The Way of the Warrior

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
Messages
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Is it obsolete these days to possess the principles of yore when men were warriors and the spirit of one who fights to defends himself and the weak holds sway.

These days, even strong men keep to themselves and mind their own business most of the time. I was thinking perhaps it may not be wrong to uphold and rekindle the spirit of the warrior.

That doesn't mean one has to be a doggone-crazy man out looking for the shadow of a mugger behind every lamp post. I mean a man who is very capable of protecting himself, also makes it a point to stand up to the bullies to lend a helping hand to the weak, that means the old ladies, children and women. Surely this kind of spirit is not old fashion, is it?

Frankly, few city folks really care but if there among the masses, walk a few modern warriors who harbour this spirit of the Old, perhaps the city or cities would be safer to live in and urban dwelling may become a pleasure indeed.
 
I hope that there are more of these people around than you suspect, for all our sakes. I also point out that ones willingness to aide in the defence of others should not be limited to old ladies, children and women, but to all that require it.

I would also submit that it is not nescesarily a warrior spirit that is required to uphold these principles, but rather a sense of honor and to some extent selflessness.

You are quite right in saying "perhaps the city or cities would be safer to live in and urban dwelling may become a pleasure indeed" if this ideology were more prevelent. Perhaps all we can do is ensure that we ourselves live up to these principles, and in doing so can make atleast some small diference.

[D]
 
Hear hear Golok.

The idea of martial virtue where we learn to protect ourselves as well as the weak, respect others in a spirit of humility and understanding. All this can be found in a good home, a good family, a good school and yes- a good martial art.
 
While the idea is certainly noble, but I fear that in practice youwill find that you would certainly go to jail! It took me awhile to accept what the more senior members of the board pointed out to me, that unless you are unable to run away any attempt to defend your honor or what not would probably land you in jail.
 
hey hannibal, ya only go to jail for that if ya live in cali lol........


sifu
 
Golok, I couldn't agree with you more. All one needs to do is look around. Next time you see a veteran, police officer, firefighter, or an EMT, tell them thanks for sticking their neck out so that we can enjoy life. We should all strive to live up to their standards of conduct and honor.

Just my .02

Woody
 
Unfortunately, the media and our "leaders" are full of cautions about "sticking out our necks." They regale us with tales of "victims" (one of their favorite words) and tell us to let the "experts" handle social problems. We are to told to avoid confrontations and to dial 9-1-1 for help. While all this has it's place, those of us who tend to take on a little more responsibility are often looked upon as "meddlers" or "vigilantes." Yes, sometimes heroes are heralded, but just as often they are ignored or punished. Part of this is that our government and our media don't encourage RESPONSIBLE intervention--they only encourage "call the authorities and let them handle it." As we know, that' not always possible, or preferable.

I've always preached that we all need to work together to solve our communities' problems, but I guess the "authorities" take that to mean let THEM handle stuff while we are relegated to dialing phone numbers.

"Don't resist."

"Don't walk alone at night."

"Don't go anywhere you absolutely don't have to."

By limiting the good people, we actually cede certain areas (or times) to the criminal element. We lose control over public spaces instead of "taking ownership."

This also tends to contribute to an "us vs. them" mentality between the citizenry and the police.

There are a lot of other factors to consider, but the view of many in the media and government is that citizens shouldn't "get involved," unless it is specifically asked for by our "protectors."

As opposed to the days of old, we are no longer seen as capable of responsible action ourselves.

That's why I like to describe S-D as "first-aid for violence," to emphasize that "violence emergencies" often require more than just running for a phone booth. Sometimes someone just needs to DO SOMETHING, QUICKLY to "reduce the damage."

But instead of asking for S-D training, telling folks not to do anything "risky" is seen as the answer.

I am hesitant to use the terms "liberal" and "socialist" to describe this mentality, but I think "collectivism" fits very well. Collectivists would definitely downplay the impact of the individual "warrior," especially when "warriors" are seen as nothing more than "trouble."

To quote (loosely, from memory) Ohio's previous governor: "The state is doing all in it's power to protect (Ohio) citizens from crime."

He, like a lot of other clueless bureaucrats and reporters, just doesn't "get it."

Karl
 
Interesting thread. For a great read on the warrior spirit you should all check out Living the Martial Way by Maj. Forrest Morgan USAF. The only book with more influence on me has been the bible.

