Five Steps to Discovering Your Purpose in Life

The moment that any life, however good,
stifles you, you may be sure it isn’t your real life.
Arthur Christopher Benson

Everything on this planet has a purpose, although we may not know what that purpose may be. Some things, such as spiders, may seem to be only a creepy annoyance, but that is only because we haven’t discovered their purpose yet. Actually, spiders do have specific purposes, depending on the spider. This life lesson applies to absolutely everything on this planet.

In the garden, spiders prey on the insects which can damage your garden plants. There are studies being done currently which are studying how to use spider webs for different things. There may also be uses for spider venom. Who knows what science will discover about spiders in the future. This is only one example, there are thousands of others.

The point is, absolutely everything on this planet has a purpose, and that includes YOU. Scientists are working hard to discover the hidden purpose for many plants and creatures on this planet. In the same way, you have to discover what your ultimate purpose in life is.

Is your purpose to merely eat, sleep and live a comfortable life or is there a much higher meaning to your life? You are here for a specific reason, one that only you are meant to fulfill. Discover your purpose and follow your heart. No one can fulfill your purpose exactly like you can. You are unique and special!

This brings up the question of how do you discover your purpose in life. Well, there are five steps that can help you discover your purpose in life.

1. List the things you are interested in or like to do.
   You have preferences for a reason. You don’t want to spend your whole life doing things that you hate just in order to get by or make a living. What do you love to do? Answering this question is the first step in deciphering your purpose in life.
   
2. Think about what special talents you have and develop those talents in your life.
   You were given those talents for a purpose, but it is up to you to put them to use. Everyone has something that he or she is good at and which comes naturally for him or her. What is your special gift in life?
   
3. Reflect on how you can use those talents to serve others.
   How can you use your special talents to serve others or to provide for those you love? You weren’t given your talents to hide away in a closet. Figure out how to use your gift for a constructive purpose.
   
4. Meditate on what you want out of life.
   What is it that you want to accomplish in life? What kind of legacy will you leave when you die? What do you want your children and grandchildren to remember about you? Meditating on this will help you find the answers you are looking for concerning your ultimate purpose in life.
   
5. Be willing to take a chance.
   You have to be willing to try. Take a chance. Everyone who has fulfilled their ultimate purpose in life has had to step out of his or her comfort zone and take a chance to be successful. Doing what you love, and fulfilling your purpose in life, demands that you have the courage to risk failure, but it is worth the risk.

You only live life once, make your life the best that it can be! You may think that it is a big risk trying to do what you love in life instead of merely taking the safest job route, but it is a much bigger risk not trying. When you are old and reflect back on your life, you will regret the things that you didn’t do, or didn’t try to do, much more than you will regret the things which you tried unsuccessfully.

Have the courage to at least try to live the kind of life you dream of in your private thoughts. Once thing is for sure, if you don’t try you are guaranteed not to succeed. Take the chance to fulfill your purpose in life and you will find that the Universe will support you.

Live as you will wish to have lived when you are dying.
Christian Furchtegott Gellert

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Modern Bushido gets a raving review from martial arts legend, Loren W. Christensen!

Bohdi Sanders’ new book, Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence, is receiving great initial reviews!

It has received a glowing review from martial arts legend and hall of fame inductee, Loren W. Christensen. Loren is the author of over 40 books, most on the martial arts, self-defense, and the warrior lifestyle.

The review is posted below:

Another Bohdi Classic

The longer you’re in the martial arts (I’ve been training and teaching since 1965) the more you realize that it’s so much more than simply sparring, kicking a bag, and thrashing about on a mat. While these things are important and critical to your martial arts journey, they are only part of it.

To see more reviews for Modern Bushido, click here to go to the reviews on Amazon.com:
MODERN BUSHIDO REVIEWS

Tale of Two Pebbles

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune
of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender,
who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he
proposed a bargain.

He said he would forgo the farmer’s debt if he could marry his daughter.
Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the
cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the
matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble
into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble
from the bag.

1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her
father’s debt would be forgiven.

2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her
father’s debt would still be forgiven.

3) If she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into
jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer’s field. As
they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he
picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two
black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick
a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have
done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have
told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should know that there were two black pebbles in the bag and
expose the money-lender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to
save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the
hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and
logical thinking. The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional
logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above
logical answers.

What would you recommend that the girl do?

Well, here is what she did. . .

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble.
Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the
pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

“Oh, how clumsy of me!” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the
bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I
picked.”

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had
picked the white one.

And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl
changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely
advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY?

Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don’t
attempt to think or we confuse worry with constructive thinking.
There is always a way out; you just have to find it.

Have a week filled with positive thoughts and sound decisions.

Bohdi Sanders

CLICK HERE TO SEE BOOKS BY BOHDI SANDERS

Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee Chief told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.

The old Cherokee Chief simply replied, ‘The one you feed.

The soul like the body accepts by practice
whatever habit one wishes it to contract.
Socrates

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Breaking News from the USA Book News:

USA BOOK NEWS ANNOUNCES the
WINNERS AND FINALISTS OF
THE “BEST BOOKS 2010” AWARDS

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Mainstream and Independent Titles Score Top Honors
in the 7th Annual “Best Books” Awards. Among the winners
is Bohdi Sanders’ book, Wisdom of the Elders, which won a
1st Place Award. This is the second book award that Bohdi
Sanders has won this year.

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Sanders’ first award was for his highly acclaimed book,
Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior,
which also won a 1st Place Award from the National Indie
Excellence Book Awards.

Both of these books, as well as Sanders’ other books, are
available through Dr. Sanders’ website, TheWisdomWarrior.com
and through Amazon.com.

The Nine Noble Virtues are derived from the ancient Norse teachings and the Asatru religion, which was the religious views of the Vikings. The main book that these virtues are taken from is called the Havamal, which I have written about in a previous blog many months ago. You may also enjoy going back in my archive and reading some of the quotes from this short but enlightening book. The Havamal contains a lot of wisdom and also gives insight into the culture and values of the Vikings.

The Nine Noble Virtues fit perfectly into the warrior lifestyle, as one would expect since they originated from a warrior culture. These virtues coincide with the virtues of warrior cultures throughout the world, and once again proves that true character and honor is universal. Now, let’s delve into the virtues of the Vikings…

The Nine Noble Virtues start with courage. This is very appropriate because without courage, you cannot live up to your code of honor for very long. The word “courage” comes from the Latin word “heart.” It takes courage to stand for your beliefs and live according to your own code of ethics. The Vikings were known for their courage and bravery in battle, but courage applies to more than simply being brave in battle.

Courage actually applies to every part of your life. It take courage to do what you know is right, especially when those around you disagree with your point of view. In our politically correct society, courage is more important than ever. Your personal values may be challenged on a daily basis. Standing for what you believe can take a lot of courage.

You must have enough conviction in your beliefs to stand for what you believe and live your life by your own code. This does not mean that you act in rash and tactless ways. There is a difference in being courageous and in being stupid. Have the courage to live by your own code of honor, but do so with wisdom and discretion.

You should have enough confidence in your beliefs and your actions to be truthful. Truth is simply being honest about what you believe or know to be true and right. Simply put – don’t lie. This sounds very straightforward, but lying has become so commonplace that it is almost expected in today’s world. It shouldn’t be this way for the true warrior.

Lying, in most cases, is an act of cowardice. Live according to what you believe in your heart to be right and you will have no reason to lie about your actions. If you do not think an action is right – don’t do it. If something is not true – don’t say it. Whenever I write or teach this concept, I inevitably have people argue that no one truly knows the truth, or that the truth depends on someone’s point of view.

While it is true that different people see things differently, and thus perceive the truth in different ways, that should not affect you. You live by your truth as best you can. Respect other people’s right to believe what they want, but you live according to the truth as you perceive it in your life. The main thing to consider where truth is concerned, is to always be truthful with yourself. Do not deceive yourself anymore than you would deceive someone else.

The true warrior must make truth a part of his or her life, but as with courage, it is important to remember that you must do so in the right way. There is a right way and wrong way to do everything. Sometimes lying is the right thing to do. The Vikings permitted lying if you were being lied to. The true warrior understands that honor is not black and white. Every action must be evaluated by whether or not it is right and it originates from pure intentions.

Without honor, there can be no true warrior, or true human being as far as that goes. As I just said, honor is not a black and white character trait. It is hard to define. One could define honor as your internal integrity or dignity. Many people wrongfully think that their honor simply has to do with their reputation, but that is not true. It is the warrior who determines his or her honor; your reputation is determined by other people’s thoughts, for the most part.

You determine your own honor, or lack of honor, by staying true to your own beliefs and living according to your own code of honor. Your personal honor is determined internally by your own commitment to live up to your predetermined ethics. It is your intentions and your actions which determine your honor, not what someone else thinks. The true warrior, who lives by a code of honor, will have very few regrets in life because he will know that he has done the best that he can to live a life of honor with truth and purity of intention.

The word fidelity simply means being faithful. There are many things that you can be faithful to, not all of them of honorable. Fidelity as used in the Nine Noble Virtues refers to being faithful or loyal to God, to yourself and your beliefs, to your family, and to your friends. The warrior will defend his family and friends no matter what the cost, because of his dedication to this virtue.

Being loyal and faithful to those that the warrior loves is non-negotiable. The Vikings knew this. If someone murdered a Viking’s family, he or she would have an obligation to seek vengeance and puts things right. This is not the same thing as seeking revenge. There is a difference in revenge and in fulfilling an obligation to your loved ones.

Only those with honor can be true friends because it takes loyalty, faithfulness and honor to be a true friend. All others are mere acquaintances. The true warrior is also a true friend once that bond has been entered into. He will take his fidelity to his friends and family seriously, as he does his spiritual relationship with his God.

Discipline, as referred to in the Nine Noble Virtues, mostly means self-discipline. These virtues or qualities are not perfected overnight. It takes discipline to live according to your own personal code of ethics. The true warrior lives according to his own code, rather than according to what corrupt politicians or cultural standards dictate. This means that he must exercise a great deal of self-discipline.

If the warrior is going to live by his own standards, he must be willing to control his own actions. Many things that are legal go against the warrior’s own code of honor, and many things that governments declare illegal may be permitted by the warrior’s personal standards. In order for the warrior to stay true to his own principles and virtues, he must develop self-discipline.

