Copyright©2012byBohdiSanders

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedorutilizedinanyformbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,orbyanyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem,withoutprior

writtenpermissionfromthepublisher.

LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataSanders,Bohdi,1962-

ModernBushido:LivingaLifeofExcellence

ISBN–978-1-937884-06-2eBookISBN:978-1-62345-495-1

1.MartialArts.2.Self-Help.3.Philosophy.I.Title

Acknowledgments

Iwanttoexpressmysincereappreciationtomybeautifulwife,Tracey,forall of her patience formymany hours spent atmy computer researching andwritingModern Bushido.Without her love and support this bookwould havenevercometofruition.IalsowanttothankherfortakingtimeoutfromherbusyscheduletoreadandeditModernBushido.ThatisjustoneoftheperksofbeingmarriedtoagreatEnglishteacher.

Inaddition,Iwanttothankallofmyreaderswhocontinuetobuymybooksandpursuethewarriorlifestyle.Allofyouremailsandlettersdefinitelyletmeknow that my books and writing are making at least some difference in theworld.IhopethatyoueachfindModernBushidoworthyourtime.

NotetotheReaderAlthoughtheterm“warrior”ismostoftenusedtorefertomen,itisusedinthisbookasagenerictermwhichreferstobothmenandwomen.Also,fortheeaseofreading,Ihaveusedthegenericallyacceptedterm“he”throughoutthisbookinsteadofthepoliticallycorrectderivative“heorshe”torefertobothmenandwomenwarriors.Thisbookinnowayismeanttodiscriminateorinsinuatethattruewarriors areonlymen.ModernBushido iswritten for everyone,men andwomen,whowanttolivealifeofexcellence.

AbouttheAuthor

BohdiSanders is a lifelong studentofwisdom literature, thehealing arts,

and themartial arts.His studies ledhim toexplore thewisdombehindnaturalhealth,naturopathy,herbs,ReikiQigong,meditation,andthepowerofthemindtohealthebodyandtomakepositivechangesinone’slife.Theseexplorationsledtohimearningdoctoratedegreesinnaturopathyandinnaturalhealth.

Dr. Sanders is also a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, a CertifiedSpecialistinMartialArtsConditioning,aCertifiedReikiMaster,andaCertifiedMasterofG-JoAcupressure.HeholdsablackbeltinShotokanKarateandhasstudiedvariousothermartialartsforover30years.Hehasworkedwithyoungpeopleforover20yearsandisendorsedtoteachinfivedifferentsubjectareas.He is the author of: • Warrior Wisdom: Ageless Wisdom for the ModernWarrior•WarriorWisdom:TheHeartandSoulofBushido•TheWarriorLifestyle:MakingYourLifeExtraordinary•TheSecretsofWorldlyWisdom•SecretsoftheSoul•WisdomoftheElders•ModernBushido:LivingaLifeofExcellence

Dr. Sanders’ books have received high praise and have won several nationalawards,including:•TheIndieExcellenceBookAwards:1stPlaceWinner2010•USABookNewsBestBooksof2010:1stPlaceWinner2010•IIMAA:BestMartialArtsBookoftheYear2011•USAMartialArtsHOF:LiteraryManoftheYear2011

•U.S.MartialArtistAssociation:InspirationoftheYear2011•U.S.MartialArtsHallofFame:AuthoroftheYear2011

www.TheWisdomWarrior.com

TableofContents

Acknowledgments

AbouttheAuthor

Forward

Introduction

Chapter1:Character:TheNatureoftheSuperiorMan

Chapter2:Integrity:TheEssenceoftheWarrior

Chapter3:Virtue:TheMoralExcellenceoftheWarrior

Chapter4:CorrectThought:TheMindoftheWarrior

Chapter5:RightActions:TheWarrior’sBuildingBlocks

Chapter6:CorrectSpeech:TheWordsoftheWarrior

Chapter7:Wisdom:TheWayoftheSage

Chapter8:Honor:TheWarrior’sMarkofDistinction

Chapter9:Respect:TheConsiderationofThoughtfulness

Chapter10:Discipline:TheArtofSelf-Control

Chapter11:Honesty:TheElusiveFactsofLife

Chapter12:Courage:TheSpiritofValor

Chapter13:Endurance:TheWarrior’sFortitude

Chapter14:Justice:TheWarrior’sConviction

Chapter15:Sincerity:TheGenuineArticle

Chapter16:Self-Knowledge:TheWarrior’sIntrospection

Chapter17:Preparedness:TheSpiritofReadiness

Chapter18:Benevolence:TheWarrior’sHeart

Chapter19:Courtesy:TheArtofCivility

Chapter20:Spirituality:TheWarrior’sPeace

Chapter21:Meditation:TheInnerSecret

Chapter22:Insight:TheArtofDiscernment

Chapter23:Self-Reliance:TheWarrior’sIndependentSpirit

Chapter24:Friendship:TheSacredBrotherhood

Chapter25:FilialDuty:TheWarrior’sUltimateResponsibility

Chapter26:Balance:TheArtofHarmony

Chapter27:Excellence:TheSpiritofKaizen

Chapter28:Loyalty:TheWarrior’sDedication

Chapter29:TotalSelf-Defense:TheWarrior’sInvincibility

Chapter30:Acceptance:LivingintheShadowofDeath

Chapter31:TheFool:TheAntithesisoftheWarrior

Conclusion

Foreword

In1899,InazoNitobewrotetheclassic,Bushido:TheWarrior’sCode.Hegave the early 20thCenturyWesternworld a glimpse into themind-set of the18th & 19th Century Samurai and the virtues of their warrior traditions. HeilluminatedthesevenqualitiesofwhatitmeanttobeaSamurai,suchasloyalty,integrityandrespect.DrawingparallelstotheknightsofEurope,andtheircodeofchivalry,he tapped into themythicalwarriorarchetype that lives ineachofus, and more importantly, he gave us a blueprint to see how these attributestranslateintoeverydayliving.

Fromthatblueprint,andhismanyyearsofexperienceasamartialartistandhealer, Dr. Sanders has built a beautiful piece of work, Modern Bushido.Containedwithin these pages you are about to read,Dr. Sanders supplies youwith an update of what it means to be a warrior today. LikeMr. Nitobe, yetdrawing from many traditions and cultures, Dr. Sanders brings forth andilluminates the virtues and attributes that exemplify the mythical warrior thatbeatsintheheartsofallmenandwomen.

I have seen inmy practice as a psychotherapist and helping people healfromtraumaandpain,thatthewarriorarchetypeisverystrongmedicineindeed.The mythical warrior archetype is what empowers and connects you to thesourceofourownpersonalpower.CarlJung, thenotedpsycho-analyst,whosework in the identification of psychological archetypes stated, “Myth is moreindividual and expresses lifemore precisely than does science. Scienceworkswith concepts of averages which are far too general to do justice to thesubjectivevarietyofindividuallife.”

Dr.Sandersbringstoyouanowatered-downversionofwhatscienceortheexpertstellyouawarriorisorisnot.HehastappedintotheveryessenceoftheWarrior’sWayandbringsitheretoyourattentiontoday.Thisbookisdestinedtobecomeaclassic in itsownright.Readcarefully.Digesteachchapter,eachpage,andeachsentence.Meditateuponthemessage.Let itsinkinandfeel itspower.Dr.Sandershasplacedithereforyoutofind.Bewellandenjoy.

