Thoughts on "Warriors"

[draconis]

I have a sign that says, "Warriors are not always the strongest or the fastest. Strength and speed can be developed through training. Warriors are those who choose to stand between the enemy and all that they love or hold sacred." (Okay, that could be worded better, since it could be interpreted as referring to all that THE ENEMY loves or holds sacred... but this is about the sentiment, not the grammar)


There are those who see me as a warrior because of the role martial arts plays in my life. I do not claim that label for myself, it is more appropriately given to those men and women serving in the armed forces and in law enforcement, but for purposes of this discussion it will do well enough, especially since this is only peripherally about me.

To me, being a warrior isn't about seeking combat. In fact, I think most warriors and most healers have the ultimate ambition of putting themselves out of business.

To me, being a warrior means you have two things -- heart, and drive.

It means recognizing that there are bad people in the world, who will prey on those weaker than themselves. And this difference of strength can be physical, mental, financial, spiritual, political, or anything else that places one person in an unwelcomed position of power over someone else.

It means having the kind of heart that will motivate you to protect those who need it, insofar as your own abilities and resources will allow. To see and recognize a wrongful situation, and have the courage to not look away or walk on past. To be willing to acknowledge that there isn't anyone else there to address the situation and step up to the challenge, rather than saying, "Wow, somebody should do something!" To be willing to BE that somebody.

It means having the drive to spend the time and effort necessary to keep yourself able to respond effectively to whatever the situation is -- including honestly evaluating the situation without input from your ego. This is Life, not your personal movie script, and The Hero doesn't always win.

For most of the formative years of my life, I had strength of mind, of intellect, but not of body. I was smaller and weaker than most of my classmates, and "tough" was not a word anyone would have used to describe me. I got beat up often, and cried easily. Mind you, I didn't stop just because I was shedding tears, but in the schoolyard lexicon, the one crying has already been defeated, no matter what else happens.

This is no longer the case. I have strength of body (both literal and metaphorical) to partner with my strength of mind and spirit. I am now a 5th degree black belt and even run my own martial arts school. And I'm sure my experiences growing up have a lot to do with my response to bullies -- I will not tolerate them, period.

Which are you?

When you hear or see someone getting attacked, whether it's someone getting mugged on the street or the fellow in the next apartment yelling and hitting his girlfriend, what do you do? Do you try to help (and yes, calling the police IS helping!) or do you try to ignore it?

If you are the one who tries to help, THANK YOU! You're a rare person these days!

If you are that person, what do you do to prepare? It can be as simple as keeping the number for the local police dept on speed-dial on your phone (note: please do NOT put 911 on speed-dial! Use the actual police department phone number, and call whichever one is appropriate -- 911 is only for situations that are active emergencies). It can be a more moderate investment of time and energy, such as taking a self-defense class or going through the process to get a weapon-carry permit and spending time practicing with it -- these last two not so much to get you ready to intervene for someone else, but to keep you from being the one needing help. Or it can be a larger effort, like spending years doing martial arts training. Or something else entirely. Or, of course, any combination of the above.

So... which are you, and what do you do?

Comments

[senmut]

I have Dispatch in my phone. I have called 911 for witnessing events that went violent rapidly.

To me... it is what you do. To not do so, to not stop or at least to fail to practice empathy after an attack is declaring yourself part of the problem.

[draconis]

Thank you -- for doing it, and for being the kind of person who will!

[devohoneybee.livejournal.com]

I don't see myself as someone who would ever be particularly effective with a physical weapon. But I can and have called the police when it sounded like a neighbor was being abused. The situation turned out to be otherwise, but being on the safe side is never a bad move, and it put the potential abuser on notice that Someone was Watching. What I have the opportunity to do more often, though, is to work with people BEFORE they repeat bad past choices in order to PREVENT actions that will cause harm -- whether as perpetrators or victims. Sometimes they listen. If they don't, I also know it's not my responsibility to endanger myself in the act of helping others -- I know my limits and when to call for help. I'm not trying to be a hero -- just to reduce the sum total of dumb shit and unneccessary suffering in the world. Even if only a fractional bit -- it's worth the effort.