Hospitality is definitely a warrior trait. The warrior is expected to treat others with respect and dignity. You must see other people as people who deserve to be treated with respect and courtesy. The Vikings believed that sometimes the gods would visit people in human form and that in being disrespectful to strangers they could also be disrespecting the gods. The Bible also states a similar belief, stating that many people have entertained angels unknowingly when they have entertained strangers.

Whether or not angels or gods visit people in the form of strangers is irrelevant. What matters is that you treat everyone with respect and courtesy. The warrior does this because it is a part of his own code of ethics. You should treat others with hospitality not because they deserve it, but because that is how you behave towards other people. It has to do with your own principles; what others deserve has nothing to do with it.

Industriousness simply means the willingness to work hard at whatever you do. If something is worth doing, do it well. Do it with pride and do it to the best of your ability. The Vikings looked down on those who were lazy and felt that their gods looked down on those who were lazy also. The warrior has to work hard and smart to take care of his family.

This doesn’t just apply to your vocation, but to everything you do – your entire way of life. The true warrior is a person of excellence. He or she will do everything with care and detail. Mediocre acts are not acceptable. Warriors set high expectations for themselves in everything that they do, and they refuse to lower their standards in their work or their personal beliefs.

Warriors are by nature independent beings. This doesn’t mean that the warrior doesn’t like other people or enjoy being around other people, but rather that he strives to ensure that he doesn’t have to depend on others for his survival. The warrior is responsible for taking care of himself and his family; this is his first and foremost duty in life. He is never comfortable if his family’s welfare depends on something outside of his own control.

Being dependent on someone else for your own needs puts you in a dangerous position. Such a position can make it very hard on the warrior as he may be put into a position to choose between his standards and principles or his job. For this reason, it is best to strive to be as independent of outside influences as possible. This is hard to do in today’s world. Being frugal and financially stable is an important part of being self-reliant. Do your best not to have to depend on other people for your welfare.

Without perseverance you will not be successful in applying the Nine Noble Virtues in your life. No one is perfect and you will make mistakes. In order to live the warrior lifestyle, you cannot simply give up and quit when you fall short of your mark. You must persevere. You must not give up.

The warrior’s code of honor is too important for him to give up or give in when the going gets tough. The warrior lifestyle is a lifelong way of living. Being a true warrior is not something you try; it is something you are. It is a way of living, a way of being. You don’t try to be a warrior – you either are a warrior or you are not a warrior. You either have honor and integrity or you don’t. For the true warrior, falling short doesn’t not mean failing, it means learning and being determined to do better next time. Perseverance is essential to live the warrior lifestyle.

These were the ideals that the Vikings lived by and the principles that they taught their children. The Nine Noble Virtues are still wonderful ideals to teach children today. If you will integrate these virtues into your everyday life, you will find that you are living a much more noble life. Think about these traits and develop your own standards or code of honor. Live with honor!

Pick You Battles

If a battle cannot be won, do not fight it.
Sun Tzu

You have to pick your battles wisely. Not every conflict is worth turning
into a major battle. There are certain battles which simply cannot be won no
matter how much effort you put into them or what strategies you use. They
are simply losing causes and fighting such battles does little to help you
accomplish your ultimate objectives. The wise man will not let his pride get
in the way of obtaining his goals, and fighting a battle which cannot be won
is a prime example of allowing your pride to cloud your thinking.

What lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not to do.
Aristotle

It is important to keep in mind that retreating from an individual battle
does not mean that you are surrendering or declaring defeat in the war. A
battle is no more than that – one battle. To continue with the battlefield/war
analogy, a battle is simply one skirmish; your ultimate objective is to win the
war. Many a pawn has to be sacrificed in a chess match in order to capture
your opponent’s king, which is ultimately all that matters in the overall scheme
of things.

Always keep your ultimate objective in mind. Don’t let your pride or anger
interfere with your overall victory. I know that this is easier said than done at
times, but it is a very important part of the game, and one that takes some
self-discipline and practice to perfect. Have an overall plan for victory. Be
willing to sacrifice a battle here and there in order to win the war in the end,
and don’t expend energy fighting a battle which cannot be won at any cost.
Be rational and deliberate.

Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.
Montaigne

Many people feel the need to fight a losing battle just to prove to themselves or
others that they are committed to their cause. This is not someone who is
ultimately concerned with their final objective, but rather someone who is
concerned with impressing those around them. This kind of action has more to
do with pride than it does with strategy or common sense. Don’t get wrapped up
in what other people think about your actions. Stay focused on your ultimate
objective.

The secret of success is before attempting anything, be very clear about why you
are doing it.
Guan Yin Tzu

There is wisdom behind Sun Tzu’s teaching. Fighting a battle that cannot be won
is simply wasting your time, energy and resources. It is not the act of staying
busy that makes you successful; it is what you are busy doing that matters in the
end. Don’t do something merely for the sake of doing something. Have a purpose
and strategy behind everything that you do. Sometimes it is wiser to do nothing,
at least what looks like nothing to the outside world, than it is to do something
just because you think you need to be active.

The act of waiting for the ideal moment or simply patiently mulling over the
situation, is not the same thing as doing nothing. What may seem like doing
nothing to other people, may actually be good strategy on your part. Do not
act because of your concern about what other people may think; their thoughts
should not influence your actions. Take time to meditate on each situation and
you will know what you have to do.

You must carefully consider the merits of any action.
Takuan Soho

Don’t fight losing battles. Move with wisdom, not emotion. Let strategy guide
your actions, not pride or anger. Always focus on your ultimate goal. Pick your
battles wisely and strategically in order to accomplish your end goal. It is not
the battle that counts, but rather winning the war. Always think rationally. If
you will do this, you will not fight the battles that you cannot win; instead you
will carefully select your battles to accomplish your ultimate goal.

In whatever position you find yourself, determine first your objective.
Marshall Ferdinand Foch

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Are you a good person? When you get right down to it, this is the most important question in life. If you are not a good person, it does not matter how many degrees you have, it does not matter how great your martial arts skills are, it does not matter how much money you make. In the end, the bottom line is, are you a good person.

What is a good person? A good person is someone who helps others, who goes out of his way to do nice things for others, who shares both his life and resources with those around him. A good person tries his best to protect those who he can protect. He tries to be positive and encourage others who are having a hard time. Without helping others, it really is impossible to be a completely good person.

You may argue that a monk who isolates himself in the wilderness is a really good person. He doesn’t wrong others, focuses on strengthening his spirit, prays, and in general, does harm to none. But is this really being a good person? Sure the isolated monk is not harming anyone, is focused on improving himself spiritually, and is devoted to developing a relationship with the Creator, but is this enough to be considered a really good person? If you look at the monk’s action from another point of view, he could be considered very selfish and narcissistic.

None of the sages, prophets, or great teachers live a life of isolation. Oh, they may have spent periods of time in isolation, as should we all, but their main focus was on helping and enlightening others, not simply improving themselves. This is an important consideration for the true warrior. While it is true that the true warrior is focused on self-improvement and making his life a life of excellence, it should not be focused on merely selfish ends.

If the warrior is not truly a good person inside, he is merely another narcissistic, ego driven person who is doing all that he is doing simply to make himself feel better about who he is. Without service to others, he is not a true warrior. Being a good person is truly the cornerstone of being a true warrior. If you aren’t a good person, nothing else really matters when you get right down to it; you are simply another self-centered person who has martial arts as a hobby instead of knitting or woodworking.

Don’t get so caught up in your work, your training, your meditation, or anything else, that you neglect to do what you can to make other people’s lives better. You may think that you can’t really do anything to help others because you are barely scraping by yourself. After all, how can you help anyone else if you can’t even help yourself? While it is true that you can’t share what you don’t have, it is also true that we all have enough to make someone else’s life a little better.

It cost nothing to give someone a compliment or give someone a warm smile. It cost nothing to help an elderly lady with her bags. It cost nothing to listen to someone who needs someone to vent to or a shoulder to cry on. I go for early morning walks, and one of my neighbors is in her 90′s. During my walk, I take just a few seconds to take her newspaper from the street and put it at her doorstep. Mind you, this is a small act, but it does enable her to get her newspaper without having to walk down 5-6 steps and out to the street. She has no idea of who is doing this, and that doesn’t matter. It is just a simple thing that is nice to do.

You may think that this is really not “helping” her or that it is just me trying to make myself feel good, and that there is really no good coming from this act, but you never know. This simple act may prevent her from falling one morning. The smallest acts of kindness can have ripples that you could never imagine. You simply don’t know what all of the consequences of your actions may be, both the bad actions and the good actions. Don’t be concerned with the consequences or getting recognition; just do your best to help make others’ lives better as you go through your day.

There may in fact be no consequences to the example that I gave you about my neighbor’s newspapers besides making it easier for her to get her morning paper, but that is enough. But then again, who knows; the law of karma is always at work. Maybe when I am an old man, my daily newspapers may mysteriously appear at my front door step instead of under my car, in the middle of my flowers, or out in the street (the usual places for me to pick up my papers). The bottom line is, you should do acts such as this simply because it is the nice thing to do.

A warrior who only thinks of himself is not a true warrior, I don’t care how skilled he may be in the martial arts. Being a truly good person is the basis for being a true warrior. I will not let another day go by that I don’t do something nice for as many people as I can. Life is too short and too hard; do what you can to make the lives of those who cross your path just a little better, even if all you can do is give them a smile and treat them with respect.

Are you a good person?

What have you done for someone else today?

Misguided Youth -
Warrior Vision Quest

Native American warriors were responsible for the protection of their people and also had the responsibility for providing the basic material needs of their people such as food. There were no grocery stores for them to go to when the pantry was bare, nor any refrigerator or freezer to preserve meat over long periods of time; this was an ongoing responsibility and one which fell directly on the shoulders of the warrior. If the warrior did not or could not provide these needs, his family did without or depended on the charity of others. This lifestyle was one which defines self-sufficiency and was an awesome responsibility.

Native American youths had to learn the skills to provide for their wives and children; they could not afford to grow up as the vast majority of our young men do today – aimless, self-centered, selfish, and immature. Native Americans knew this. They knew that their youth were their future. There were no government supplying guaranteed health care. There were no insurance policies for their old age; their sons and daughters were their insurance and were expected to provide for them as they reached the point where their bodies could no longer meet the demands of this self-sufficient lifestyle. Educating their children as to their filial duties and to respect their elders was a major part of the Native American life-cycle.

