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