Friday Knight News
“The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win.” Miyamoto Musashi
To define what is the responsibility of warriors, we must first define what is a warrior. Generally speaking, it is acceptable to define a warrior as a person that is skilled and experienced in combat and/or a person that shows great courage and skill with overcoming other personal struggles. The responsibility of a warrior is to live by a higher standard, to defend right over wrong, and to never give up. Higher standard implies the need for education, to know right from wrong, and the wisdom to know when and how to apply it to your skills. Over all else, a warrior must train to be skilled at overcoming obstacles. Otherwise you would not be a warrior but merely a foolish do-gooder.
What separates a martial artist from being a warrior is taking the responsibility to face the reality of street combat; (club, blade, gun and/or being out numbered). People in general fear the responsibility of a warrior, the hardest task a warrior faces is the responsibility that comes with drawing a weapon. A weapon ensures that a warrior does not get involved with petty disputes, because the consequences of his actions is a razor's edge between life and death. A warrior understands that a drawn weapon can make a good guy look like a bad guy to authorities. Once drawn, a weapon should be used, it is not intended as a tool for intimidation, but only as a last ditch chance of survival for you or those you are protecting.
Without maintaining your training and keeping mental focus, you will not be prepared to your full potential. It takes dedication to lay claim and show responsibility for your warrior title. When people told me, "I would hate to meet you in a dark alley," I always said, "No, I am exactly the guy you want to meet in a dark alley; because I will help you through it." This week a former student, and the widowed wife of my student pictured above, got up and was about to leave for work at 6:30AM. She saw a man about thirty years in age, who was a well-groomed white guy. He came up to her with his hands in the air, asking if he could have some change. She told him no, and listening to her instincts she steped defensively. He continued walking toward her and tells her, "I'm not gonna hurt you." She then laughed as she told him, "No you're not. Get to stepping before I embarrass you." She then saw him walk up on some older ladies and as he was walking into their door he looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was looking. At that point she had called the police and they took care of it.
So, when it comes down to it, courage must be balanced with respect and justice must be upheld with benevolence. Still, one needs to understand when to take action, and to be prepared for the consequences of that action. This sometimes means losing one battle to win a war. What I mean by that, is that a warrior often times has to cut their losses. If your prime directive implies that your number one concern is to protect and care for the well-being of someone in particular that has been put in your charge, then that person's safety comes first. It is often hard for a warrior to allow others to be held responsible for their foolish actions. However, in life you will meet people that need help that you cannot help for a host of reasons. For example, they may be unwilling to heed your advice or you might have a more pressing responsibility to protect people that were put in your care. Still, with responsibility comes the need for judgment as to who makes the decisions about your safety, the bad guys or you.
What separates a martial artist from being a warrior is taking the responsibility to face the reality of street combat; (club, blade, gun and/or being out numbered). People in general fear the responsibility of a warrior, the hardest task a warrior faces is the responsibility that comes with drawing a weapon. A weapon ensures that a warrior does not get involved with petty disputes, because the consequences of his actions is a razor's edge between life and death. A warrior understands that a drawn weapon can make a good guy look like a bad guy to authorities. Once drawn, a weapon should be used, it is not intended as a tool for intimidation, but only as a last ditch chance of survival for you or those you are protecting.
A weaponless response against one attacker.
Without maintaining your training and keeping mental focus, you will not be prepared to your full potential. It takes dedication to lay claim and show responsibility for your warrior title. When people told me, "I would hate to meet you in a dark alley," I always said, "No, I am exactly the guy you want to meet in a dark alley; because I will help you through it." This week a former student, and the widowed wife of my student pictured above, got up and was about to leave for work at 6:30AM. She saw a man about thirty years in age, who was a well-groomed white guy. He came up to her with his hands in the air, asking if he could have some change. She told him no, and listening to her instincts she steped defensively. He continued walking toward her and tells her, "I'm not gonna hurt you." She then laughed as she told him, "No you're not. Get to stepping before I embarrass you." She then saw him walk up on some older ladies and as he was walking into their door he looked over his shoulder to see if anyone was looking. At that point she had called the police and they took care of it.
So, when it comes down to it, courage must be balanced with respect and justice must be upheld with benevolence. Still, one needs to understand when to take action, and to be prepared for the consequences of that action. This sometimes means losing one battle to win a war. What I mean by that, is that a warrior often times has to cut their losses. If your prime directive implies that your number one concern is to protect and care for the well-being of someone in particular that has been put in your charge, then that person's safety comes first. It is often hard for a warrior to allow others to be held responsible for their foolish actions. However, in life you will meet people that need help that you cannot help for a host of reasons. For example, they may be unwilling to heed your advice or you might have a more pressing responsibility to protect people that were put in your care. Still, with responsibility comes the need for judgment as to who makes the decisions about your safety, the bad guys or you.
“You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival." Winston Churchill
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