The Native American tribal leaders understood something that people today neither understand or seem to care about. I am referring to the important role of a meaningful rite of passage into adulthood – the vision quest. In today’s society, most teenagers seem to connect the transition from youth to adulthood as a certain chronological age or the time when they are simply able to drink legally. Now there’s a great rite of passage, “I’m now an adult…Let’s celebrate and get totally wasted!” What a wonderful way to step into the role of adulthood. It is not the youth’s character or accomplishments which determine whether or not they have become an adult, but rather our all-knowing government’s determination that the youth has turned 18 and is now anointed “an adult” or now he is 21 and can legally drink his life away.

To the Native Americans, becoming “an adult” had more to do with an individual’s character and accomplishments than with his chronological age. The focus was on the internal character of the person; the vision quest had more to do with spiritual strength and proving oneself worthy of respect and admiration, than the mere fact that one’s parents kept him alive for a certain amount of time. The purpose of the vision quest was to allow the youth to transform himself spiritually and mentally into a responsible adult, and eventually a warrior.

The young boy would go away on his own for as long as needed, a period of days, to survive on his own and to acquire this spiritual knowledge and seek guidance for his life and his future. He would not be trusted with any adult responsibilities until he had proven himself spiritually fit to be an adult. During the vision quest, the young man would meditate and pray for guidance for his life. It was expected that he would meet his spirit guide, usually in the form of some animal which would for that point on, be sacred to him. This animal spirit guide would clarify God’s expectations for this young man and help guide him throughout his life.

The spirit guide was not randomly assigned, but rather came to the boy during his prayers and meditations while he was focused on finding his life-path. This spirit guide became a part of the warrior’s identity. When the boy returned from a successful vision quest, he would first visit with the tribe’s medicine man or religious leader, who would discuss his dreams and meditations with him. He would further help to direct his path. Then their would be a celebration for this boy indicating that he was no longer a child, but now a respected adult on his way to becoming a warrior, and he was expected to conduct himself accordingly. This was a crucial rite of passage and one which was taken seriously by all involved.

The vision quest focused the boy’s mind on becoming a man – on no longer being a child. During this adventure, he learned to rely on himself, he developed self-confidence, self-esteem, and courage. He learned to rely on God to both provide for him and to give him guidance through spiritual means. This was not merely his tribe celebrating his birthday, but this was rather a total transformation of the boy into the man, or at least the beginning of this transformation.

After the vision quest, the boy was then deemed ready to ride with the warriors and count coup to demonstrate his courage, another milestone in his transformation in this warrior culture. In short, the transformation from youth to adulthood was a serious matter and not something to be taken lightly. This was a transformation of a boy on his way to become a warrior.

This is quite a contrast from today’s youth which considers the transformation to adulthood simply a time to party, get wasted, and continue to do so for weeks, months, or years, enabled by parents who proudly declare, “You’re only young once. Live it up while you can!” Is it any wonder that our society is seeing such a decline in both morals and attitudes among our people? This party attitude has been dominant for several decades and we are now starting to see the results. We have missed the mark with our youth when it comes to educating them and guiding them into adulthood. We have taught our youth to be self-centered, selfish, arrogant, and shallow.

Parenting should be taken seriously – very seriously. And, although this will surprise many of you, I do agree with the African proverb which our corrupt politicians have twisted into a political barb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The meaning of this was known to the Native Americans, but has been lost on our society. The true meaning is that every responsible adult should help guide our youth in the right direction when he or she sees a young person acting inappropriately. It has nothing to do with the government controlling families or individuals.

Care enough to attempt to help guide a young person if you see that he or she is headed in the wrong direction. You never know, you may just be the only guidance that the young person in question has available to him or her. Don’t just mumble something about, “young jerks” under your breath and keep going about your business – make a difference, or at least attempt to make a difference. Your words may not make any difference at all, but then again, they may completely change someone’s life.

This lack of guidance and quality parenting is the cause of many of the problems in our country today, and it has a domino effect. Maybe it is time to reconsider the vision quest or something equivalent, to give our youth a vision of how their lives should be lived. Nobody just happens to live a lifestyle of excellence by accident; it is something that has to be fostered and taught. The warrior lifestyle requires effort. It requires someone to teach the benefits and reasons behind taking the road less traveled. It is not the easy, party road, but rather to steep road where life is lived a little more seriously and with purpose and character.

Letting children determine their own path without any guidance is equivalent to not caring; if you care about their future or yours, you should take the time and effort to provide wise guidance for tomorrow’s adults. One way or another, you will be held responsible for you choice where this responsibility is concerned – the choice is yours.

The Noble Eightfold Path of the Warrior

1 – Right Understanding

Right understanding is essential to the warrior. It is not good enough to just memorize your martial arts techniques or to memorize some wise sayings. You have to go past rote memorization and get to the point of having a thorough understanding of the underlying principles behind your art and your values. Simply scratching the surface doesn’t cut it. In whatever you do, pursue understanding…correct understanding.

Knowledge without wisdom is a load of books on the back of an ass.
Japanese Proverb

2 – Right Thought

Science has proven that our thoughts are actually energy and have an effect on exterior things. No, I’m not just talking about the information such as the theories contained in the book The Secret. Our thoughts have a powerful influence on both our emotions and our body chemistry. Sad/depressed thoughts will cause the body to produce different hormones, enzymes, etc. than happy/excited thoughts do. This can even be measured in the composition of someone’s tears. Tears of joy have a different chemical make-up than tears of pain or tears of sadness.

In addition, your thoughts control your emotions and it is very important, especially for the warrior, to keep your emotions in check. If you doubt that your thoughts control your emotions, sit and meditate on something very sad for a while and see what affect it has on you, or put on some great music that you love and see if your thought pattern and your emotions don’t get a boost. Thoughts matter…

It is the mind which makes a man, or mares him.
Sai Baba

3 – Right Speech

This is a biggie! The person walking the path of the warrior has to watch his speech. It is so easy to say the wrong thing, especially if you are out of sorts. Be even more careful to watch what you say if you are angry or upset with someone. You can say something in a split second, which will cost you dearly for days, months, or even years to come. Right speech is a form of self-discipline. Simply put, it is self-control. Control your emotions and your speech, instead of letting your emotions control you or your speech. If you want the respect of others, watch what you say.

Don’t talk too much – your ignorance exceeds your knowledge.
Spanish Proverb

4 – Right Action

A man’s action is evidence of his creed. Every action that you take, everything you think, say or do, either brings you closer to your goals, or takes you further away from your goals, on the journey through the warrior lifestyle. Your actions matter. Make your actions right. Listen to your spirit and follow your intuition. Let your personal code of ethics and honor guide your every decision. Do the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way.

Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard
than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself.
Henry Ward Beecher

5 – Right Livelihood

There is nothing more draining for a warrior than going to a thankless job, which he absolutely hates, every single day. This sucks the life from your spirit, the energy from muscles, and the vitality from your mind. Nevertheless, the warrior will continue to do his job to the best of his abilities until the right livelihood comes along. Finding the right livelihood makes life so much better, especially if it is one in which the warrior can feel he is fulfilling a higher purpose with his life. When you do find the right livelihood you will know it because work will no longer be work, but rather a passion for you.

The talent of success is nothing more than doing
what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

6 – Right Effort

Buddha said that whatever you do, you should put your whole heart into your task, being diligent and energetic. Put forth your best effort. If it is worth doing at all, it is worth doing well. If the task is only worthy of a partial effort, why even bother with it. The warrior aims for excellence in all that he does; there is no room for half-hearted effort in the warrior’s world. If the mind and heart are right, the effort will be right.

Put your heart, mind, intellect, and soul even to your smallest acts.
This is the secret to success.
Swami Sivananda

7 – Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is very close to right thought. Right mindfulness is what you keep your mind focused on throughout the day. Are you focusing on your goals, your training, and becoming the best person that you can be, or are you simply daydreaming your time away? It is important to keep your mind focused in the now. If you continue to focus on what is happening at this very moment, you will not find yourself regretting the past or worrying about the future. Stay in the moment.

It is the mind that leads a man to power, not strength of body.
Crow Maxim

8 – Right Concentration

According to Hsun Tzu, the superior man is committed to focus. Learn to concentrate on what you are doing, and do only one thing at a time. Today, we are all too prone to multi-tasking, doing several things at once. The sages taught that to do two things at once is to do neither. In order to perform at our best, we have to give our total attention to the task at hand. Take care of one thing and then move on to the next. Concentrate all your thoughts on the work at hand. Concentration is key to proper martial arts techniques. Without concentration your technique will lack energy.

A concentrated mind will pierce a rock.
Japanese Proverb

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Hedonism vs Sacrifice

Drink nothing to the dregs,
either of the bad, or of the good,
for to moderation in everything
has one sage reduced all wisdom.
Baltasar Gracian

What is the “good life?” What makes a life good as compared to bad? What characteristics determine whether a life is good or bad? I’m not talking about whether or not someone is a good person or a bad person; I am simply referring to someone’s overall life. Can you have a good life without being a good person? Well, I guess that depends on how you define a good life.

Return to the root and you will find the meaning.
Sengstan

If you define a good life as a life filled with purely hedonistic pleasures, then someone can definitely have a good life without being a good person. On the other hand, if you define a good life as a life that is to be admired for its sacrifice and service to other people, you can’t have a good life without being a good person. Thus, your definition of the good life determines what a good life actually is.

How do you define a good life? Is it a life filled with adventure, wealth, travel, and pleasures, or is it a life filled with sacrifice for your fellow human beings, filled with love, relationships, and good deeds? Do you see a life of luxury as the good life or a life lived with character and honor as the good life? There are lives that we envy because of their appearance of ease and hedonism, and then there are lives that we admire because of their character and honor.

Live as you will wish to
have lived when you are dying.
Christian Furchtegott Gellert

Life demands to be lived.
H. L. Mencken

For example, we may envy the life of someone who has millions of dollars for the freedom that it affords that person or for the luxury that his wealth can buy. This is a life that is obviously enviable. On the other hand, we may admire the life of someone such as Socrates who spent time teaching others, but ultimately died of poison in a jail cell. These are obviously two distinct kinds of lives: one to be envied and one to be admired.

Which of these would you choose for yourself or for your children? Well, I would not choose a life for my children where they have to spend time in jail under a death sentence, but we look at the life of Socrates with admiration. At the same time, I would not choose the life of Michael Jackson for one of my children either, although we may look at the lifestyle that his wealth afforded him with envy. So what’s the answer?