DavidNelson,PhDMartialArtist&Authorof:BlackBeltHealing:

AMartialArtist’sGuidetoPainManagement&InjuryRecovery.

Introduction

I have studied martial arts for almost 30 years, and have seen manyamazingmartial artists do thingswith their bodies that can simply boggle themind.Ihaveseensomeof thebest fighters in theworldandhavetrainedwithmanymartialartsinstructorsandotherpractitioners.IhavealsobeeninvolvedinmorephysicalconfrontationsthanIcaretoremember,andknowwhatitisliketobothpoundsomeone intoapulp,aswellasbepounded. Inaddition, Ihavebeentrainedinhowtousedifferentweaponsinself-defensesituations.

In short, I have witnessed and experienced a lot when it comes to thephysical sideof themartial arts,butwithallmyexperience, Ihave foundonesubjectthatseemstoalwaysgetlittleornoattentionintheworldofmartialarts–howtolivealifeofcharacter.Mostmartialartsclassesarecompletelyfocusedonself-defense,fighting,sportapplications,tournaments,andkatas.Whileallofthese are important parts of the martial arts, there is something even moreimportantmissingfromthislist–charactertraining.

This is whatModern Bushido is all about – how to live the life of thesuperiorman.Whilethismaysoundlikeanelitiststatement,itisn’t.Livingthelife of the superior man is simply a way of saying living a life based oncharacter,honorandintegrity.Itislivingthewarriorlifestylethewayitshouldbelived,accordingtouniversalstandardsandprincipleswhichmakesomeoneasuperiorhumanbeing.

When I say the words “superior human beings,” I am not referring tosomeone being better or more important than someone else. The phrase“superiorman”wasusedfrequentlybyConfuciustoindicatesomeonewholivesaccordingtohighmoralstandardsasopposedtosomeonewhogiveslittleregardto such things. The superior man is not superior because he is richer, moreeducated, comes from a better family, or anything along those lines. He issuperiorbecauseheliveshislifeinasuperiorway.Helivesbyhigherstandardsthantheaverageperson.

ThishasalwaysbeentheidealbehindthephilosophyofBushido.Literaturefrom the 13th through the 16th centuries in Japan hadmany references to theidealsofBushido.Theactualword“Bushido”wasfirstusedinthe17thcentury,buttheidealsofBushidohavebeenaroundaslongastherehasbeenawarriorclass, not just in Japan, but throughout theworld.Bushidodidnot necessarily

start out as a specific set of rules that must be followed, but rather moralprincipleswhichweremeant to guide the life of thewarrior.More frequentlythannot,theprinciplesofBushidoweresimplytaughttochildrenofthewarriorclassfromanearlyageasawayoflifethatwasexpectedfromthem.

ThephilosophyofBushidoevolvedover thecenturies,but itnever lost itprimary focuswhichwas living life according to the high standards expectedfromthoseof thewarriorclass.It isaphilosophyofhowto liveyour lifeasatrue, complete warrior. The word “Bushido” literally means the way of thewarrior.Thisphilosophydidnot limit itself tomerelymartial subjects.On thecontrary, the philosophy of Bushido covered subjects such as how to raisechildren, how one should dress, how to treat your family and other people,financialissues,aswellashowtoconductyourselfasanhonorablewarrior.

Today the Bushido Code is commonly simplified to seven virtues:rectitude,courage,benevolence, respect,honesty,honor,andloyalty.But thesesevenvirtuesdonotcovereverythingwhichBushidoentails;thereismuchmoretoBushido than these seven virtues. The teachings ofBushidoweremeant tocoverallareasofthewarrior’slife,notjustahandful.LimitingBushidotoonlythesesevenvirtuesisdoingadisservicetothisnoblephilosophy.ThatiswhereModernBushidocomesintoplay.

InModernBushido, Idiscuss30traitswhichallplayanimportantrole inthe warrior lifestyle. Each of these traits helps guide you in living a life ofexcellence.Manymayquestionwhatthishastodowiththelifeofthewarriorormartial arts, but this question assumes thatmartial arts aremerely about self-defenseorfighting–theyaren’t.GichinFunakoshistatedthattheultimategoalofkarate is theperfectionofyourcharacter,not theperfectionofyourmartialskills.

Learning character traits, which will guide your actions throughout yourlife,isanimportantpartofthemartialarts,butunfortunatelythisisalsoapartthathasbeenneglectedovertheyears,especiallyintoday’ssocietywhereit isneededmorethanever.Self-defenseismerelyonepartofthewarriorlifestyle.

Thewarriorlifestyleismultifacetedandentailsmuchmorethanmartialartstechniques. It isacompletewayof life,notsimplya termwhichencompassesanyonewhopracticessometypeofmartialart.There ismuchmore tobeingatruewarrior thanknowinghowto fight.Youcan teachadog to fight,but thatdoesn’tmakeitawarrior.

Onthecontrary,thewarriorlifestyleisacompletewayoflife.Itisawayofliving a life of character, honor, and integrity in every area of your life. Itincludesmartialarts,butitisnotdefinedbymartialarts.Oneofthedefinitionsoftheterm“warrior”isapersonengagedinsomestruggleorconflict.Theword

“warrior”isnotlimitedtosomeonewhoparticipatesinanactual,physicalbattlebetween two armies.Many people disagree with this statement, but it is truenonetheless.

Totakethisdefinitionevenfurther,theword“war”doesn’talwaysrefertoaconflictbetweentwocountriesortwogroupsofpeople.Theterm“war”canbedefinedasastruggleorcompetitionbetweenopposingforceorforaparticularend.Truewarriorsarenotlimitedtothosewhohavebeeninthemilitary.Beingatruewarriorisdependentonhowyouliveyourlife,notonwhatyoudoforaliving.Thetruewarrioristhemanorwomanwhoendeavorstolivethewarriorlifestyleandwholiveshisorherlifebythecodeofthewarrior.

And have no doubts about it, they are atwar. Their strugglemay not beagainst some opposing army, but rather it is a struggle between the opposingforcesof livingaccording to their principlesofhonoror livingwithouthonor.Thetruewarrior,whetherinthemilitaryordrivingagarbagetruck,mustdecideto live a life of honor and integrity according to the principles ofwarriorship.Whatyoudofora livingissimplywhatyoudofora living; it isnotwhoyouare.Everyonedecidesforthemselveswhethertheywilllivelifeasatruewarriororwhethertheywilllivetheirlifeinsomeotherway.

Being a true warrior is a lifestyle, not a profession. It is not a fraternitywhereyouhavetobeinthemilitarytobeconsideredamember.Apersonisatruewarriorbecauseofwhat is inhisorherheart,mindandspirit,all the restsimplyconsistsofthetoolswhichthepersonusestodevelopthewarriorspiritinordertolivethewarriorlifestyle.

The purpose ofModern Bushido is to help the true warrior by being aguidebooktothetoolsthatthewarriorneedsinordertodevelophisorherlifeonthepathofthewarriorlifestyle.Thisisnotthefinalauthorityofthesubject,butmerelyaguidetohelpyouonyournoblepath–thepathofthetruewarrior.

BohdiSanders,PhD

Chapter1

CharacterTheNatureoftheSuperiorMan

Character:adistinctivemark;adistinctivetrait,quality,orattribute;essentialquality;nature;thepatternofbehaviororpersonalityfoundin an individual or group; moral constitution; moral or ethicalstrength;self-discipline.