FWIW, as a police officer, I have admiration for those who stand up when they don't have to. Fine people with cell phones have followed criminals telling us where they are so we can catch them more times than I can remember. My only caveat is to be careful not to get in over your head. I would expect anyone who sees a mugging or rape or similar incident to do whatever they could. An armed robbery of a business would probably be another story though as the best thing is generally to let the robbers get away from the business.
 
hannibal:
Defending your honour is no reason for violence IMO that is often fueled by alcohol, hormones and ego ...so relax and let it go.
Sticks and stones...defend yourself.Names will never hurt me!
 
interestingly, the FEW cops that i "know" (one a friend of a friend, the other at my dojo) both would never tell their families "just call the police/call me if anything happens." they've shown their families/friends things that can be done, so they're still alive to call the police afterwards.

is that a generalization, or generally true of LEOs?
 
Excellent post, Golok!
I agree wholeheartedly with what you've said, but I would hesitate to use the term "warrior" in mixed company, so to speak.
I think it's a matter or just being a responsible human being.
If someone's in trouble, the proper thing to do is help in any manner that you can.

I live in a rural town in Nevada, 60 miles from Las Vegas, where I work. I was driving home from work one night, and came upon an accident scene. About 10-15 other cars stopped to help the people involved, warn oncoming drivers, etc. Even though none of the people had any first aid experience, they still stopped to render whatever assistance they could. I worked as a firefighter/EMT in NJ and was called to many of these scenes, and there were ALWAYS just "plain citizens" already at the scene, helping however they could. It's one of the things I love about the people of this country.

I guess I got off the warrior aspect of this post, but I still think this is part of the whole mindset. I think that the majority of visitors to BFC are to some degree or another "willing to get involved" when the brown stuff hits the fan, and we should all hope to raise our kids with those same values.

At this point, I need to brag a little....
About 10 days ago, there was a one vehicle motot vehicle accident behind my house. It was very loud, and caught the attention of my 14 year old daughter and her 16 year old boyfriend. They went to the scene, and saw that a pickup truck had turned over (later found out it flipped 3 times) and the passengers were trapped.
Neighbors had called 911, but the boy had gone to the victim who looked to be in the worst shape, and did his best to reassure him. He held his hand, as my daughter walked to the other side of the car to comfort the other person involved. When the police arrived, the officer told my daughter to direct traffic (something that I thought the officer wouldn't have done, had she known that my daughter was only 14) and my daughter was more than willing to help. Her boyfriend was still holding the other victim's hand as the FD showed up. They asked him to move away, but the victim insisted that he stay. It took a while to remove the person, but the kid stayed all the time.
The person he was with died that night, but he wasn't alone.

Later on, her boyfriend went back to the scene.. he wasn't sure why, but I know the feeling.... he found the deceased victim's knife. My daughter and he were asked to attend his memorial service, and his wife, upon seeing the 2 "kids", told them to stand with her. After the service, the boy handed her the knife saying that he had found it later.
She told him to keep the knife, as it was something her husband carried with him everyday, and knows that he would want the knife to go to my daughter's boyfriend.
I was obviously proud of the two of them, and told them so!

Anyhow, sorry for the long diatribe, but I thought it was pertinent.
There's plenty of people out there that are willing to help, protect, whatever.... and the new generation's got its share as well.

Thanks for reading.
VG
 
I second the comment on "Living the Martial Way" It is one of the most influential books I've read on martial arts, or for that matter, living life. It is simple, sometimes redundent, but that, my friends, gets the point across.

I also think that some people here are getting the wrong impression of honor. It is not something to be defended, it is a principal and a way of living. The greatest test of honor is to stand steadfast in the face of someones insults and verbal threats.

Action is only appropriate when the situation warrants it. That means in the physical defense of self, family, community and country, when threatened with physical violence. It's okay to be proactive, and aggressive, but you'd better be damned sure about the intended action.

Defending your honor with physical violence is a pile of crap, the only thing that can taint your honor is you, your own actions are what are important.

I can't recall who's tag line it is on the forum, but... Good intentions are the devil's playground. Read whatever is holy to you, do what ever is necessary for the good of yourself and those around you. Be a good semaritan, and help those who cannot help themselves.

Okay, enough on the moral rant. Live with honor, act with compassion.

Peace

Zzen_Dog
 
I have been "living The Martial Way" ever since I was a baby. At the age of 7 my "NEED" for martial training was too strong to deny and my training started and has not stopped 20 years later. To some it truly is a complete way of life.

You can’t expect everyone to be a hero but it is nice to know that there are those that will risk their own lives to help others. Some people are not capable of putting themselves into these situations, for various reasons. I personally am, and have been involved in so many situations where I had the honor of saving a complete stranger from physical harm. It used to happen so often that I had a new story every week. I guess I am just at the right place at the right time, and very glad to be there. I have been involved in numerous confrontations where I had to save someone from physical violence, including an incident in which a woman was being severely beaten on the side of a building by a drunk tough guy. It brings a great feeling of happiness and other emotions that you really can’t describe, knowing that you saved someone from danger. I will continue to do my part as other situations present themselves. Not once have I ever hesitated nor will I ever. I understand the personal danger involved in these situations, and I accept them. I feel it is my job to help, because I know I can.
 