Beware lest you lose the substance
by grasping at the shadow.
Aesop

To me the answer lies in one word – BALANCE. The good life is one which is balanced. It has to be filled with more than simply wealth or hedonistic pleasures, and at the same time, it should be much richer than total sacrifice for others. You can actually have the best of both worlds. You can have adventure, travel, personal pleasures, and at the same time live a life of honor and character, which serves others and is fit to be admired.

Drink wine by all means,
but do not get drunk.
Confucius

The key to the good life is the same key that opens most of the locks in this world – BALANCE. There is no need to live an isolated life of poverty, giving all your time and money to others at the expense of your own enjoyment of life. At the same time, a life where you think of nothing but your own pleasure is a selfish life and not fit to be admired by anyone other than the shallowest of human beings. The good life is the life that you can both admire and envy. It is the best of both worlds.

Moderation is the key to lasting enjoyment.
Hosea Ballou

The secret of life is balance, and the
absence of balance is life’s destruction.
Hazrat Inayat Khan

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

The Source

With men of understanding,
wisdom counts for everything.
Baltasar Gracian

Where does wisdom come from? Is universal wisdom useful across the board or does it matter who the person is who is imparting that wisdom? I guess there is some controversy where this is concerned. A well-known martial artist, brought this very issue up concerning my third book, Warrior Wisdom: The Warrior’s Path, this week. He felt that some of the people who I  quoted were not quality people and therefore should not have been quoted in my book.

Knowledge of the world is only to be
acquired in the world and not in a closet.
Lord Chesterfield

Any experience can be transformed
into something of value.
Vash Young

This begs the question, is wisdom wisdom no matter where it comes from or does the person, who has an insightful thought, also have to have to good reputation and a flawless character in order for that wisdom to be authenticated as true wisdom? Can a wino on a street corner have an insightful thought, and if he does should we discard it because of his shortcomings in life? This was the debate that my friend and I had concerning my third book…and we agreed to disagree and he refused to endorse my book because of this outlook.

A man may learn wisdom even from a foe.
Aristophanes

His last statement on the matter was that he didn’t think that “readers would be ready for Bohdi Sanders takes the words of sages and scoundrels and explains them in a way that might be useful.” We left it at that. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t purposely quote scumbags and give them credit for being wise men of strong character. No way! But at the same time, there are no perfect people. Being a history teacher, I could delve into the lives of our most beloved men, men who we consider top drawer, and find serious faults in their lives.

Arrogance diminishes wisdom.
Arabian Proverb

For example, the Apostle Paul had many Christians put to death before his conversion to Christianity. King David, who is accepted as the author of the Book of Psalms, arranged for the death of a man because he was infatuated with that man’s wife. I could cite example after example of dishonorable acts of men whom most of us have respect for, and whose writings we enjoy as words of wisdom. Do their actions take away from their words of wisdom or are their writings teaching us what they have learned from their mistakes?

It is quite possible to be a good man
without anyone realizing it.
Marcus Aurelius

I believe that the warrior should use wisdom wherever he finds it. Wisdom can come from various and unpredictable sources. Whether it is a five year old child or a wino on a street corner, anyone can have a profound and insightful thought. If we simply waited for that wisdom to come from someone with no faults, we would have a long wait. Instead of judging the person who imparts that insightful thought, wouldn’t it be better to judge the content of the thought itself? I think so…

Instead of searching for the faults of others, examine
yourself for personal faults that need to be corrected.
Sai Baba

True wisdom is universal. Should we discard an enlightened thought simply because we are not impressed with the person who is used to communicate that thought to us? To the warrior, the purpose of wisdom is to improve his life and his character. Even if that wisdom comes from  a five years old child, he is not too proud to take what is said and meditate on it and apply it to his life. The warrior is an independent spirit who thinks for himself and is not influenced by political correctness or the mind games that many people play.

What I must do is all that concerns me,
not what the people think.
Emerson

Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.
Emerson

Our currency all comes from government sanctioned mints and has value no matter whose pocket it happens to be in at any given moment. In the same way, universal wisdom all comes from One Source and is useful in guiding the warrior on the warrior’s path. It does not matter who the carrier of that wisdom may be, universal wisdom does not lose its value. The warrior knows this and uses his spirit as a guide to the truthfulness and validity of the thoughts of others. He uses what he finds useful and discards what strikes him as “not quite right.” I am concerned with what is being said, not who said it.

Test everything.
Hold on to the good.
The Apostle Paul

A precious stone does not lose its value
simply because it has been dropped in a cesspool.
Japanese Proverb

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Opinions Vary

Fear not the reproach of men,
nor be afraid of their revilings.
Isaiah

People are fickle. They will sing your praises one day, and they will turn on you like a pack of wolves the next day. Throughout history, people have shown this same erratic behavior, and sages have always taught us, just as Chuang Tzu taught, to be indifferent to the praise or blame of the masses. Let their praise and blame roll of your back just as rain beads up and rolls off of a newly waxed car.

The wise live among people,
but are indifferent to their praise or blame.
Chuang Tzu

This advice sounds easy enough to do. After all, it doesn’t take much effort to ignore what other people say, right? Well, this is another piece of wisdom that is easier said than done. It is very enjoyable and ego-boosting to have people praising your work and patting you on the back. It is a pleasurable experience for people to tell you how great you are or how smart you are.

Likewise, it is a very uncomfortable feeling to have people attacking you and blaming you for this or that. It can be very stressful to have people harass you verbally. Being indifferent to the public’s opinions, either positive or negative, is something which has to be learning and perfected. It doesn’t come naturally.

I do what is mine to do;
the rest doesn’t disturb me.
Marcus Aurelius

Just remember that the same people who cheer for you today, would cheer just as loudly if you were about to be hanged. Don’t seek the approval of the public. Seek the approval of men of wisdom and honor. These are men whose opinions actually have substance. Above all, seek to live according to your own principles. Only you truly know if you are worthy of praise or blame.

A noble spirit will seek the reward of virtue
in the consciousness of it, rather than in popular opinion.
Pliny the Younger

Bohdi Sanders

Warrior Wisdom

The Walking Dead

Idle men are dead all their life long.
Thomas Fuller

Living is my life. I’m not talking about the staying alive, but rather living life to the fullest. I hear many people say things such as “martial arts are my life,” “my dog is my life,” skiing is my life,” “writing is my life,” etc. but it is not that way with me. I have certain things in my life which are my passions, such as martial arts, writing, photography, etc. but those things aren’t my life. Living life to the fullest is my life. Living every day and enjoying all that life has to offer is my life.

May you live all the days of your life.
Jonathan Swift

While we live, let us live.
D. H. Lawrence

My passions are simply parts of my life that I enjoy. You can take any passion too far and by doing so you miss out on other things. There are only so many minutes in a day and everyone has the same amount. For the most part, minutes are like cash. If you use them for one thing, they aren’t available to use for something else. Once you “spend” your minutes, they are spent; unlike cash, there are never any refunds if you spend them on something and later decide you made a bad decision. Once your minutes are spent, they are gone forever.

The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will cal life which is required
to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.
Thoreau

Seize the day, put no trust in tomorrow.
Horace

For time lost may never be recovered.
Geoffrey Chaucer

For this reason it is important that you spend you minutes wisely, just as you should spend your cash wisely. You can go out to the store and waste your money on junk food and the next day you will have nothing to show for it other than maybe a couple of extra pounds. In the same way, you can spend your time watching mindless television shows or lying around on the couch, and you will have nothing to show for your time. Remember, once you spend a minute, you will never get that minute back.

Like the waves of a river that flow slowly on
and return never back,
the days of human life pass and come not back again.
Buddha

On the other hand, if you take you money and invest it or spend it wisely, you will have something of value that will last you long into the future. The same thing applies to your time. If you spend your time reading, learning, working out, etc. instead of wasting your time, you will have something of use to show for the way that you spent your time. Either way, your time will have to be spent. Unlike money, time cannot simply be saved and used at another time.

Opportunities lost can never be regained.
Pliny the Elder

We never live; we are always anticipating living.
Voltaire

Every minute of every day has to be spent in some form or fashion. You have no choice in the matter. The only choice that you have is how you will spend your time. Will you spend your time wisely and make use of the time that you have or will you waste you time as if you have an endless supply of this precious commodity?  I prefer to live life to the fullest, using every minute to experience what this life has to offer. What will you do with your minutes? Hours? Days? Months? Years?

Begin at once to live,
and count each separate day as a separate life.
Seneca

Take a deep breath of life and consider how it should be lived.
Don Quixote’s Creed

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Shadows, Echoes & Ripples of Life

The results are only shadows and echoes of our actions.
Counsels of the Great Yu

Every action has its own consequence. Whether you call it the law of cause and effect or whether you call it karma, the end result is the same; everything that you do, say or think has a consequence connected with it. There is literally nothing that you can do, say or think which doesn’t have some kind of affect on your life. At this point I imagine that you may be thinking to yourself something such as, “well, if I am sitting on my patio and I say something completely meaningless, it has no affect on anything at all.”

In regard to his speech,
the superior man is never careless in any respect.
Confucius

Let’s examine that statement. It actually does have an affect; it can affect your emotions and/or your thought processes. Now, granted, the affect may be minimal, but nevertheless, there will be a consequence of some kind. The same thing goes for your thoughts. You may believe that your thoughts actually don’t have consequences, but on the contrary, every thought contains a certain energy, which at the very least has an effect on your emotions. Science has proven that your thoughts can in fact change your body chemistry, so in actuality, we don’t fully realize all of the consequences that our thoughts may have.

When we direct our thoughts properly,
we can control our emotions.
W. Clement Stone

Thoughts are forces.
Ralph Waldo Trine

This is true for all of your actions. There is no way to actually know for sure what the consequences of our actions really are. Some may be obvious, but others may be so far removed from the initial action that it is impossible to connect the result to the origin. What the warrior needs to stay focused on is that all of his actions are important. This is yet another reason that the person who is walking the path of the warrior strives for excellence in every area of his life. Everything matters on the path of warriorship.

Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds
can change the outer aspects of their lives.
William James

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

The Hunted

The hunter can make many mistakes, the hunted, only one.
Native American Maxim

Most criminals are predators. They “hunt” for the weak, the unaware, and the unprepared. They can afford to make some mistakes and still survive to “hunt” another day. It may take several “hunts” for the criminal to bag his prey, but he learns from his mistakes and continues to hunt, perfecting his skills as a predator.

The “hunted” on the other hand, cannot afford to make a mistake. He may not get a chance to learn from his mistake. The “hunted” has to remain alert at all times, being aware of his surroundings, constantly watching for the predators who seek to prey on him. One mistake may cost him his life. Taking the day off and relaxing could be a very costly mistake – one that he may never recover from.