Yourcharacterisessentiallywhoyouareasaperson.Itisthepersonthatyou have become through your actions and decisions over your lifetime, youressence if youwill. The character of the warrior is the intrinsic qualities andprincipleswhichmakehimwhatheis–amanofintegrityandhonor.It is thecharacterofthetruewarriorwhichmakeshimasuperiorman.

Thetruewarrior,bynatureandtraining,isindeedasuperiorman.Heholdshimself toahigher standard thanmostmen,especially in today’s society.Thesuperiorman holds his character, his reputation and the qualitieswhichmakehimamanofexcellence,inhighesteem.Tothewarrior,itishischaracterwhichsets him apart from the averageman.Anyman can be trained to fight, but ittakesmuchmorethanasetofphysicalskillstobeatruemanofhonor;ittakescharacter.

GichinFunakoshi,thefatherofShotokankarate,statedthat,“TheultimateaimofKarateliesnotinvictoryordefeat,butintheperfectionofthecharacterof theparticipant.”Thesamecouldbesaidof theultimategoalof thewarrior.Whileitistruethatthewarriortrainshisspirit,mindandbodytobevictoriouswhen circumstances demand extraordinary action, the vast majority of thewarrior’strainingisinvolvedwiththeperfectionofhischaracter.Perfectinghischaracterandbecomingasuperiormanisthewarrior’sdefinitivepurpose.

Furthermore, over theyears, thewarriorwill find that hewill havemany

moreopportunitiestousehischaractertrainingthanhewilltousehisphysicaltraining.Of course thewarrior’s physical training and the development of hischaracterareboth importantpartsof thewarrior lifestyle,but the latterwillbeusedonadailybasis.Everyman’scharacteristesteddailythroughinteractionswiththosewhohecomesincontactwithduringhisdailyactivities.

Therefore, it is imperative thatyoudevelopa strongmoral character, andthestrengthtocultivateandmaintainthatcharacter,onceyouhaveplantedtheseedsofexcellenceinyourlife.Youhavetodecidewhatyoustandforandwhatyouwillnotstandfor.Don’tleaveyourcharacterandyourreputationtochance–takeresponsibilityforyourlife.Itisyourdutytobuildyourcharacter.Nobodyelsewilldoitforyou,buttherearemanywhoarewillingtohelpyouweakenitortotallydestroyit.

Youhavetobestrongenoughtostandupforwhatyoubelieve,evenifyouarestandingalone.Publicopinionandoutsidepressuresshouldnotplayapartinswayingthecorebeliefswhichmakeupyourtruecharacter,buttheywillifyoudon’tknowexactlywhatyoubelieveandwhyyoubelieveit.Youhavetoknowwhycertaincharactertraitsareimportanttoyou.Ifyourfoundationisnotsolid,sooner or later youwill findproblemswhich are a direct result of your shakyfoundation.

Your character is the foundation of all the other parts of the warriorlifestyle.Withoutasolid foundation, it iseasyforyou toveeroff track inoneway or another. For this reason, it is vital that your character adheres to thehigheststandards.Don’tcompromisewhereyourcharacterisconcerned.Thisisjustoneofthetraitsthatsetsthewarriorapartasasuperiorman.Worktobuildasolid character and maintain a reputation which is true to your nature as asuperiorman.

Thisbringsustothequestionofhowdoyoucomposeyourcharacter.Howdoes apersondevelop a set of qualities or traits in his life that sets himapartfrom the commonman?Where do you start?This can be an especially trickyquestionifonedoesnothavebackgroundknowledgeconcerningwhatcomprisesgoodcharactertraits,orifonehasfailedtolivealifefilledwiththesepositivequalitiesovertheyears.

Thebestwaytostarttocomposeyourcharacterortochangeyourcharacterif need be, is to study the traitswhich youwant to incorporate into your life.Studythetraitsofthesuperiormenofthepast.Whatmadethesemen“menofcharacter?”Whydoyouadmirethem?Whattraitssetthemapartinyourmind?By studying the lives ofwarriors, sages, andmen of character, you can get agoodpictureofwhatittakestobeamanofcharacter–asuperiorman.

These men sought to live lives of honor and integrity. They took life

seriously and lived life to the fullest, at the same time, they did so withoutcompromising their character.Thesemenwerenot perfect.Nobody is perfect.Theysimplyworkedatbeingmenofcharacter.Theymadeafirmdecisionaboutthewaythat theyweregoingto live their livesandfollowedthroughwith thatdecision.

Whentheyfoundthattheyhadfallenshortorhadfaultsthatneededtobecorrected or removed, they made the effort to make the necessary changes.Everyonefallsshortonthisquest.Thekeyistonotgiveupwhenyoumissthemark.Whenyouaresightinginyourrifleandyoumissthebull’seye,youdon’tgiveup;yousimplyadjustyour sightsand refineyour techniqueuntilyouareabletoplaceyourshotswhereyouwantthemtobe.

Thesameprincipleappliestothedevelopmentofyourcharacter.Whenyoumiss themarkor find thatyouhaveahabit that isnot insyncwith thepersonthat youwant to be, you should simplymake the necessary changes to bringyouractionsintoharmonywiththecharacterthatyouwanttocultivate.Thisisan ongoing process. Although you may develop your character to that of asuperiorman, youwill never reach a point where youwill not have tomakeadjustmentsfromtimetotime.

Building and maintaining your character takes time. It doesn’t happenovernight. Just as it takesweeks for the cherry blossom to actually become acherry, it takesmonths, even years to perfect your character. Be patient withyourself, especially when you fail to live up to the standards which you arestriving to achieve.Don’t allow frustration over your failures to cause you tothrowinthetowelonyourgoaltobecomeamanofexcellence.

Sophocles, one of the most influential writers of Ancient Greece, wrotethat,“Allmenmakemistakes,butagoodmanyieldswhenheknowshiscourseis wrong, and repairs the evil.” As I stated above, no one is perfect. Yourimperfectionsdonotindicatethatyouarenotamanofcharacter,butmerelythatyouareahumanbeing.GeorgeWashingtonpointedout that even thegreatestmen arenotwithout their faultswhenhe said, “It is to be lamented that greatcharactersareseldomwithoutablot.”

Itisyourdutytoworktoachievetheperfectionofyourcharacter,nottobeperfect.Everygardenerworkshardtomaintainhisgardenandkeepitasweedfreeaspossible.Thisdoesn’tmeanthathisgardenwillneverhaveanyweeds.Itmeans thatwhen he becomes aware of thoseweeds, he takes steps to removethem.Ittakescontinualworkforhimtokeephisgardenweedfree.Maintainingaweedfreegardenisaconstantstruggle,butoneinwhichheisdedicatedtoinordertocultivatethetypeofgardenthathewantsandcanbeproudofgrowing.

Justasthegardenerhastocontinuallytendtohisgarden,youhavetowork

at maintaining both your character and your reputation, even after they havebeen formed. Living up to your high standards is a never-ending process andtherewillalwaysbetemptationstoloweryourstandardsortemporarilysetthemaside.You have to have the intestinal fortitude tomaintain your standards nomatter what others around you say or do. Your character has to be able towithstand the tide of public opinion, the actions of others, and your ownweaknesses.

Don’t let others influence your decisions, at least not in a negativeway.Don’t compromise your principles to please someone else or to avoiddispleasing those aroundyou.Stand firm.Live according to your nature – thenatureofthesuperiorman.Itcanbeverytemptingtoallowtheactionsofotherstoinfluenceyourownactionsinanegativeway.Whensomeonetreatsyouwithdisrespectorinarudemanner,itistemptingtorespondinkind,butthisisnotthecharacterofthesuperiorman.