I am honoured to be in the company of warriors.

Thanks Vampire, Zenn-Dog,TheMartialWay for sharing your stories.
 
LT,

Personally, I would prefer that everyone, ESPECIALLY my family/friends), be able to recognize and avoid bad situations (be alert), AND be able to get out of bad situations (run), AND be able to "take care of business" (protect themselves and others) if necessary. Having some of those abilities and maybe a cell phone gives you more than just one option.

Society has not only made it harder for decent people to protect themselves and easier for the bad guys to sue and escape punishment, it has made it much more difficult for law enforcement personnel to do their jobs as well. Pretty soon, all I'll be able to carry will be a squirt gun and a Nerf baton and the only people that I'll be able to chase (foot pursuits only - as long as it's not through a crowded shopping mall where I might bump into someone and make them drop their purchases) or arrest are people that walk up to me and spontaneously admit that they just killed someone within the last 60 minutes. Of course, by then, it would probably be against the law for anyone to resist becoming a victim of a crime because of the possibility of offending or injuring the bad guy's psyche or physical body. I can't wait for the pendulum to start swinging back the other way (with my luck it probably won't in my lifetime). Ok, I'll stop talking about that stuff before I take up all the space on this website.

Lewis is right; at the very least, we appreciate people being observant and good witnesses. If people don't feel comfortable becoming actively involved, that's understandable; an anonymous tip, however, can go a long way in helping.

If all the scumbags on the face of the earth were to disappear, I wouldn't miss them very much and I probably wouldn't wonder very hard why or how they disappeared :) - even if that meant that all I'd be doing for the rest of my career was pushing a traffic car.

I applaud and respect that small minority of people in our world who still possess such qualities as honor, integrity, responsibility, generosity, courage, and humanity.
 
This topic leads me to a question that I wuold like feedback on from those in the forum.

Do you think it is a contradiction for a person to be dedicated to a system of peacefull non-aggression, yet at the same time train and maintain weapons for times when violence is forced upon you or you loved ones?
 
Originally posted by The Last Confederate
Do you think it is a contradiction for a person to be dedicated to a system of peacefull non-aggression, yet at the same time train and maintain weapons for times when violence is forced upon you or you loved ones?
Click to expand...

Absolutely not.
Unfortunately, with the way the world works, if you value peace and personal safety you need to be able to ensure those values personally. A fireman hates the fact that people are killed by FIRE but in order to save people from this threat he needs to learn all about fire. He has to study it, find out how it spreads and also how to stop it. Now this does not mean he goes around starting dangerous fires in public just so he can study them. No, they train on controlled fires started in a safe environment. Martial training is EXACTLY the same. I value peace and safety. In order to make sure that no one takes that away from me or anyone that feels the same, I need to be able to combat against the elements that can take it away. I do not like fighting, I do not like hurting people, But like the fireman, in order to eliminate my adversary I must know everything about how to deal with the situation. I do not go out and start real fights. Instead we have training fights in a "controlled" environment. We use these methods to hone our skill 'til the need arises to use them. The most important advice I could give is this; do not fight with anger or hatred in your heart. It is said all the time in movies, and is much easier said than done. But anyone that can achieve this has found an important path that most will never even understand. Like I stated previously, I have been in a lot of confrontations and have saved a lot of people from harm. Not once was there anger or hatred flowing through me. I look at an enemy as an obstacle, a bad situation that needs to be ended immediately. Do not get emotional and strike someone with hatred. Lashing out in anger is a sure sign of weakness. Regardless of what anyone thinks. A lot of people will consider this way of thinking as unrealistic goody goody bullshit. That is because they can not achieve it and therefore think it is unattainable. I assure you it is attainable and VERY important if you desire a true heart.
 
Thanks I appreciate your comments. I wrestle with the desire for what Gandhi called "Ahimsa" or "non-violence", but at the same time I have doubts about standing by while innocents are being attacked and doing nothing.
 
Here is a link. Take a look at the warriorship and initiation seminars in particular. Itll explain itself, just look around the site. Ive done initiation, and they were one of THE SINGLE MOST influential events in my life. Im short on words tonight, but this is a subject dear to me. Modern warriorship is a deep and complex topic and is not lost. I only hope a discussion can really do it justice. If you live close to any instructor, check it out. Warrior-to-be, NW
 
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