Remember this: whoever lives a life of chance
will in the end find himself a victim of chance.
Francesco Guicciardini

This fact actually makes it more important for the warrior to have sharp self-defense skills. You don’t have the luxury of learning from your mistakes on the street. Those mistakes could be a permanent lesson. The warrior has to be ready for the attack. Even if the predator makes a mistake and fails in his quest, he can still do some serious damage to his prey, if his prey is unprepared. Many attacks can leave permanent damage without being fatal.

Don’t rely completely on any other human being, however dear.
We meet all life’s greatest tests alone.
Agnes Macphail

More satisfying far, that many depend upon you,
than that you depend upon anybody.
Baltasar Gracian

Trust God, but tie up your camel.
Hadith

The warrior has to be alert and aware of his surroundings at all times. He cannot afford to let down his guard. Why does the warrior need to be alert and aware at all times? The answer is because the hunter can make many mistakes, the hunted, only one. Will you be ready when you cross paths with the hunter?

I am the maker of my own fortune.
Tecumseh

(Reprinted from Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior)

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

True Warriors

If you understand, things are just as they are.
If you do not understand, things are just as they are.
Zen Maxim

My friend Kevin, who is now serving in Afghanistan, once asked me what my ultimate definition of a warrior is. I understand that my definition differs from Mr. Webster’s definition, and it also differs from the definition that many people use today. I constantly get letters and emails from people telling me, in no uncertain terms, that I don’t know what I am talking about and have no business talking about what a real warrior is, after all, I am just some peon martial artist, not a soldier or a cop…what do I know about being a warrior! Well, if you define the term “warrior” as someone who is experienced in military combat, I guess that counts a lot of people out.

“Ohhh! Great warrior!
[laughs and shakes his head]
Wars not make one great!”
Yoda

My definition of a warrior, and the definition that I have deduced from the many, many writings passed down throughout the ages, both from military and martial arts sources, doesn’t define a warrior in those terms. My ultimate definition of the term “warrior” is someone who has the ability and will to fight to protect himself, his friends, his family, and his ideals, and at the same time, seeks the perfection of his own character through a life lived with honor, integrity, and an unflinching dedication to what is right according to his own code of honor which has been refined from intensive study and meditation. That is a lengthy sentence, but I wanted to have a one sentence definition of the warrior. In my opinion, this is a better definition of the true warrior.

A thing does not therefore cease to be true
because it is not accepted by many.
Benedict Spinoza

All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Arthur Schopenhauer

Warriors should exhibit the best qualities among men. The true warrior makes a firm decision to try to perfect his character and to live by a strict code of ethics. His word is his honor. His duty stays fresh on his mind. He lives life a little more seriously than most, but at the same time lives life to its fullest. He sees through the veil of appearances covering most parts of this world, but does so without looking down on those who are less perceptive.

Family and friends are important to him, and they know that they can always count on him for protection and help in their times of need. He bases his decisions on his code of ethics, and instinctively knows right from wrong, and chooses right. He knows that, at times there is a difference between what is right and what is legal. He is able to hold his head high with honor because he knows that he lives his life to the best of his ability, with honor and integrity. His code is ingrained in his spirit and is a part of his being. The warrior is a man who shoots for excellence in everything that he does.

The master warrior is a man of character,
a man of wisdom and insight.
Forrest E. Morgan

If you notice, the definition of the warrior, that is taken from description of the warrior’s character from throughout the ages, doesn’t require one to be engaged in military duty or law enforcement. Being a soldier or a cop doesn’t automatically make you a warrior any more than knowing how to throw a football makes you John Elway or Joe Montana. I know many cops and military people who I have absolutely no respect for…they are scum, pure and simple. Their job doesn’t change their character. I also know military guys and cops for which I have the utmost respect for. They are warriors in every sense of the word. It is not the job which determines whether or not you are a warrior.

You can be a warrior without being in a profession that requires you to enter into combat, and you can find your butt in the middle of a fire fight and be no more of a warrior than someone who finds themselves caught in a drive by shooting. I know that many of you will disagree on this…opinions differ. But let’s take a look at Webster’s definition of a warrior once more. By the strict definition both Nazis and Islamic terrorists would be classified as warriors. I know that many of you think that they should be. I know this from many of the attacking emails that I receive. I have had many people tell me that they absolutely are warriors, but that is asinine.

The fact that an opinion has been widely held
is no evidence that it is not utterly absurd;
indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind,
a widespread belief is more often likely to be foolish than sensible.
Bertrand Russell

Nazis were not warriors. Sure they were soldiers. They were trained to fight. They may have justified their actions by saying that they fought for their country, etc. But were they really warriors? A warrior puts what is right above all else. He puts what is right above his marching orders. He thinks for himself. If his commander orders him to gas innocent women and children, or to murder defenseless, starving people, does he comply with those orders? If he does comply with those orders, is he so dense that he considers that to be morally right and an honorable act?

To avoid action when justice is at stake
demonstrates a lack of courage.
Gichin Funakoshi

Some have been thought brave,
because they were afraid to run away.
English Proverb

Are Islamic terrorists warriors? Many have argued with me that yes they are…after all, they fight for what they think is right. OH REALLY?!?! They think murdering innocent women and children is right? Well they may think that my stove is not hot, but you won’t see them sitting on the burner for an hour while they watch Bin Laden’s new propaganda speech. Just because someone thinks something is right or wrong, doesn’t change the truth. The truth is the truth irregardless of your perspective. These people also feel it is “right” to kill women if they dress or act in a way that they disagree with; just because they feel it is right, doesn’t make it right.

Truth doesn’t change because it is, or is not,
believed by a majority of the people.
Giordano Bruno

No, Nazis were not warriors. Islamic terrorists are not warriors. Just because they run around with weapons and know how to kill people, and claim they are just, doesn’t make them warriors. Soldiers? Maybe. Murderers? absolutely. Warriors? Not on your life. Anyone can take a gun and kill someone else. That doesn’t make them a warrior. A warrior entails much more than combat and killing. The warrior lifestyle goes much deeper than training. As I have said before, dogs and rooster can be trained to fight, but that doesn’t make them warriors.

The sky is not less blue because the blind man does not see it.
Danish Proverb

Truth will always be truth,
regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.
W. Clement Stone

There is a difference in being a soldier and a warrior. There is a difference in being a fighter and a warrior. There is a difference in being a cop and a warrior. You can be a soldier, a fighter, a cop, a martial artist, a cowboy, a teacher, or anything else that you want to list, without being a warrior. At the same time, you can be a warrior while being any of the above. You make the decision about whether or not you are going to be a warrior and live the warrior lifestyle, not your profession, not your training, and not your bloviating, opinionated friend who thinks that he is the ultimate authority on the subject because of his past experiences.

My friend Kevin is a true warrior, not because he is in Afghanistan fighting, but he is a true warrior who is in Afghanistan fighting. There is a difference. Would Kevin be less of a warrior if he were back at home driving a tractor or teaching in his local high school? Would that all of a sudden change his abilities, his character or his code of honor? A warrior is a warrior, no matter where he is or what he may be doing. That is just who he is. Moreover, a man who is not a warrior is not a warrior, even if he finds himself on the front lines. Things are not as black and white as most people would like to think…

A change in scenery does not change one’s character.
Aesop

We never fully grasp the importance
of any true statement until we have a clear notion
of what the opposite untrue statement would be.
William James

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Becoming Clear

Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear.
Lao Tzu

Stress, worry, anxiety, and fear can cloud your mind. When these emotions are allowed to take control of your mind, it is hard to see things clearly or make good decisions. Your mind can’t focus and will began to become “muddy” if you will. It is hard to think rationally when your mind is bombarded with these emotions. Just as a crystal clear lake can become muddy when the sediment at the bottom is disturbed, your mind will become “muddy” when it is disturbed.

Don’t let trifles disturb your tranquility of mind…
Ignore the inconsequential.
Greenville Kleiser

Quit minds cannot be perplexed or frightened
but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace,
like a clock during a thunderstorm.
Robert Louis Stevenson

So what do you do to clear your mind when it has become cloudy from these emotions? Do the same thing as the lake does to become clear again – nothing. The lake simply waits for the muddy sediment particles to settle back where they belong, and once again the lake becomes crystal clear. You should do the same thing. Quit thinking about the issue at hand. Just put that subject on the shelf for a while. Do something else like meditate, work in the garden, work out, etc.

Don’t let worldly thoughts and anxieties trouble your mind.
Ramakrishna

Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted.
Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world.
Margolis

It really doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you get your mind off of the problem that is causing these emotions to cloud your thinking. Just get away from it and allow the mud to settle. When you come back, your mind, like the lake, will have cleared up and you will be able to see things differently. Once again, you will be able to think rationally and intelligently, the way the warrior should think.

The mind deludes itself.
In matters of the mind, you must stay on your guard.
Takuan Soho

The key here is to be patient. You can’t make the mud settle back to the bottom of the lake by pushing it back down; it has to settle on it own, at its own pace. Likewise, you can’t force yourself to clear your mind of stressful thoughts, unless you are proficient in meditation techniques and mind control. You have to just get away from those thoughts for a while, and the easiest way to do that is to get your mind on something else.

The secret of patience is to do something else in the meantime.
Spanish Proverb

Your mind can’t hold two different thoughts at the same time. Don’t believe me? Just try it… Think of a picture of a dog while at the same time you think of a picture of an elephant. Were you successful? The same thing goes for negative, stressful thoughts. If you are thinking of something else, they can’t remain in your mind. Sounds simple, but it is true. Next time you find that your mind is clouded by negative thinking, get busy doing something else, even if it is cleaning your house. Hey, if it doesn’t work, at least you will have a clean house, either way you win…

Be master of the mind rather than mastered by the mind.
Zen Maxim

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

Thought Control

The soul is dyed the color of its thoughts.
Heraclitus

Many people believe that their thoughts don’t really matter. They think that their thoughts don’t matter as long as they don’t act on their negative thoughts. What they fail to realize though is that everyone’s thoughts contain certain energy patterns. Physicists are now proving that your thoughts actually do have power; they are not just harmless little things that don’t matter.

Thoughts are forces.
Ralph Waldo Trine

Every single thought you have can be assessed in
terms of whether it strengthens or weakens you.
Wayne Dyer

Heraclitus knew this many centuries ago. He tells us that your thoughts have an effect on your soul. He goes on to say, “The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny…it is the light that guides your way.” Your thoughts are much more important to your character development than you may suspect.