Emerson pointed out that, “Whoso would be a man must be anonconformist.”Themanofcharactercannotaffordtoallowotherstodictatehisactions.The17thcenturySpanishwriterandoneofmyfavoriteauthorsofold,Baltasar Gracian, stated this perfectly when he wrote, “The man of principleneverforgetswhatheis,becauseofwhatothersare.”

Don’tchooseyouractionsaccordingtotheactionsofothers,butrathertoyourownstandardsandprinciples.Letyourownconsciencebeyourguide.Youknowwhichactionsareinaccordwithyourstandards,andwhicharenot.Afteryouhavedevelopedqualitycharactertraitsinyourlife,youcandependonyourconsciencetobeareliableguideconcerningwhatyoushouldandshouldnotdo.

LaoTzu,theauthoroftheclassicbook,TaoTeChing,anotheroneofmyfavoritebooks,madethispointstating,“Highlyevolvedpeoplehavetheirownconscience as pure law.”Hewent on to teach that, “Aperson experiences theevents of life, and the experiences of life in turn reveal something about thatperson.”Howyourespondtotheeventsinyourlife,boththegoodonesandthechallenges,revealyourtruecharacter.

Sages throughout the ages have taught this same platitude. Plutarch, thefamousGreekhistoriansimplystatedthat,“Themeasureofamanisthewayhebears up under misfortune.” Thoreau wrote, “Our true character silentlyunderliesallourwordsandactions,asthegraniteunderliestheotherstrata.”Ifyou want to truly know how well you have developed your character, payattention to howyou respond to both the challenges and the triumphs of yourlife.

This not only applies to those timeswhenyou arewithother people, butalsoforthequiettimeswhenyouarealone.Thetruesttestofcharacteriswhat

youdowhenyouarealone.Doyoustillliveuptoyourstandardswhennobodyiswatching?Doyouliveuptoyourreputationwhenyouareathomewithyourfamily or onlywhen you are in public?Your character should be sincere andgenuine,notforshow.

You should not act oneway in public and another way in private. Yourcharacter is revealed through your words and your actions. You must beconsistent and sincere in order to be a superiorman. Strive tomake sure thatyourwordsandyouractionsareinlinewiththecharacterthatyouarebuilding.Thisisthenatureofthesuperiorman–thenatureofthewarrior.

Aristotle put it this way, “A good man…whatever may befall him, willbehave gracefully; approving his conduct exact, square, and blameless. Slightmisfortunes are unable to shake his well-balanced happiness…Of thecircumstances in which he is placed, he will always make the best and mosthonorableuse.”

Thisisagooddescriptionofthemanofupstandingcharacterandcanonlybe lived up to bymaking a conscious decision to be aman of character.Youhave to remain conscious of your every thought and your every word.Manypeoplebasicallylivetheirlivesonautopilot,goingthroughlifewithoutanytruedirection,respondinginwhatevermannertheiremotionsdictatetotheminanygivenmoment.Thewarriorcan’taffordtolivehislifeinthisway;hehastobeevervigilantofhisthoughts,wordsandactions.

Hemustmaintain his character in all of the situations of life. Nomatterwhat circumstances he finds himself in, the man of character will actappropriately, maintaining the principles which he has firmly decided toincorporate into his life. This takes practice and determination. Hemingwaycalledthis“Graceunderpressure.”

This is a tall order. It is not easy, if itwere easy, thenmen of characterwould not be as rare as they appear to be in today’s society. You have toconstantlyworkatbuildingandmaintainingyourcharacter.Youhavetodevelopconfidenceintheprinciplesthatyouhavemadeacommitmenttolivebyduringyourlifetime.Havingthiskindofconfidenceinyourprinciples takes timeandefforttodevelop;ittakespersistent,unrelentingwork.

WilliamElleryChanningdescribedthemanofcharacteras,“Thegreatestmanishewhochoosestherightwithinvincibleresolution;whoresiststhesoresttemptationsfromwithinandwithout;whobearstheheaviestburdenscheerfully;whoiscalmestinstormsandmostfearlessundermenaceandfrowns;andwhoserelianceoftruth,onvirtue,andonGod,ismostunfaltering.”

Choosewhatisrightwithinvincibleresolution.Itshouldnotmattertothemanofcharacterwhatothers think, say,ordo.His focus isalwaysonwhat is

rightaccordingtotheprincipleshehasdecidedtomakehisown.Itistheseinnerprincipleswhich determine the true character of aman, and the dedication totheseprincipleswillbeexhibitedthroughhisthoughts,wordsandactions.

Professing to live by a set of principles, no matter how lofty thoseprinciplesmaybe,isworthlessiftheydonotmanifestthemselvesthroughyourthoughts,wordsandactions. It isnotenough tobeamanofcharacter inyourown mind; you have to be a man of character in every aspect of your life,startingwithyourunderlyingprinciples.Evenifyouractionsappearupstandingto those around you, if the underlyingmotivations and principles are skewed,youractionsarequestionableatbest.

Buildingyourcharacteronstrongpersonalprinciplesisthemostimportantpartofthewarriorlifestyle.Itisthefoundationofalltheothertraitswhichmakeupthislifestyleofexcellence.EachoftheothertraitsthatIwillbediscussing,actually form a part of your overall character, and together they construct theactualprinciplesandcodeof lifebywhichthetruewarriorstrivesto live.It isnotgoodenoughtoappeartobeamanofcharacter;youmusttrulybeamanofcharacter.ThomasPaine stated, “Reputation iswhatmen andwomen thinkofus;characteriswhatGodandangelsknowofus.”

Whileyourreputationisimportant,atleasttoadegree,itisyourauthenticcharacter that truly matters. Each of the underlying principles or traits whichformyourtruecharactermustbebuiltonasolidfoundation.Thisfoundationisyoursinceredesiretobeamanofcharacterandtoliveaccordingtothosetime-tested principles which make someone a superior man. Understanding theimportance of developing an unquestionable character is the first step towardslivingalifeofexcellence.

MeditationsonCharacter

Holdyourselfresponsibleforahigherstandardthananyoneelseexpectsofyou.Neverexcuseyourself.

HenryWardBeecher

Ifanurnlacksthecharacteristicsofanurn,howcanwecallitanurn?

Confucius

Tocomposeourcharacterisourduty.Montaigne

Itisnoeasythingforaprincipletobecomeaman’sownunlesseachdayhemaintainsitandworksitoutinhislife.

Epictetus

Donotseektofollowinthefootstepsofthemenofold,seekwhattheysought.

MatsuoBasho

Everymanwhoistrulyamanmustlearntobealoneinthemistofallothers,andifneedbeagainstallothers.

RomainRolland

Perfectionisattainedbyslowdegrees;sherequiresthehandoftime.

Voltaire

Forwhenmoralvalueisconsidered,theconcernisnottheactions,whichareseen,

butratherwiththeirinnerprinciples,whicharenotseen.Kant

Laydownforyourself,attheoutset,acertainstampandtypeofcharacterforyourself,

whichyouaretomaintainwhetheryouare

byyourselforaremeetingwithpeople.Epictetus

Letthemknowarealman,wholivesashewasmeanttolive.

MarcusAurelius

Themanofprincipleneverforgetswhatheis,becauseofwhatothersare.

