Behind the Veil:
The Eye of the Warrior
Truth is Power.
Lakota Maxim
Is anything really as it appears? Unless you have first-hand knowledge concerning certain information, someone’s actions, specific plans, or strategies, do you really think that you know what the honest to goodness truth is? Most likely you don’t, even if you feel that you do. Unless you are actually privileged to the inside information, you are simply going on theory, hearsay, or worse yet, what the media spoon feeds the sheep.
Things are not always what they seem;
the first appearance deceives many:
the intelligence of a few perceives
what has been carefully hidden.
Phaedrus
There is a facade purposely put up to veil the truth from you. The warrior has to see this and take pains to the best of his ability to find out what the truth behind the veil actually is, especially if he is planning to act with conviction concerning some matter. Never act on half truths or after hearing only one side. This is a trait of the simple-minded and can come back to haunt you. You have to be careful about what you believe in these times of information overload. It can be hard to decipher the truth from distorted spin.
Instead of thinking how things may be,
see them as they are.
Samuel Johnson
Don’t rely on the label on the bag.
French Proverb
Things are not as they seem. Most everything that you read or hear has been carefully scripted and manipulated in order to accomplish certain goals. I have sucked into believing things which were emailed to me by trusted sources several times, only to find out later that the information was bogus. This can hurt your reputation as a reputable person. While it is true that most of us don’t have the time to do research and peal back the layers of falsehoods to get to the truth of the matter, it is a necessity if you are going to put your reputation on the line.
Things do not pass for what they are,
but for what they seem…
things are judged by what they look,
even though most things are far
different from what they appear.
Baltasar Gracian
This is yet another reason why the warrior is a man (person) of few words. You don’t have to give your opinion on every little thing that comes up in conversation. Nobody knows everything about everything, and it is folly to try to sound intelligent and bluff your way through a conversation in which you don’t have all the facts. It is better to be quiet and watch others through the eye of the warrior – the eye of the warrior can see BS from a mile away. Most people simply ramble on without knowing what they are talking about, and those in the know see them as fools.
At all times, look at the thing itself –
the thing behind the appearance.
Marcus Aurelius
Strive to get clear notions about all.
Seneca
It is much better to be objective – to hear both sides of everything, and then do a little research before you give your opinion, if you give your opinion at all. Don’t be swept up into the tide of popular opinion. Just because the majority believes something, does not make it true. Most of the time, the majority are in the wrong. Political correctness is not a sign of intelligence, but rather a sign of someone who is easily led and wants to be thought of as intelligent. Be a maverick and see through the eye of the warrior; slip behind the veil. The substance is always found behind the shadow.
Be not deceived with the first appearance of things,
for show is not substance.
English Proverb
Beware that you do not lose the substance
by grasping at the shadow.
Aesop
Bohdi
Warrior Wisdom