Be careful of your thoughts;
they are the beginning of your acts.
Lao Tzu

The whole dignity of man is in thought.
Labor then to think right.
Pascal

Thought precedes action. Many scientists today believe that if you continue to think about something, what you think about will eventually find a way to manifest itself in your life. If this is true, it means that what you think about is extremely important. It has already been proven that your thoughts control your emotions, thus to control your emotions, which every warrior must do, you must control your thoughts. Controlling your thoughts is the ultimate test of your self-discipline. Control your thoughts; control your destiny.

When we direct our thoughts properly,
we can control our emotions.
W. Clement Stone

You should keep your mind pure, for what a person things,
he becomes – this is the eternal mystery.
The Maitri Upanishad

Understand that what you think about expands.
Wayne Dyer

Reprinted from
Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the Modern Warrior

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

The Cycle of Democracy

In proportion as the structure of government
gives force to public opinion, it is essential
that public opinion should be enlightened.
George Washington

About the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution, in 1787, Alexander Tyler; a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years prior:

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”

“The Average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
1. From bondage to spiritual faith;
2. From spiritual faith to great courage;
3. From courage to liberty;
4. From liberty to abundance;
5. From abundance to complacency;
6. From complacency to apathy;
7. From apathy to dependence;
8. From dependence back into bondage.”

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:

Population of counties won by: Gore-127 Million; Bush-143 Million;
Square miles of land won by: Gore-580,000; Bush-2,427,000
State won by: Gore:19; Bush:29
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Gore-13.2; Bush-2.1

Professor Olson adds: “In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly land owned by the tax-paying citizens of this great country. Gore’s territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off government welfare…” The difference in the 2004 was even more in favor of Bush!

Olsen believes the United States is now somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phase of Professor Tyler’s definition of democracy, with some 40% of the nation’s population already having reached the “governmental dependency” phase.

What brings empires down is the empires themselves. There is a never ending cycle that leads from destruction to rebirth and back again to start the process over. The wisest words of wisdom are: “And this too shall pass.” As in all things, this will pass and we will go back full circle.

None are more hopelessy enslaved
than those who falsely believe they are free.
Goethe

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

Decline of the American Empire?

It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once.
David Hume

In 1788 Edward Gibbon wrote about five basic reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire. As I read these five summations, I distinctly saw a correlation between the changes which occurred prior to the decline of the Roman Empire and what is happening in America today. The parallels are amazing and to be honest, more than a little frightening. The five reasons which Gibbon wrote about are listed below and are expanded on in this blog. I am interested in reading your opinions on the correlation between what happened in Rome and what appears to be happening in modern day America. Enjoy!

Five Basic reasons for the Decline of the Roman Empire:

1) The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home.

2) Higher and higher taxes: the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.

3) The mad craze for pleasure, with sports and plays becoming more exciting, more brutal and more immoral.

4) The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within – the decay of individual responsibility.

5) The decay of religion, whose leaders lost their touch with life, and their power to guide the people.

Edward Gibbon
1788 “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”

1) The undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home.

The warrior, whether a man or a woman, should be in total control of the home environment, in as much as it is in his power to do so. The warrior should see to it that his children are brought up knowing right from wrong, and having total respect from his children. Undermining this respect undermines the warrior’s ability to pass on the ethics which he knows his family should live by. So, in reality, undermining the warrior’s respect and ability to instruct his children, undermines his ability to pass on his standards, his code of honor to his children. It essentially ties his hands and allows the state to dictate its ethics to his children, instead of the warrior’s ethics.

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.
Edmond Burke

When the government’s ethics replace the warrior’s ethics in the home, the sanctity of the home has been breached and the family unit is in danger of falling apart. You lose the closeness of the family. You lose the respect for the father or mother that is in charge of the family. Children start to believe that their parents are unreasonable when what they say is opposed to what they are being told by the schools and the government officials. The government falsely believes that the undermining of the sanctity of the home gives them more control over people, but in reality it weakens the country because it weakens the moral character of the citizens.

In regards to your son’s behavior, it is wrong for a parent to scold a child for misdeeds if the parent has not corrected his own mind. You must first of all conduct yourself properly. Then, if you admonish your son, his behavior will improve naturally and your younger son will be sure to learn from his brother’s example and improve his behavior as well. It is truly auspicious when father and sons become virtuous together.
Takuan Soho

You don’t think that this is going on in our country? Have you checked out the television lately? The husband/father is no longer portrayed at the wise man who can teach the children wisdom and take care of problems. There is no more Andy Griffith or Ward Cleaver. On the contrary, the husband/father is more often presented as the dumb buffoon, nothing more than another child for the wife to keep in line and take care of. He is no longer the wise warrior, but the wimp, and a wimp of low moral character and a low IQ. Ever wonder why this image has changed in our entertainment? Has it changed in our families as well?

Father’s must strive with their whole being, with all their heart diligence and wisdom, to make their children honest and high-principled…it is mainly up to the father to make the children honest, virtuous, and honorable.
Leon Battista Alberti

2) Higher and higher taxes: the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.

Well, this one definitely hits home in our country today. The government not only wants to take more and more of your money through taxes, but it also completely misuses the tax revenue which it takes out of your pockets. Don’t believe me…just do a little research on some of the things which your tax money is spent on. I won’t even get into the debate over whether the billions and billions of dollars we are spending in Iraq is right or wrong, or whether it is making any of us safer here at home. That is a debate that I will leave to another blog. We can completely leave Iraq out of this equation and still find billions and billions of dollars which have been misappropriated.

Find out just what people will submit to and you have found out
the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them.
Frederick Douglas

If you do a little research on how your tax money is spent, you will find it is almost comical, except for the fact that it is so pathetic. It is all a game to our politicians. They aren’t looking out for you or your children. Our politicians have their own little agendas and your tax money is the vehicle that they use to achieve their agendas. Free bread and entertainment for the populace…you bet, just long as the populace votes to keep them in their cushy job. Not enough tax revenue to fulfill their agenda…no problem, they will just put it on the governments “credit card.” Who cares…let our grandkids worry about the bills when they grow up. Wow, talk about irresponsible behavior.

The superior man asks nothing from any but himself.
Confucius

We have billions of dollars of repairs in old infrastructure that is waiting to be done. Bridges need to be replaced. Sewers and water pipes under our cities need to be replaced. Our borders need to be secured. Yet our politicians squander our money like it is an endless supply of candy. The day will come when these careless actions will come back to bite us. There are always consequences. We should hold the politicians responsible, but we are all too busy living our own life, and so these men of low character get a free pass to do as they will. How long will we let them slide? How long before it is too late to correct the problem?

The power to tax involves the power to destroy.
John Marshall

The greatest fruit of self-sufficiency is freedom.
Epicurus

3) The mad craze for pleasure, with sports and plays becoming more exciting, more brutal and more immoral.

We haven’t gone to the extent that the Romans did…yet, but we seem to be headed in that direction. Our sporting events have become much more brutal. Our movies have become more and more graphic and bloody. It seems that it is taking much more to excite and shock our population. Things which would have appalled citizens 40 or 50 years ago now come directly into our homes on a daily basis. We have become numb and desensitized to much of the brutality and blood and guts that we see in our entertainment.

Pleasures are temporary but virtues immortal.
Periander

I remember the first time my wife and I watched Braveheart in the theater. She got nauseous during some of the battle scenes. The second time that we watched the movie, the blood and guts didn’t affect her at all. It didn’t take much to desensitize her concerning the gore contained in that movie. The same thing happens to us when we watch other forms of entertainment. The first few times it may be shocking, but after that it becomes the “same old, same old.” When that happens, expect those in the entertainment world to push the envelope just a little further in an attempt to once again shock and excite you.

Immorality in the house is like a worm in the vegetables.
The Talmud

How many more years before we decide that we are tired of convicts living on our tax dollars and they should maybe earn their food and shelter? Hey, I know, they could entertain us…gladiators anyone? Movies have already been made about this possibility. The Romans used criminals for entertainment both as gladiators and as simple sadistic entertainment. They had no empathy for criminals at all and didn’t think that there was anything wrong with watching criminals tortured to death for entertainment…after all, they were criminals, who cares…

Trickling water, if not stopped, will become a mighty river.
Confucius

Your descendants shall gather your fruits.
Virgil

4) The building of great armaments when the real enemy was within – the decay of individual responsibility.

We have built up our military to be the ultimate military machine in the world. (This statement could have been spoken by many of the Roman Emperors.) The United States military has the power to totally destroy any enemy that comes against it, but does that mean that we are really safe in this country? Even though our military has become stronger, our country and our patriotism have become weaker. We are not only divided between red and blue states, and red and blue voters, but also on racial lines, religious lines, sexual lines, just to name a few of the issues which people seem to be so interested in today.

One’s own faults are one’s mortal enemies.
It follows that to guard against them is life’s gravest concern.
Tiruvalluvar

Everybody seems interested in their own little group’s agenda, but not many of them appear to be too interested in taking care of their individual responsibility. Political correctness has replaced common sense and rational thought. We have to be sure not to offend any one person; even if 20,000 other people pay for that one person’s feelings. Since when did it become a crime to offend someone? If it offends you that someone says or does something that you don’t believe in, GET OVER IT! Our country guarantees you the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; it doesn’t guarantee that you will never be offended.

They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin

If you are offended that someone wears a cross on a necklace to school…GET OVER IT! If you are offended that someone wears a pentagram on a necklace to school…GET OVER IT! If you are offended that our currency says “In God We Trust”…GET OVER IT! If you want to believe in God, believe in God. If you want to believe that when you die you are nothing more than worm food, believe it. But whatever you believe, quit being offended at every little thing that someone else does or believes. Take care of your own individual responsibilities and let other people worry about their own actions. You choose whether or not to be offended…choose not to be.

Highly evolved people have their own conscience as pure law.
Lao Tzu

Our country seems to be like an alcoholic bodybuilder…outside he looks buff and can kick your ass, but inside he is rotting away and if he doesn’t change, he will not stay strong very much longer. Our true enemy is within. It is our divisiveness. It is our own population who refuses to allow each person to be responsible for their own actions. Yes, we have some real enemies in this world, but if we, as a country were united, no enemy could stand against us. There are too many agendas. There are too many worms in the apple. A house divided cannot stand…

Thatch your roof before rainy weather; dig your well before you are thirsty.
Chinese Proverb

Keep a watchful eye over yourself as if you were your own enemy.
Kahlil Gibran

5) The decay of religion, whose leaders lost their touch with life, and their power to guide the people.