BaltasarGracian

WhatImustdoisallthatconcernsme,notwhatthepeoplethink.

Emerson

Thesuperiormaniswatchfuloverhimselfevenwhenalone.

ChungYung

Ourtruecharactersilentlyunderliesallourwordsandactions,

asthegraniteunderliestheotherstrata.Thoreau

Agoodcharacterismorevaluablethangold.PhilippineProverb

Thesuperiormandoesnotgiveupgoodconductbecausetheinferiormanrailsagainsthim.

Hsun-Tzu

Chapter2

IntegrityTheEssenceoftheWarrior

Integrity:Possessionoffirmprinciples;thequalityofpossessingandsteadfastlyadheringtohighmoralprinciplesorstandards.

Wherecharacteristhepatternofbehaviorfoundinanindividual,integrityis thequalityof steadfastlyadhering to theprinciplesor standardswhich formyour character. Without integrity there can be no warrior lifestyle because itrequiresintegritytoliveuptoone’sprinciplesthroughgoodtimesandbad.Onewouldsimplylivebyhisprinciplesonlywhentheyareconvenientifitweren’tforhisintegrity.

ThewordintegritycomesfromtheLatinwordinteger,whichmeanswholeor unbroken completeness. It can alsobedefined as a state of being completeandundivided,orincorruptibility.Thus,ifyouhaveintegrity,yourcommitmenttoyourownpersonalprincipleswillbeincorruptible.Ifwelookatintegrityfromthispointofview,itwouldmeanbeingtruetoyourbeliefsandprinciples,orasthedefinitionabovestates, steadfastlyadhering to thehighmoralprinciplesorstandardsthatyouhavesetforyourselftofollow.

This is what integrity means to the true warrior who seeks to live thewarrior lifestyle. Without integrity, it is impossible to truly live the warriorlifestylebecausetheprinciplesofthewarriorlifestylearenotmeresuggestionswhich one followswhenhe is in themood, and sets asidewhen they becomeinconvenientorproblematic.Thetruewarriormustfirstdecidethatheisgoingto live according to the principles,which he has committed himself to, as hiscodebywhichhewilllivehislife.

To successfully do this, he must have unwavering integrity where hisimportantprinciplesareconcerned.Itisthisintegritywhichsetsthetruewarriorapartfromtheaverageindividualthatyoumeetonthestreet.Mostpeoplelive

their lives according to the principle of “what’s best for them personally,” ormoreaccurately,whattheybelieveisbestforthempersonally.Thetruewarriorlooksathislifeabitdifferently.

Tothemanwhoseekstolivethewarriorlifestyle,therearemoreimportantthingstoconsiderthanhisowncomfort,profitordesires.Heismoreconcernedabout doing what is right instead of what may be financially or personallyprofitable.Confuciustaughtthiswhenhesaid,“Thesuperiormanseekswhatisright;theinferiorman,whatisprofitable.”

Thisisnottosaythatthemanwholiveshislifeaccordingtothestandardsofthewarriorlifestyleshouldnotconsiderwhatisbestforhimselforhisfamily.It is definitely his responsibility to provide for his family and to consider hisfamily’sneedsanddesires.Everyoneshouldreflectonhowtobestprovideforhisfamily.

Thepointhereisthatinconsideringwhatisbestforhisfamilyorhimself,themanofintegritywillfirstconsiderwhatisright.Thismaysoundlikeasmalldistinction,butinreality, thisonetraitsetsthetruewarriorapartfromthevastmajorityofpeopleinthisworld.Thereisabigdifferencebetweendoingwhatisrightanddoingwhatissimplyrightforyourbottomline.

Thesuperiorman,asConfuciusreferredtohim,putswhatismorallyrightbeforewhat is right for his bank account. For example, hewould notmurdersomeone,nomatterhowmuchmoneyhewasoffered.Thiswouldgoagainsthiscodeofhonorandtheprinciplesbywhichheliveshislife.Doingsowouldbeaclearindicationthatheislackinginintegrity,aswellaspersonalethics.

Thisisanextremeexample.I’msurethatyoucancomeupwithmanymoreexamplesofsomeonewhoiswillingtoputpersonalprofitaheadofwhatisright.Theappealof easymoney is avery strong temptation, especially for someonewholackspersonalintegrity.Amanofintegritywillnotlowerhisstandardsformoney, or for any other sort of personal gain.He realizes that there aremoreimportantthingsinlifethanpersonalcomfort,financialgainoranyoftheotherthingsforwhichthecommonmaniswillingtotradehisintegrity.

The book of Proverbs states that, “The integrity of the upright guidesthem.”This is truefor thosewholive their livesaccording to theprinciplesofthewarriorlifestyle.Theyareguidedbytheirintegrityintheprinciplesbywhichthey live their lives. Here you may argue that everyone is guided by theprinciples that theyhavedecided to liveby in life,and toapoint, thismaybetrue.

The difference between the superior man and the average person or theactual criminal, is that he lives by amuch higher set of principles than otherpeople.ToquoteConfuciusagain,“Thesuperiormanenactsequity,andjustice

isthefoundationofallhisdeeds.”Basically,thesuperiormandoeswhatisright,atleasttothebestofhisabilities.Thiscannotbesaidofeveryone.

Demophilusstated,“Dowhatyouknowtobegoodwithoutexpectingfromit anyglory.Forget not that thevulgar are abad judgeofgoodactions.”Youmust have the integrity todowhat youknow is right, and is in harmonywithyour own standards, without expecting a reward for doing right. This is theessenceoftrueintegrity.Ifthereweresomekindofcompensationforpersonalintegrity,manymorepeoplewouldmakeaneffort to incorporate integrity intotheirlives.Asis,mostpeopleeitherneglectintegrityormerelyassumethattheyarepeopleofintegrity,eventhoughtheiractionsmayindicateotherwise.

Many people falsely believe that they can separate their integrity fromcertainpartsoftheirlife.Forexample,someonemaythinkthathehaspersonalintegrity,butmaybelievethat“businessisbusiness”andthatcheatingsomeoneon a business deal is simply doing business. Hemight rationalize that this issimplybusinessandthatitisuptoeachpersontowatchhisownbackanddohishomework. This is a buyer beware type of attitude and is commonly seenthroughouttheworld.

Robbingsomeone’shousewouldprobablynevercross thisperson’smindbecause that would be totally unethical according to this person’s so-calledintegrity. At the same time, he may consider certain questionable businesspracticestobetotallyacceptable,eventhoughpurposelycheatingsomeoneinabusinessdealissimplyanotherwayofrobbingsomeone.Thisconnectionneverenters this man’s mind. He simply sees one as business and the other asunethical.

Truewarriorsdonotseepersonalintegrityinthisway.Theyviewintegrityintermsoftheirpursuitoflivingamorallife,whichisinlinewiththecharactertraits of thewarrior lifestyle. In short, they view actions in termsof right andwrong.Thisisnottosaythatthemanofintegrityseeseverythingasblackandwhite. There is a big difference between looking at life’s choices in terms ofblackandwhite,andviewingthemintermsofrightandwrong.

Most people do not realize this. The warrior’s principles are both set instoneandyetflexibleatthesametime.Thisinnowaymeansthathispersonalintegrityissituational.Hemaintainshisintegritywithoutcompromise.Whatthismeans is thatwhat is right guides his integrity, not a rigid set of rules.Manypeoplehaveahardtimeunderstandingthisphilosophy.Hopefullythefollowingexamplewillhelpmakethiscleartoyou.