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

Yes. And you DID something -- you took action, and appropriate action. You didn't ignore the problem.

Not everything has to be about physically confronting someone. Often times, the best choice is to bring in others. The fact that your action was an "indirect" one in no way diminishes it.

[warclaw.livejournal.com]

To my mind the term "Warrior" also involves personal sacrifice.

As I define it, A Warrior is one who makes the choice and actions to sacrifice his/her own desires/needs/goals/safety to the greater good, or in defense of those unable to do so for themselves. (Which can also be seen as the "greater good" depending on how you define it/see society)
They choose to do this despite the personal costs because they feel it the right thing to do. Not out of a desire for personal gain. Not out of a desire for recognition or fame. No, those are irrelevant to the true warrior. there is only right and wrong, and the Warrior's place in it.

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, and beautifully put.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

I have been Healer-- helping to pick up the pieces, both mental and physical, that happen after the Warrior's fight. And, more, I have created a safe space for my Warriors, where they will not be judged for their actions (because it is traumatic to take a life, even in service to your country/state/city, and too often that trauma gets overlooked), and where they can be "weak."

I only wish there were more of me, because I cannot fix everyone, and I cannot be everywhere.

A recent study that I saw said that there were less instances of PTSD in veterans coming home who had strong support systems. Where, even if they didn't talk about what happened, if they had people who loved, supported, and *touched* them, they generally reintegrated to society in a healthy way. My reaction to that study was a big fat "DUH!"

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

>> My reaction to that study was a big fat "DUH!"

Wow, what a revelation -- that people who have a strong support system deal better with traumatic circumstances. Brilliant!

And thank you -- not many seem to realize the after-effects, even for the supposed victor. Somehow Hollywood rarely ever gets around to showing that part.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

I know, right? It boggles me, some of these studies I read about, because they're SO OBVIOUS to anyone with a brain. Why do we have to prove it? *sigh*

And you're welcome. It's ingrained in my bones, I think.

[themouseketeer.livejournal.com]

I read this and thought about it a lot.

We then watched Captain America for the first time. "So, you want to go kills Nazis?" "No Sir, I don't want to kill anyone. I just don't like bullies." It was very VERY interesting watching the film with your words echoing in my head. To the extent that I want to share them in some way with Alex, who is only 5. I have no desire on his behalf for him to be a fighter, of any sort. But to stand up to bullies? Yes. To stand as the line not to be crossed, where he is able? Yes, that too. To have the *heart* of a protector, even if his calling is not to be a warrier.

Not been so touched and provoked to thought by something I have read for a very long time. Thank you for making me think. I am proud to be your friend.

Out of curiosity, what provoked you to write and post this, now?

[jcbdragon.livejournal.com]

>> Not been so touched and provoked to thought by something I have read for a very long time. Thank you for making me think. I am proud to be your friend.

Thank YOU -- I consider that to be VERY high praise indeed, my fried!


>> Out of curiosity, what provoked you to write and post this, now?

A friend of mine on Facebook posted a comment about what it takes to be a warrior, and that got me thinking about what it MEANS to be a warrior.

Honestly, I don't consider myself to be one. If I had to choose a label, I think a more accurate one would be a guardian. Yes, I'll fight when fighting is necessary. And I'll also do what I can to heal, to nurture, to teach. I know that I won't always be able to be there for my family, my friends, my students, so I try to give them what they need in order to grow without me -- and beyond me.

I'd never really thought about what sort of archetype best fits Captain America, but I think he also fits the Guardian model better than the Warrior model. He certainly knows how to use a variety of weapons, but he is the shield, not the sword. Unfortunately, the shield takes a lot of punishment, as Steve Rogers knew even before he became Captain America.