Wow, should I even touch this one? I have probably rubbed half of my readers the wrong way already…I think that this one is pretty obvious in our country. Each year we see another scandal where this preacher or that preacher has done one thing or another that has gone against what he preaches. Just last year here in Colorado, a well-know preacher who constantly slammed gay people and the gay lifestyle, was found to have had several gay affairs. Talk about hypocrisy! If you are going to preach something, then you should live by it yourself. Don’t be a hypocrite. Hypocrisy has rendered religion’s power to guide the people impotent. Who wants to listen to someone who doesn’t live by the same rules that they command you to live by?

Many have quarreled about religion that never practiced it.
Benjamin Franklin

I don’t think that it was a decay of religion that brought Rome down, but rather decay in individual morality and integrity. I see the same things today; people go to church every week, in fact, the churches appear to be full, but how many of the people in those churches practice what they preach? How many take their personal code of honor seriously? I can answer that for you…not many. Whoa, we are back to individual responsibility. Get that pile of manure off of your own porch before you complain about the dust on your neighbor’s table…

One must make a distinction between what God himself said
and what the clergy has said in His name.
Claude Henri de Touvroy

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

IF

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

The warrior has to keep a calm mind in everyday life and in emergencies. Thinking rational is vital to the warrior. Others may panic over the situation; they may point the finger at you, but nonetheless, you have to keep your mind calm. Be a rock in the midst of the storm. Don’t allow some else’s panic to become yours; just continue to stay the course and meet each obstacle with a calm and rational mind.

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

As a warrior, you have to spend time meditating on your sense of right and wrong, and your code of honor. You don’t do this in order to feel superior to others, although living life by these standards will make you superior, or as Confucius said, “A superior man.” The reason that you need to meditate on your standards of honor and integrity is to develop this trust in your sense of right and wrong. You have to know why you live according to your code. You have to develop trust in your sense of right and wrong.

At the same time though, you have to be able to understand that the majority of people do not live life this way. They do not spend time meditating on how they should live their life, or what determines what is right or what is wrong. Don’t expect others to understand you, but you should be wise enough to understand others. They will doubt you and your way of life, that’s ok; just don’t doubt yourself. Demand honor and integrity from yourself, but don’t demand it from those who do not understand the concepts.

Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

People will lie about you and they will hate you for standing up for your principles and not being willing to bend where your integrity is concerned. This is not your concern. Your job is to do what you know is right. You are responsible for YOUR actions, not the actions of other people. If they lie, it doesn’t give you the green light to lie. If they hate, it doesn’t give you the ok to hate them back. You do what you know you should and let them be responsible for their own actions.

Although you understand this, it is important not to make a show of your understand. You don’t want to go around acting like you are better than others or wiser than others, even though you may be. Just simply understand that your job is too concentrate on living your life the best that you can, not to correct the faults of others. If they ask for your advice, give it. If they don’t ask for your advice, keep it to yourself. Nobody likes someone who makes them feel inferior.

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

It is ok to dream and have goals, but at the same time you have to actually live your life in the present moment, not just dream for the future and sit around and wait for things to be perfect before you start to live. You should have dreams and goals. You should spend time in thought and meditation…but at the same time, you can’t only do these things. You must live life to the fullest, rather than live in a fantasy world constructed in your mind.

If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

Good things will happen. Bad things will happen. This is life. Just live life and understand that you will have ups and downs, and neither will be the “be all, end all” in your life. They are just part of life. You should enjoy your triumphs and you must endure the disasters which will most likely cross your path. These are just part of life. Live your life to the fullest. Don’t get too high or too low, but rather just deal with each and every event in your life the best that you can.

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools;

People will take your words and twist them around to make you look bad or simply to start controversy. And yes, fools will believe what they say. They will look at only one side of the coin because they aren’t wise enough to look beyond what is presented to them as truth. People will attack and try to destroy the things which you stand for; men of honor are frequently attacked for their beliefs. Just expect it and learn to deal with it. That is the way it is. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you continue to walk the path of the warrior.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;

Don’t put too much importance on material things. Material things come and go; they aren’t permanent. The sages tell us that your good name, your character, and your honor are permanent, but not things such as your wealth, your health, or your looks. Therefore you should be more concerned about things which are lasting, as opposed to things which are fleeting. Make sure that you have your priorities straight. Know what is really important and what is not.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

What forces you to continue when you have nothing left? What is it in a man that will give him the strength to continue to fight even when his body can no longer function? It is his warrior spirit or as Kipling says, “The Will.” No matter what is going on in your life, don’t quit. Don’t give up. Things change and they will change when you least expect them too. You don’t want to find that you have quit on minutes before your victory. Be stubborn and make your warrior spirit your courage.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;

Do not let the actions of others affect you. Be yourself. Live according to your standards, whether you find yourself in the company of scumbags or the President. The warrior shouldn’t live one way around high class people and one way around low class people. He is not a chameleon. He should have enough confidence in his way of life to walk by his code in whatever company he finds himself in.

Don’t lower your standards just to suit those who live by lower standards, and don’t think so highly of yourself that you can’t carry on a civil conversation with those who obviously do not understand the way of the warrior. The warrior shouldn’t put his honor and a shelf when it is inconvenient or put it on for show simply to impress someone else. Don’t appear to be a man of honor; be a man of honor.

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;

Understand that people will do and say hurtful things and that there are a multitude of reasons and factors behind their actions. Try not to take their actions personally. Most of the time their actions have nothing to do with you, they are just venting and they don’t really mean what they say or do. Remember, not everyone lives by the same high standards that you live by. Don’t let the actions of other affect you.

Yes, I know this is a tall order, but you will find more peace if you are able to let others’ word and actions roll off your back like water off a duck. Don’t put too much faith in anyone else. You should treat everyone with respect, but don’t expect the same in return. Again, you take care of your actions and your words, and don’t expect perfect from others.

If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -

Live in the NOW. Don’t waste your time. You only live once in this life and you should live it to the fullest. Don’t allow fear, laziness, self-consciousness, worry, etc. to interfere with you living your life the way that you truly want to live it. As Kipling said, the minute is unforgiving. If you don’t use it, you lose it. There is no second chance.

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

And a true man is a true warrior. Enough said…

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

Wisdom of the North:
The Havamal

The majority of people today have never heard of the Havamal. I have spent many, many hours researching wisdom from different parts of the world only to find that, for the most part, wisdom is wisdom, whether it comes from Lao Tzu and his writings or whether it comes from Native American teachings. True wisdom is universal for the human race. This point brings me to a little book (poem) call the Havamal.

The Havamal is a Viking poem, but we could call it a little book of wisdom. The Havamal, written in AD 700-900, is one of the most popular of the Eddaic poems. The Eddas held the same value to the Vikings as the Vedas did/do to the Indian culture. You could say that the Havamal is a mixture of Latin proverbs and heathen wisdom. Too many people today are under the impression that they can only get true wisdom from their own culture or their own religion, and they miss out on the fact that there is universal wisdom that applies to all humans across the board.

Also called, the Wisdom of the North, the Havamal gives us insight into the pagan world of the Vikings. Some of the sayings are a bit hard to grasp for people today and some of the sayings go straight to the heart of the matter. I have tried to include only ones which are straightforward in this post.

Why have I decided to write about the Havamal in my blog which is mainly concerned with warrior values? The answer is simple, the Vikings were warriors and the ethics of the Havamal are above all rooted in the belief of the value of the individual. They believed that each individual was responsible for his own life, shaped his own fortune, and created the life that he wanted to live.

So, for all of my pagan readers, which I know that I have many, and all of my other readers who are open to true wisdom, no matter what the source, lean back in your comfy desk chair, couch, or bed, and enjoy the ancient wisdom of the Vikings…

1) A sage visitor is a silent guest. The cautious evades evil. Never a friend more faithful, nor great wealth, than wisdom.

2) The cautious guest who comes to the table speaks sparingly. Listen with ears, learns with eyes. Such is the seeker of knowledge.

3) It is dire luck to be dependent on the feelings of a fellow man.

4) Advice given by others is often ill counsel.

5) A clear head is good company. Drink is a dangerous friend.

6) At a feast the fool chatters or he stares and stammers. Just as soon as his jug is full, ale unveils his mind.

7) A man should drink in moderation…be sensible or silent.

8 ) A man of lean wisdom will never learn what his stomach can store.

9) He is unhappy and ill-tempered who meets all with mockery.

10) The unwise man is awake all night…worries over and again. When morning rises he is restless still, his burden as before.

11) The unwise man imagines a smiling face, a friend. Surprised to find how little support he musters at a meeting.

12) Often it’s best for the unwise man to sit in silence. His ignorance goes unnoticed unless he tells too much.

13) Much nonsense a man utters who talks without tiring.

14) They pass for wise who pass unnoticed.

15) Go you must. No guest shall stay in one place for ever. Love will be lost if you sit too long at a friends’s fire.

16) Never walk away from home ahead of your axe and sword. You can’t feel a battle in your bones or foresee a fight.

17) Be your friend’s true friend. Return gift for gift.

18) Beware of befriending an enemy’s friend.

19) A true friend whom you trust well and wish for his good will: Go to him often, exchange gifts and keep him company.

20) The brave and the generous have the best lives. They’re seldom sorry. The unwise man is always worried.

21) The best of lives is led by those who know the measure of many things.

22) A man listens thus he learns.

23) Wake early if you want another man’s life or land. No lamb for the lazy wolf. No battle’s won in bed.

24) One may know your secret, never a second. If three, a thousand will know.

25) A prudent man wields his power in modest measure.

26) Money often makes an ape of many a good man.

27) To give and take is a guarentee of lasting love.

28) Better a humble house than none. A man is master at home.

29) He is truly wise who’s traveled far and knows the ways of the world. He who has travelled can tell what spirit governs the men he meets.

30) Cattle die, kinsmen die, all men are mortal. Words of praise will never perish nor a noble name.

Cattle die, kinsmen die, all men die at some point and time,
but a noble name built on character and honor is eternal.
Live with honor my warrior friends…

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Character Check

But here we may wonder what he would do
if nobody knew anything about it.
The Code of the Samurai

What would you do if you knew that there was absolutely no possibility that anyone else would ever find out about your actions? According to the Code of the Samurai this is a question that every warrior should ask himself. Would this fact change the way that you think about things or would you continue to live by the standards that you have set for yourself? This question is the true test of your character.