Let’ssaythatoneoftheprinciplesthatawarriorlivesbyistobetruthfulorhonest.Partoflivinguptothisprinciplewouldbethatthewarriordoesnotlie.Thisisaprettystraightforwardtenet.Now,someonewholiveshislifeinrigid,

legalistic terms would say that it is never okay to lie, that doing so wouldundermine his integrity.This is a good example of someonewho looks at hisprinciplesintermsofblackandwhite.

Theproblemwiththisisthatarigidviewofone’sprinciplescansometimesruncrosswayswithdoingwhatisright.Let’scontinuetoexaminethisconceptbylookingcloserattheprincipleofbeinghonestandtruthful.Ithinkthatwecanallagreethatbeinghonestisavirtueandoneofthetraitsthatsomeonelivingthewarriorlifestyleshouldadheretoasoneofhiscoreprinciples.

Here’sthedifferencebetweentherigidadherencetothisprincipleandthemanwhoviewshisprinciplesfromthestandpointofrightandwrong.Themanwhoviewshisprinciplesfromtheperspectiveofrightandwronghastheabilitytobeflexibleinhisprinciples.No,thisdoesn’tmeanthathehastheoptiontoliewhenitisconvenientforhim,buthedoeshavetheoptiontobendthetruthwhenitistherightthingtodo.

Anexampleofthiswouldbelyingtosaveyourlifeorthelifeofyourlovedones. Say for instance that you are the victim of a home invasion and thepredatorasksyouifyouarehomealone.Youarefullyawarethatyourwifeisasleepupstairsbutyou think thatyoucanbetterprotectherbymisleading thisguywith a lie and saying thatyouarehomealone.Themanwho lives life interms of right andwrongwill have no problem lying to this predator, and indoingso,willinnowayhavecompromisedhisprinciples.

His integrity is still intact. Theman of integrity looks at life in terms ofrightandwrong,notblackandwhite.Livingthewarriorlifestyleisnotaboutarigidadherencetospecificrules.Itisabouthavingthepersonalintegritytoliveyour life by the principles you have decided to incorporate into your life, andguidingthoseprinciplesbytheconceptofrightandwrong.Again,rememberthewordsofConfucius,“Thesuperiormanseekswhatisright.”

Does this mean that the outcome of your decisions will always turn outright?Nope.Nomatterhowhardyoutrytomaketherightdecision,therewillbetimeswhenthingsdonotgoasyouwouldlikethemto.Thepointisthatyoumust have the personal integrity to make those decisions from a mindset of“whatisright.”

To continue with my example, the man of integrity would never lie forpurelyfinancialprofitortotakeadvantageofsomeinnocentvictim.Hechooseshisactionsaccordingtowhatisright,andthatwouldclearlybewrong.Menofintegrityimposecertainrestrictionsonthemselves.Thisiswheretheirprinciplescome intoplay.Thecharacter traits in thisbookarepresentedasguidance foryou todevelopyourownpersonal setofprinciplesbywhich to live,but eachonemustbetemperedbythedictatesofrightandwronginanygivensituation.

Thistakespersonalintegrity.Nooneisgoingtoforceyoutodevelopthesecharacter traits. No one is going to force you to live up to the principles bywhich you have decided to live. If you do not have the personal integrity tofollowthroughandliveuptoyourownpersonalcode,thenthatisyourchoice.Youhavetherighttoliveyourlifeasyouseefit,aslongasitdoesnotinterferewithothersdoingthesame.

It issolelyonyourshoulderstodevelopyourcharacterandyourpersonalintegrity.Thisiswhatthewarriorlifestyleisallabout–discipliningyourselfandhavingtheintegritytolivealifeofexcellence.Youarethecaptainofthisship.Itisuptoyou!

Dr. Charles Hackney, in his excellent book, Martial Virtues, states,“Integritymay be considered a form of justice-turned-inward inwhich, ratherthan an honorable persona demanding to be treated in a certain manner, thehonorable person behaves in a manner that is true to his ideals…Rather thanhonor being found in conforming to others’ expectations, honor is found bylivinguptoone’sownbeliefsandinternalizedstandsofrightandwrong.”

Having personal integrity does notmean living up to the expectations ofothers.Itmeanshavingtheself-disciplinetoliveyourlifeaccordingtoyourownstandardsofrightandwrong.Thecatchhereisthatyourstandardsofrightandwrongmustbederivedfromthecorrectprinciplesthatguidemenofintegrity.Ifeveryone on this planet decided for themselves what is right and wrong, wewouldhavechaos.

Thedifferenceineveryonedecidingforthemselveswhatisrightandwhatiswrong,isthatthemanofprinciplemakeshisdecisionfromaplaceofhonorand integrity. His conscience is highly developed to the point of internallyunderstanding what is right and what is wrong. He holds himself to a muchhigherstandardthanotherpeople.AsEmersonsaid,“WhatImustdoisallthatconcernsme,notwhatthepeoplethink.”

LaoTzusaidthesamethingbutinaslightlydifferentwaystating,“Highlyevolvedpeoplehavetheirownconscienceaspurelaw.”Forthemanofintegrity,livinglifeaccordingtowhatyouthinktoberightandwrongisnotalicensetodowhateveryoumaywanttodo.Ratheritmeansthatyouputwhatisrightoverallotherconsiderations.But,todoso,youmustfirstdevelopyourselftoapointofinternallyknowingwhatisrightandwhatiswrong.

Inaddition,personalintegritymeansthatyouwillalsohavetobewillingtoaccept theconsequencesofyourdecisions.Doingwhatyouknow is rightwillnot exempt you from the consequences of governmental laws, but theman ofintegrity will do what is right nonetheless because he answers to his ownconsciencefirstandforemost.Moliere,thefamousFrenchplaywright,putitthis

way, “It is not only what we do, but what we do not do, for which we areaccountable.”

The person of integrity can be trusted to do what is right because heanswers first and foremost to his conscience. He does not look to others tojustifyhisactions.Hemakeshisdecisionsaccordingto thefirm,butnot rigid,principlesbywhichhe lives. It is thisdedication tohisprinciples that enableshimtolivealifeofexcellenceandwhichsetshimabovethecommonman.

Withoutpersonalintegrity,itwouldbeimpossibletotrulylivethewarriorlifestyle.YouwillfindasyoucontinuetoreadModernBushido,thatthewarriorlifestyleisnotapassivelifestyle.Ittakesdedicationandhardwork.Ittakesself-disciplineandperseverance.Therewillbemanytimeswhenitwouldbeeasierforyoutorelaxyourstandardsandletsomeofyourprinciplesslide,timeswhennoonewouldknowbutyourself.

The only thing thatwill keep you on track during times like that is yourpersonal integrity and dedication to the principles that you havemade a firmdecision to live by on your journey to live the warrior lifestyle. ThomasJefferson explained how he dealtwith such situations stating, “Whenever youaretodoathing,thoughitcanneverbeknownbuttoyourself,askyourselfhowyouwouldactwerealltheworldlookingatyou,andactaccordingly.”

Livingwithintegrityhastobea24/7process,evenwhenyouarealone.Todorightonlywhenothersarewatchingorlistening,andliveanotherwaywhenyouarealone,ismerelybeinghypocritical.

