Posted by Perceptions of a Warrior on September 29, 2002 at 04:35:19:
The warrior is so called because he or she is always struggling against personal weaknesses & limitations, against the forces that oppose the increase in knowledge & power, against the forces that are driving us to our destiny as ordinary men & women, forces determinded entirely by personal history & circumstances.
It is a struggle for harmony & tranquillity. It is a struggle for freedom, knowing that this struggle begins inside, projecting itself from there toward everything that makes up the world of actions.
The warrior understands impeccability as giving the best in everything he or she does, which implies optimum use of individual energy. Even when all other motivatiions crumble, the warrior will persist in acting impeccably if just for the sake of impeccability alone.
Leading the sober life of the warrior gives a person the equilibrium & fortitude necessary to deal with difficult moments on the path of knowledge, regardless of the confusion suffered by reason or the injury caused to ego.
Warriors also count on the awareness of their own impending death, performing each act as though it were the last battle & therefore, the best. (Death is the motivator of impeccability.)
Detached from everything, conscious of life's brevity & in constant struggle, warriors begin to arrange life through the power of their decisions. They work each moment to achieve control over themselves, thereby gaining control over their personal world.
In fact control & strategy are two factors always present in their way of moving through life. (Not so different then the ways of a true martial artist who practices for wisdom & knowledge, not so much for sport or game.)
The elements that make up the strategy of warriors are the elements of the way with a heart, which allows them to derive enjoyment from each moment of time. Making use of will, control, strategy, & the awareness of impending death, warriors learn to reduce their needs to nothing. They realize that needs engender wants & misfortune. Hence, being free from need, there are no anxieties or worries. Warriors can act without the weight of need, anxiety, or unhappiness. When they cease to need, there is no compulsion, so they can involve themselves to any extent required. Free from need, all they have & receive-even the smallest, simplest items-become marvelous gifts, & life, regardless of how much is left to them, remains in a permanent state of abundance.
*; =qq(