the art of physical conflict. To the average citizen, the monk is a man of peace and the warrior is a man of war. But this is only partially true.

True warriors are men of peace and love. They do everything in their power to avoid having to fight and hurt another human being. They train to hone their martial art skills because there is a need in this world to protect themselves, their families, and other people against the predators in this world who live to prey on the weak, the unsuspecting, and the helpless. If we didn’t have those willing to stand against such people, the predators would have a field day, taking advantage of their hapless victims. The true warrior is there to ensure this doesn’t happen to his friends, his family, or anyone for which it is in his power to protect.

This bring me back to the question of how the true warrior balances his ability to rip some thug apart, with his peaceful, loving nature. How can one maintain a peaceful spirit full of love, and at the same time, severely injure or kill another human being? The answer boils down to his intention. The warrior doesn’t go out and look for chances to pound some thug into the pavement. He doesn’t want to have to fight. In fact, he does everything in his power to avoid fighting or getting physical with someone. De-escalation techniques are (should be) a major part of his training.

To subdue an enemy without fighting is the greatest of skills.
Sun Tzu

The true warrior should be an expert at the art of de-escalation. He should learn how to end a fight or conflict before it ever gets to the point of becoming physical. Of course, this is not always possible, but he will always exhaust every attempt to settle conflicts peaceably, only resorting to violence if he has no other choice. And, if he is forced to resort to getting physical, this is not something that he is happy or boastful about later; if anything, he will feel sad that he had to hurt someone, no matter how much the other person deserved or brought the pain on himself.

This doesn’t mean that he will regret his actions. Quite the contrary. If he had no other choice, and exhausted all other possibilities, he is at peace with his actions, knowing that he did the best he could to resolve the situation in a peaceful manner, but was forced to do as he did to protect himself and others. There is a big difference between wanting to kick someone’s ass, and being forced to hurt someone because you have no other choice.

We make war that we may live in peace.
Aristotle

It is this intent never to use force, if he can avoid it, that sets the true warrior apart. Of course there are many qualities which sets the true warrior apart from the average person; this is only one of the traits that make him a man of excellence. His spirit remains at peace, even after he has thrashed some thug, because his actions were done with the right intention – to protect, not to attack. While this may seem like a minor detail or simply semantics, it makes all the difference. The warrior’s intention to avoid physical conflicts if he can, but to be willing to step up if he can’t avoid getting physical, helps him maintain peace in his spirit. He knows his actions are just, thus he is at peace with what he does.

The true warrior is a man of peace and love, even if others can’t understand this fact. He maintains the balance between his warrior ideals, his martial arts training, and his spirit of peace and love, by striving to make sure that all of his actions are just. In fact, peace, love, and martial arts are all part of his warrior ideals; they are all a part of the whole. He simply strives to make his actions right.

The superior man seeks what is right.
Confucius

If a man’s actions are right and just, he has no reason to be troubled in his spirit. It doesn’t matter how other people perceive his actions, as far as his own personal peace is concerned. When you know in your heart that your actions are 100% right, you don’t feel guilty over what you do. And, when you don’t feel guilty over your actions, you are able to maintain peace in your mind and spirit.

The Bible points out that no man has greater love than the man who is willing to lay down his life for others. Every time the warrior steps into a physical conflict to protect someone else, he is possibly putting his life on the line. Those who say that the warrior is not a man of peace and love should consider this fact. If the warrior wasn’t a man of love, he wouldn’t risk his life or the possibility of an injury to help someone else. The true warrior never wants to fight. He always wants to settle things peaceably. At the same time, he is willing to do what is necessary to protect himself, his family, his friends, and those around him, if he can.

No one in his right mind would rather go out and get into a fight, risking injury or worse, instead of going about his own business, having fun, and enjoying his free time. Most people won’t step up when a conflict erupts; they timidly slip away, hoping that someone else will step in to help the innocent victim. It takes a special person to intervene to help a stranger or a friend who is in trouble. It takes someone with a heart of love and a sense of responsibility to others. The true warrior is this person. This is why he trains in martial arts and self-defense, and this is why he is able to maintain an attitude of peace and love in the midst of a violent encounter.

Let him who desires peace prepare for war.
Vegetius

In actuality, the true warrior does not have to balance his warrior ethics with the attitude peace and love because peace and love are a part of his warrior ethics. The warrior lifestyle encompasses peace, love, justice, integrity, honor, and martial arts training (and many other traits). The true warrior understands this and is at peace with his decisions as long as he strives to do what is right, in the right way, with the right intention. The attitude of peace and love are as much a part of the true warrior’s lifestyle as is his martial arts training – different parts of the whole. There lies the balance between a heart of love and peace and the physical skills of the warrior.

Everything in life has to do with maintaining balance. There are many parts of the warrior lifestyle, and balance must be maintained between each part. Your life can get unbalanced even when it comes to things such as love and peace. Too much time spent on any one area leaves another area lacking attention. If the warrior refuses to train his physical skills because he is 100% focused on peace, then his life is out of balance and there will come a time when he will regret neglecting that part of his life. The warrior lifestyle is a lifestyle of balance. There are many parts of the warrior’s life which have to be kept in balance. The warrior ethic consists of multiple parts – peace and love being two of them.