MeditationsonIntegrity

Integrityhasnoneedofrules.AlbertCamus

Integrityisnotaconditionalword.Itdoesn’tblowinthewindorchangewiththeweatherItisyourinnerimageofyourself,andifyoulookinthereandseeaman

whowon’tcheat,thenyouknowheneverwill.JohnD.MacDonald

Asingleliedestroysawholereputationforintegrity.BaltasarGracian

Itisnotwhatweeatbutwhatwedigestthatmakesusstrong;notwhatwegainbutwhatwesavethatmakesusrich;notwhatwereadbutwhatwerememberthatmakesuslearned;andnotwhatweprofessbutwhatwepracticethatgivesusintegrity.

FrancisBacon

Allknowtheway,fewactuallywalkit.Bodhidharma

Neverdoanythingagainstconscienceevenifthestatedemandsit.

Einstein

Calamityisthetestofintegrity.SamuelRichardson

Followthegoodandlearntheirways.ChineseProverb

Itmattersnothowamandies,buthowhelives.SamuelJohnson

Apreciousstonewillnotloseitsshinejustbecausesomeonedropsitinacesspool.

MalayProverb

Whatevertheworldmaysayordo,mypartistoremainanemeraldandtokeepmycolortrue.

MarcusAurelius

Thesuperiormanmustalwaysremainhimselfinallsituationsoflife.

ChungYung

Noonewillhonestlyquestionyourintegrityifyourintegrityistrulyunquestionable.

BohdiSanders

Havethecouragetosayno.Havethecouragetofacethetruth.Dotherightthingbecauseitisright.

Thesearethemagickeystolivingyourlifewithintegrity.W.ClementStone

Oneofthetruesttestsofintegrityisitsbluntrefusaltobecompromised.

ChinuaAchebe

Aclearconscienceisthegreatestarmor.ChineseProverb

Qualityisnotanact.Itisahabit.Aristotle

Chapter3

VirtueTheMoralExcellenceoftheWarrior

Virtue:Generalmoralexcellence;rightactionandthinking;goodnessormorality;aspecificmoralqualityregardedasgoodormeritorious;excellenceingeneral.

Afteryouhavedetermined thatyouwant tobuildyourcharacterand thatyou have the integrity to live by your principles, the next step is to startcultivatingthevirtuesofthewarriorlifestyle.Virtuesareconsideredtobetraitswhich lead you tomoral excellence or excellence in general, as stated in thedefinition above. Most of the traits that I discuss in Modern Bushido areconsideredvirtuesortraitsthatwillleadyoutoalifeofexcellence.ThisiswhytheyareactuallyincludedinModernBushido.

SaiBaba,thepopularspiritualteacherandguru,statedthat,“Youmuststartwiththefirststep:thecleansingofthemindandthecultivationofvirtue.”Itisinterestingthatthisteachertaughtthatthefirststephastobe“thecleansingofthemind,” but if you think about it, itmakes perfect sense. If your goal is tocultivatemoralexcellence,youmustfirstgetridofthethingsinyourmindthatwillinterferewithyourgoal;thusyoumustfirstcleansethemind.

Ifyouhadasmallpatchof landandyouwanted tocultivateagardenonthatland,thefirstthingthatyouwouldneedtodoistoridthelandofgrassandweeds.You do this so you can properly prepare the soil in order to plant theseedsthatyouwanttogrow.Itwouldberidiculoustosimplygooutandthrowsome garden seeds on the unprepared ground and expect them to thrive or toevengrow.Youhavetopreparethesoilfirst.

Inthesameway,youhavetoprepareyourmindinordertoplanttheseedsof virtue that youwant to grow.Hopefully you areworkingwith some pretty

goodsoiltobeginwith,butifnot,don’tbediscouraged.Anyonewiththedesiretochangetheirlifecandoso,aslongasheiswillingtoworkatit.

Althoughthegardenanalogywasusedtomakeapoint,cleansingthemindis a bit different than preparing soil to plant a garden. Cleansing the mindinvolves changing what you allow your thoughts to dwell on and replacingunwantedthoughtswithvirtuousthoughts.Iwilldiscusstheimportanceofyourthoughtsand theworkingsof themindin thenextchapter.Fornow,whatyouneedtoknowisthatyouhavetoworkatdevelopingvirtue.

Becoming virtuous is not something that will happen overnight. Theexpansion of virtues depends solely on you.You have towork at it, and it iswork, not in the physical sense, but it’s work nonetheless. The Indianphilosopher,Nagarjuna,putitthisway,“Virtuesareacquiredthroughendeavor,whichrestswhollyuponyourself.”

Sohowdoyoudothisworkanddevelopthevirtuesthatyouwanttobeapart of your life? The same way that you get good at anything else – youpractice.Euripidestaught,“Themoreyoupracticevirtuetheeasiertopracticeitbecomes.”Itisjustlikeyourmartialarts,themoreyoupracticeaspecifickick,the easier it will become to use that kick. Basically, the more you focus ondeveloping and using your virtues, the more ingrained they become in yourcharacter.

You have to continuously practice using your virtues and focus on theirvalueinyourlife.Meditateonvirtuousquotes.Readandstudythewritingsfromvirtuous people. As with other valuable traits or skills, the development ofvirtuesdoesnotcomeautomatically.Youhave toconstantlywork,notonlyatdevelopingthoseskills,butalsoatkeepingyourvirtuesintact.

Ifyouneglectyourmartial arts skills anddonotuse themor continue topractice to improve them, you will start to notice that they aren’t as sharp.Virtuesarethesameway.Jean-JacquesRousseau,the18thcenturyphilosopher,stated,“Virtueisastateofwar,andtoliveinitwehavealwaystocombatwithourselves.”

Thismaysoundalittleweirdatfirstuntilyouthinkaboutit,butmanyofthe sages, teachers, and philosophers of the past have likened building andmaintaining your character to a personalwar inwhich you constantly have tobattletemptationstomaintainordevelopyourvirtuouscharacter.Itisnoteasy,butverylittlethatisworthwhileisachievedwithoutwork.Whichbringsmetomynextpoint–makesurethatyouaretrulydevelopingyourvirtuoustraitsandnotmerelyappearingtobevirtuoustoimpressthosearoundyou.

Thewell-knownAmericanauthor,HenryDavidThoreau,wrote,“Thereareninehundredandninety-ninepatronsofvirtuetoonevirtuousman.”Thismeans

thattherearealotofpretendersouttherewhowanttoappearlikevirtuousmen,but underneath their carefully constructed façade, they are not truly virtuous.Whiletheysupportbeingvirtuousandwilltalkabouthowoneshouldhavethisvirtueor thatvirtue, it isall forshow.Essentially, they talk the talk,butdon’twalkthewalk.

Why do these people do this?Why don’t they simply develop virtue forthemselves? The answer is simple – it takes work and most people are notwillingtoworkforsomethingthattheycannottrulyseehowitwillprofitthem.Theywilltalkabouthoweveryoneshouldhavethisvirtueorthatvirtue,andwillberatethosewhotheyconsiderlackingincertainvirtues,buttheyaren’twillingtoworktobecomevirtuouspeople.

Thetruewarriorwillnotputonashowforthebenefitofothers.Hestrivestobesincereaboutthelifestylethatheprofessestolive.Don’tpretendtoliveavirtuouslifesimplytoimpressotherpeople;thisdoesn’ttrulyimproveyourlifeinanyway.Whileitmaybetruethatitcanopencertaindoorsforyouoraffordyouaspecificreputation,itdoesnothingtotrulychangeyourlife.