Circumstances reveal us to others and still more to ourselves.
La Rochefoucauld

A change in scenery does not change one’s character.
Aesop

Be as you wish to seem.
Socrates

The real warrior would live the same way and adhere to the same high standards whether anybody else knew about his actions or not. Even if all laws were abolished and we had a world of complete anarchy, his standards would not change. To men of character, their standards are not flexible. Their honor is not negotiable. Whether they are alone or in the middle of thousands of people, their character is set in stone.

Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead the same life.
Aristophanes

To the samurai, this question was an insinuation of hypocrisy. If a man is sincere about his beliefs and his code of ethics, he doesn’t just live by them on some occasions, but at other times he completely ignores them. He lives the life of the warrior seven day a week, regardless of who is watching or who is not watching. He doesn’t do the right thing in order to impress others, but to live up to his code of ethics.

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.
Emerson

Many people appear to have upstanding moral character, when in reality, they are only looking out for their own good. Most people don’t go around robbing banks, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they are upstanding people. Are they not robbing banks because it is wrong, or are they not robbing banks because they fear the consequences of being caught and put in prison? The result is the same; they don’t rob banks, but the principle behind the action is as different as night and day.

It is not enough to make something look good.
The underlying principle must be good.
Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Virtue is more clearly shown in the performance of fine actions
than in the nonperformance of base ones.
Aristotle

Would these same people choose to rob the bank if there were no law? Would they steal from others if they knew no one would ever know about it? This is the same principle as we find in the story about the millionaire who propositioned a lady at a party. The millionaire asked the lady, “Would you sleep with me for 1 million dollars?” The lady smiled and said, “That’s a lot of money…of course I would!” Then the millionaire said, “Would you sleep with me for $20?” The lady became offended and said, “What do you think I am, a whore or something?” The millionaire said, “We have already established that my dear. Now we are only haggling over price.”

Few men have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
George Washington

Keep a check on your character. Ask yourself, “What would I do if nobody else knew about it?” Be honest… What would you do if you knew that you absolutely could not get in any trouble for your actions or that there would be no consequences for your actions whatsoever? When you have truly figured out the answer to this question, you will have discovered the extent of your character.

Virtue is a state of character concerned with choice.
Aristotle

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

Highlander Wisdom

One of my all time favorite television shows is Highlander…There is a lot to be learned from good, well written fantasy. We better hope so anyway, because unfortunately most of the younger generation are learning their values from movies and television.

Although not perfect, Highlander does offer many of truisms concerning honor and integrity. They are there if you look for them. Fortunately for my readers, I did look for them. Here are twenty quotes from Highlander that you should ponder…enjoy!!

* If you go hunting tigers be sure you are prepared to find one.

* The most important lesson:
Anger doesn’t give you an edge, it blunts you.
Make your adversary angry.
The madder he gets, the more chances
you have he will make a mistake.

* Don’t let your opponent see all your skills.

* Sometimes life doesn’t give you a choice.

* Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it.

* Believing and proving are two different things.

* Focus conquers a superior adversary.

* A man has to do what a man has to do.

* The age old rule…divide and conquer.

* Sometimes, when you believe in something that can’t be proved now…
it doesn’t mean it will never be proved.

* Knowing what you don’t know is almost
as important as knowing what you do know.

* The truth doesn’t always jump up into your arms.
Sometimes you have to sneak up and ambush it.

* The main difference between a wise man and a fool
is that the fool’s mistakes never teach him anything.

* Some things will never change…some will.

* The truth is the truth, no matter what you think about it.

* Time does not weaken a vow.

* Fear – it can take your soul…your heart.

* There are critical moments in everybody’s life -
when it can go one way or another.
Who you are can depend on who you meet.

* If you don’t like what you are, you can change it.

* A man of honor lives with what he does.

Bohdi Sanders
Warrior Wisdom

Is Honor Black & White?

Many people believe that honor is one of those few things in life which is black and white. This belief is both true and false. True in the sense that every action can be classified as either being honorable or dishonorable. Just as a door is either open or shut, our actions are either honorable or dishonorable. It is one or the other. That is just the way it is.

Now, you may argue that a door can be shut, but just not shut all the way. And you would be right, but if a door is not shut all the way, it is still technically open. All that is left to discuss is the degree to which that door is open or closed. It may be 99% closed, but 99% closed is still open by 1%. It is the same way with honor. If an act is only partly honorable, it is a dishonorable act.

Okay, I have proved that honor is black and white, right? Not so fast…What I said is that actions can be classified as either honorable or dishonorable, but honor itself is definitely not a black or white issue. Honor is much more complicated than that. Honor is a term that many people seem to throw around, but few really understand what it actually means. A lot of people will preach that honor can be defined in black and white generalities, but that is false thinking.

A countless number of acts that appear foolish
have secret motives that are very wise and weighty.
La Rochefoucauld

These same people will say that it is always dishonorable to lie. Well, let’s examine that statement. Is it dishonorable for the cop to lie to a drug dealer when he is doing undercover work? I don’t think so. Was it dishonorable for the family, who was hiding Jews during Nazi Germany, to lie to German soldiers about the fact that they were helping these people? Of course not. So lying must not always be a dishonorable act. By the same account, truthfulness is not always an honorable act. Wait, don’t start throwing rotten tomatoes at me yet…

Think about it! If the same family I used in the example above was truthful to the Nazi soldiers, this family would have signed the death sentence for the Jews which they were hiding. Would this be an honorable act? Not in my book. But they told the truth and telling the truth is an honorable act, right? Not always…

To generalize is to be an idiot.
William Blake

Actions must be judged according to intentions.
Arab Maxim

An action is always honorable or dishonorable, right or wrong, but you cannot categorize each individual action as always being honorable or dishonorable, or always being right or wrong. See the difference? The intentions of the individual determine whether or not an act is honorable or not, not the act itself. That is right…the same exact act may be honorable in one instance and dishonorable in another. Honor is not black and white.

Our own heart, and not other men’s opinion, form our true honor.
Samuel Coleridge

You are a man; do not dishonor mankind.
Jean Jacques Rousseau

Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom

NATIVE AMERICAN CODE OF ETHICS

1. RISE WITH THE SUN TO PRAY, PRAY ALONE, PRAY OFTEN. THE GREAT SPIRIT WILL LISTEN IF YOU WILL ONLY SPEAK.

2. BE TOLERANT OF THOSE THAT ARE LOST ON THEIR PATHS. IGNORANCE, CONCEIT, ANGER, JEALOUSY, AND GREED STEM FROM LOST SOULS. PRAY THAT THEY WILL FIND GUIDANCE.

3. SEARCH FOR YOURSELF BY YOURSELF, DO NOT ALLOW OTHERS TO MAKE YOUR PATH FOR YOU. IT IS YOUR ROAD AND YOURS ALONE. OTHERS MAY WALK IT WITH YOU, BUT NO ONE CAN WALK IT FOR YOU.

4. TREAT THE GUEST IN YOUR HOME WITH MUCH CONSIDERATION. SERVE THEM THE BEST FOOD, GIVE THEM THE BEST BEDS, AND TREAT THEM WITH RESPECT AND HONOR.

5. DO NOT TAKE WHAT IS NOT YOURS,WHETHER FROM A PERSON, A COMMUNITY, THE WILDERNESS, OR FROM A CULTURE. IT WAS NOT EARNED NOR GIVEN. IT IS NOT YOURS.

6. RESPECT ALL THINGS THAT ARE PLACED UPON THIS EARTH, WHETHER PEOPLE, ANIMAL, OR PLANT. HONOR THE SPIRIT IN ALL THINGS.

7. HONOR OTHER PEOPLES THOUGHTS, WISHES, AND WORDS. NEVER INTERRUPT ANOTHER, MOCK OR RUDELY MIMIC THEM. ALLOW EACH PERSON THE RIGHT TO PERSONAL EXPRESSION.

8. NEVER SPEAK OF OTHERS IN A BAD WAY. THE NEGATIVE ENERGY THAT YOU PUT OUT INTO THE UNIVERSE WILL MULTIPLY WHEN IT RETURNS TO YOU. ALL PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES, AND ALL MISTAKES CAN BE FORGIVEN. BAD THOUGHTS CAUSE ILLNESS OF THE MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT. PRACTICE OPTIMISIM.

9. NATURE IS NOT FOR US, IT IS A PART OF US. NATURE IS PART OF YOUR WORLDLY FAMILY.

10. CHILDREN ARE THE SEEDS OF OUR FUTURE. PLANT LOVE IN THEIR HEARTS AND WATER THEM WITH WISDOM AND LIFE’S LESSONS. WHEN THEY ARE GROWN, GIVE THEM SPACE TO GROW.

11. AVOID HURTING THE HEARTS OF OTHERS. THE POISON OF YOUR PAIN WILL RETURN TO YOU.

12. BE TRUTHFUL AT ALL TIMES. HONESTY IS THE TEST OF ONE’S WILL WITHIN THIS UNIVERSE.

13. KEEP YOURSELF BALANCED. YOUR MENTAL SELF, SPIRITUAL SELF, EMOTIONAL SELF, AND PHYSICAL SELF ALL NEED TO BE STRONG, PURE, AND HEALTHY. WORK OUT THE BODY TO STRENGTHEN THE MIND. GROW RICK IN SPIRIT TO CURE EMOTIONAL AILS.

14. MAKE CONSCIOUS DECISIONS AS TO WHO YOU WILL BE AND HOW YOU WILL REACT. BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS.

15. RESPECT THE PRIVACY AND PERSONAL SPACE OF OTHERS. DO NOT TOUCH THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF OTHRS, ESPECIALLY SACRED AND RELIGIOUS OBJECTS-THIS IS FORBIDDEN.

16. BE TRUE TO YOURSELF. YOU CANNOT NURTURE AND HELP OTHERS IF YOU CANNOT NURTURE AND HELP YOURSELF FIRST.

17. RESPECT OTHERS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. DO NOT FORCE YOUR BELIEFS UPON OTHERS.

18. SHARE YOUR GOOD FORTUNE WITH OTHERS. PARTICIPATE IN CHARITY. BE WILLING TO GIVE BACK TO THE PEOPLE SO THAT THE PEOPLE WILL LIVE.

AHO!
(Reprinted with permission of my friend Jim Standing Bear)

Bohdi Sanders

The Wisdom Warrior