Think, feel, and act like a warrior. Set yourself apart from the rest of society by your personal excellence.
Forrest E. Morgan

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

The Man in the Mirror

Who is the man in the mirror? What do you see when you look into the mirror? Are you happy with what and who you see? I’m not simply talking about how you look, but who and what you truly are as a person. Do you see a man or woman of character, integrity and honor, or do you see someone who has compromised where these essential traits are concerned? These are important questions to consider.

There is a Native American tale, which I have written about before, called the Tales of Two Wolves. Essentially it states that inside of each person is two wolves – one good and one bad. These two wolves are at war with each other for control over your mind and your actions. The Cherokee elder explains, in this story, that the wolf that you feed becomes strong, and eventually wins the battle and takes over. This battle is unseen to other people, but you know it is there, and you know which wolf is winning. In the end, it is up to you which wolf wins.

There is an eternal struggle raging in man’s breast
between the powers of darkness and light.
Gandhi

When it comes down to it, you are the only person who can truly determine what lies below the surface – who the person is staring back at you in the mirror. Oh sure, others may have an idea, depending on how you present yourself in public, but ultimately, only you know what truly resides in your inner most core, essentially which wolf is being fed and growing stronger. You can hide who you truly are where others are concerned. You can successfully pull the wool over other people’s eyes and live a life of deception in order to get what you want or to present a specific image to others. Con men do it every day, as do many ordinary people that you run into on the street.

Sincerity is openness of heart. It is found in very few,
and what is usually seen is subtle dissimulation
designed to draw the confidence of others.
La Rochefoucauld

The vast majority of people will display a certain image in public in order to better sell themselves in the eyes of other people. People are gullible and easy to manipulate, but it is much harder to fool yourself. When you look into those eyes staring back at you in the mirror, you know whether or not you are really who and what you seem to be to be. They may not know what’s going on inside you, but I can assure you, you will know without a doubt which wolf is winning the war.

When you look into the mirror, do you see a sincere person who is living up to the principles that you espouse, or do you see someone merely pretending to be a person of character and honor? Be honest! There is never any advantage to deceiving to yourself. The true warrior has to honestly evaluate himself daily to make sure that he is living according to the principles by which he has decided to live his life. This internal battle between good and evil is not a battle which you watch passively to see who wins; you are the deciding factor in who wins this battle.

To every man there opens a high way and a low way,
and every man decides the way his soul will go.
John Oxenham

Making a decision to live your life in a specific manner is only the first step; that is the easy part. The hard part is making sure that you actually live according your principles and don’t compromise who you truly are. Every little compromise, where your principles are concerned, allows the evil wolf, residing inside of you, more power, and weakens to good wolf. Being able to compromise is a good thing, but not when it comes to your principles and core beliefs.

This battle is a major part of the warrior lifestyle. Living according the the character traits of the warrior lifestyle is not an easy thing to do, but it pays big dividends to those who consistently mold their life according to the principles of honor and character. Those who give attention to this internal battle, and who consistently feed the good wolf, and starve the evil wolf, will see more and more results, until the war is eventually won. While the forces of the evil wolf may never be completely annihilated, they will be subjugated to a point where they are no longer a powerful enemy.

Look deeply at the man in the mirror until you see into your soul, into the battle ground between the two wolves, and determine how the battle is going. Gaze into your heart and into your spirit, and honestly answer the question, “Who is the man in the mirror.” Then, if you find that you don’t like the answer, take steps to change what you see. Actively get involved in that internal battle, instead of simply standing by passively. In the end, who wins the battle is up to you. If you stand by like a neutral observer, the evil wolf will take control and eventually dominate your decisions and your actions. You have to stand on the side of right and be willing to step into the battle and fight the evil wolf, not sit on the sideline and hope the good wolf somehow wins.

Unless the seed of evil is destroyed it will grow up to destroy us.
Aesop

Take some time to do some soul searching and determine which wolf you have been feeding. Determine which wolf appears to be the strongest at the present moment. This is not a battle you can afford to stay out of; no one can stay out of this battle and walk away unscathed. You will either be an active warrior in this conflict or a voluntary slave to the evil wolf. The choice is yours. What do you see when you look into the mirror? Think about it…

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
Edmond Burke

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Warrior Wisdom Rakes in Multiple Awards

The WARRIOR WISDOM SERIES has won multiple awards over the last several months. In the past year, Warrior Wisdom has won five national/international awards from several different organizations. Warrior Wisdom was first awarded a 1st Place award from the National Indie Excellence Awards in 2010. Since March, Bohdi Sanders has been award the following awards for his Warrior Wisdom Series:

• Best Martial Arts Books of the Year from the International Independent Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame
  
• 2011 Martial Arts Literary Man of the Year from the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• 2011 Inspiration of the Year from the United States Martial Artist Association Hall of Fame
  
• Martial Arts Author of the Year from the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame

This has been a banner year so far for Warrior Wisdom! I am honored and flattered by all the positive recognition for my writing and my books.

On a separate note, the Wisdom Warrior Newsletter will be coming out soon. It is currently in the works and will be finished soon. Look for it in your email in the next month!

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior