Written by: Christopher W. Roode
Is it a gene that a person is born with, or only a condition that is born from necessity or emergency? Can being a Warrior be quantified and measured?
The human body has demonstrated itself to be whatever the brain has commanded it to withstand, or perform. The human brain has both the function of deciding and acting, but each person decides and acts to the same situation differently. This process of deciding and acting separates Warriors from non-Warriors. So are only certain people predisposed to conduct themselves as Warriors, and to understand the Warrior mentality? The Warrior mentality is one of waging war, or engaging in combat. This combat leaves no room for “rules of fair play” nor time for rational thinking of what the consequences of the persons conduct during that combat situation bring. To understand the coldness, and suddenness of combat needed when acting in defense, and being able to functionally react and live with the results of that action, lends me to believe that only certain people of both genders actually can possess the Warrior Spirit. This is plainly exampled in the history of humans that have been subjugated to crimes, torture, and death with no will whatsoever to neither resist nor protest verbally. They willingly let others determine their fate.
Necessity and emergency sometimes reveal the Warrior within. Those individuals react to a situation with force and tenacity, but with very little preparation or experience. They rely on luck, more than skill and training. The outcomes of these situations that are driven from desperation, sometimes result favorably by sheer chance, but less often than the encounters experienced by Warriors that train and plan for such events. Therefore I don’t believe that we can call these reactionaries Warriors, for they do not have forethought of what combat is, and make no plans for it. They might even vocally shun the idea of ever using force, or causing the demise of another human being, no matter the circumstance. It is only their unconscious instincts for survival that saved them from their peril, so they cannot be considered Warriors.
A Warrior always prepares and trains for battle, but may never utilize those skills. A Warrior is measured by what preparation has been made, and the willingness to execute the actions necessary when called upon. A Warrior believes that preserving life, theirs or someone else’s, is a necessity that must be considered, with steps taken to prepare for such an eventuality, regardless if the need ever arises. Humans are the only animal that turns toward danger, and a Warrior is the only human that will face it head-on instead of cowering, or retreating. As a Warrior, you may be misunderstood by those that do not possess the Warrior Spirit, but when the time comes they will look to you for salvation.
You know today, right now, if you possess the Warrior Spirit if you feel the need may ever arise to protect yourself or others. You know today, right now, if you posses the Warrior Spirit by your willingness to train and learn the techniques, and weapons, necessary to ensure a favorable outcome if the need to engage in combat ever arises. Good fortune to you Warrior as I leave you with this quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Thank you Christopher for contributing your thoughts and opinions.
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Be safe...
-Vicki
