The Fundamental Wisdom of the Warrior

One who is good at being a warrior does not appear formidable.
Lao Tzu

Although many actions of the warrior may appear the same as the ordinary actions of everyone else, they are as different as night and day. There is purpose behind each and every action that the warrior performs. The warrior does nothing without a reason. Do not mistake his silence for ignorance, his calmness for acceptance, or his kindness for weakness. These misconceptions are all far from the truth.

His silence on a subject does not indicate he is ignorant on that subject, but rather that he he knows it is wiser to listen and gain knowledge than to share his knowledge for no reason. You always learn more from listening silently and observing, than by talking with no specific purpose. Warriors take their words more serious than the average person, thus they are prone to be quieter. They speak when they have something to say and a purpose for saying it.

Likewise, the warrior’s calm disposition should not be mistaken for acceptance of what is being said or what is being done at the moment. His calmness during stressful situations does not signify that he is resigned to allow things to be as they are, but that he knows it is better to stay calm, think rationally, and take action on his own time. Staying calm and thinking rationally are both traits of the warrior, and should not be looked at as acceptance or malaise.

In the same way, his kindness should not be seen as a weakness. His kindness stems from his duty to be benevolent, not some weakness which others may mistakenly imagine. True warriors are by nature kind at heart. It is not the true warrior, but the pretender who uses his skills to intimidate those who may be weaker than him.

There are many other traits of the true warrior which people can confuse at first to be something other than what they truly are. But what should be kept in mind, where the warrior is concerned, is that the warrior lives his life differently from the average person. Thus, the measure which is used to size up the ordinary person is not accurate when applied to the warrior. The warrior holds himself to a much higher standard than the average person, while at the same time not seeking to outwardly impress those around him.

Ordinary is not an adjective which can be used to describe the true warrior; and because of this, the ordinary ways that one may interpret someone’s actions do not apply to the true warrior, at least in most cases.

For example, the warrior may be having a drink at a local pub, side by side with many other people who may be simpletons or average guys numbing themselves because of their unhappy lives. Although to the naked eye, you may not be able to see a difference between the warrior and the guy sitting at the bar next to him, there is a huge difference.

They both may be drinking a beer. They both may be minding there own business or even chatting pleasantly with each other. They both may be dressed in similar fashion. But inside they are as different as night and day. It is the inside character which makes the true warrior stand above the crowd, and this is not automatically evident to those around him.

The true warrior is not the same as the average guy on the street, and it is an error in thinking to misinterpret his external mannerisms to be without purpose. Do not mistake his silence for ignorance, his calmness for acceptance, or his kindness for weakness. Always take into account that every action of the true warrior has a purpose.

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

Bohdi Sanders
The Wisdom Warrior

Be sure to check out my new book, Modern Bushido: Living a Life of Excellence. It is receiving wonderful reviews across the board and has been called my best book yet. It is available now on Amazon.com and in my BOOKSTORE.