Eventhosewhopretendtobevirtuouswouldliketotrulyhavethevirtuesthattheypretendtohave,buttheyaresimplytooweaktodowhathastobedonetomakethosevirtuesarealpartoftheirlives.Thebottomlineisthattheyjustcan’tseehowlivingalifeofvirtuewillbenefitthem,sotheycontinuetoliveastheyalwayshave,andgiveintotheirweaknatures.

One of my favorite writers from the 17th century, Francois de LaRochefoucauld, wrote that, “Weakness, evenmore than vice, is the enemy ofvirtue.”GeorgeWashingtonechoedthissentimentstating,“Fewmenhavevirtueto withstand the highest bidder.” It takes a special person to truly appreciatewhat itmeans to liveavirtuous life.Mostpeopleprefer to focuson theirowncomfortsorfinancialgains,asopposedtodevelopingvirtues.

Thisdoesnotmeanthatyoucan’tbevirtuous,liveagoodlifefinancially,andhavethenicethingsthatweallenjoy.Itsimplymeansthatyouhavetohaveyour priorities straight.You shouldn’t trade your virtue for profits, short-livedamusements, or for material things. But, as George Washington stated, mostpeople are more concerned with those things than they are with their owncharacter.

Thetruewarrior,ontheotherhand,seekstobeamanofexcellence.Heisnot concerned about what other people do as far as how it affects his ownpersonal goals to become a superior man. Whether or not others decide topracticevirtuouslivingdoesn’tconcernhim;heknowsthatheisnotresponsiblefortheactionsofothers.LaoTzutaughtthissameattitudesaying,“Oneshouldpracticesteadfastandindiscriminativevirtuewithoutdemandingotherstodothe

same in return.”Marcus Aurelius echoed this same thought professing, “I dowhatisminetodo,therestdoesn’tdisturbme.”

Focusonplantingtheseedsofvirtueinyourlife,cultivatingandnourishingthose seeds, and then making sure nothing destroys your virtue once it hasmatured.Don’t concern yourselfwithwhat other people think about how youliveyourlifeorhowtheyareactuallylivingtheirs.Yourjobistoimproveyourown life and to live your life to the fullest,while doing sowith integrity andvirtue.Ifyouarereallyworkingatimprovingyourownlife,youwillnothavetimetobeconcernedaboutwhatothersdoorthink.

Pliny theYounger, the ancient Roman lawyer, put it this way, “A noblespirit will seek the reward of virtue in the consciousness of it, rather than inpopularopinion.” Ifyouare truly interested in living thewarrior lifestyle,youwillbeconcernedwithimprovingyourselfpersonally,notmakingyourselflookgoodtothosewhodonotevenunderstandthelifestylethatyouaretryingtolive.

Popularopiniondoesn’tmatter.Oh,ofcourseitdoestosomeextent.Mostofushavetohaveajoborrunourownbusiness,whichinturnwillhavetocatertootherpeople.WhatIamtalkingabouthereispopularopinioninthesenseofwhatotherpeoplethinkisrightorhowotherpeoplethinkyoushouldlive.Thisis especially true of those who are not men of character and integrity. Whywouldyou care about theopinionsof thosewho clearly cannot live their ownlivesinadecentmanner?

Thisbringsustothequestion,howdoyouknowwhetherornotsomeoneisvirtuous?The answer is fairly simple, you observe their life.Youwatchwhattheydoandlistentowhattheysay,notjustinpublicwheretheyaremostlikelytobecarefulinboththeiractionsandtheirspeech,butalsopayattentiontotheirnormal,everydayspeechandbehavior.

Thephilosopher,BlaisePascal,wrote,“Thepowerofman’svirtueshouldnotbemeasuredbyhisspecialefforts,butbyhisordinarydoing.”Watchhowpeople live their everyday lives if youwant to truly knowwho they are.Thissamelineofthoughtgoesforyourownlifeaswell.Howdoyouliveyourdaytodaylifewhennooneelseisaround?Youshouldnotliveonewayinpublicandanotherwayinyourprivatelife.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetoallowothersto know everything about you or publicize everything that you do. I am onlyreferringtoyourcoreactions–yourinnervirtue.

Aristotle looked at the prospect of judging someone’s virtue slightlydifferently stating, “Virtue is more clearly shown in the performance of fineactions than in the nonperformance of base ones.” Aristotle brings up a veryinteresting point.You can’t really say someonehas virtue because ofwhat hedoesn’tdo.Forexample,mostpeopledon’trobbanks,butthatdoesn’tmeanthat

mostpeoplearetrulyvirtuous.In this example, to know if someone is truly virtuous, you have to know

their inner motivations. If a man refrains from robbing a bank, his lack ofrobbingthebankdoesn’tmeanthathisinactioncomesfromaplaceofvirtue.Itcouldbethatthismandoesn’trobthebanksimplybecauseheisafraidofbeingcaughtandspendingalargeportionofhislifeinprison.

Refrainingfromrobbingthebankmakesthispersonalaw-abidingcitizen,but it doesn’t say anything about his virtue, not really.You can’t really judgesomeone’svirtuebywatchingwhathedoesn’tdo;youhave towatchwhathedoesdo.Itishisactualactionsandwordsthatrevealhistruecharacter,andthushisvirtuesorlackthereof.

Aristotlegoesontopointoutthat,“Virtueitselfisnotenough;theremustalsobethepowertotranslateit intoaction.”Thisisaveryimportantpointforthemanonthepathofthewarriorlifestyle.ItisnotgoodenoughtodevelopallthevirtuesthatIdiscussinModernBushido;youhavetoactuallyputthemintoaction.

Istartedthischapteroffwithananalogyaboutplantingagarden,soIwillcontinuewiththegardenanalogy.Evenifyouremovedalltheweeds,preparedthesoilperfectly,plantedtheseeds,andtookcareoftheplantsuntilyouhadlotsof vegetables, it would all be for nothing if you didn’t harvest and use thevegetables.Thesameprincipleappliestothedevelopmentofvirtueinyourlife.

If you cleanse your mind, study hard, meditate, and develop manywonderful virtues, what good does all of that do you if you don’t use thosevirtuesinyourlife?Warriorshaveadutytohelpotherpeople.Onceyouhavedevelopedvirtueinyourlife,useyourvirtueandyourknowledgetohelpthosearoundyou.Translateyourvirtueintoaction,asAristotlesaid.

Makingthevirtuesofthewarriorlifestyleapartofyourlifeisnotmerelyfor your own benefit. The true warrior will work to make his life a life ofexcellence,andwillalsostrivetobeabletousethetraitsofthewarriorlifestyletohelpotherpeople.Thesamegoesforyourmartialartsskills.Areyoulearningyourself-defenseskillsonlyasameans tokeepyourself safeordoyoufeeladutytousethoseskillstodefendthosewhoareweakerthanyouandwhoneedsomeone todefend them?The truewarriorwill feeladuty tohelpandprotectthosearoundhim.AsRobertL.HumphreystatedinTheWarriorCreed:

WhereverIgo,everyoneisalittlesaferbecauseIamthere.WhereverIam,anyoneinneedhasafriend.

WheneverIreturnhome,everyoneishappyIamthere.

Mr.Humphrey’ssentimentsinhispoemareagreatexampleofhisvirtuebeingputintoactiontohelpothers.

Epictetussaidthattheproductofvirtueistranquility.Whenyouliveyourlifewith integrityandvirtue,andwith thekindofattitude that is expressed inTheWarrior’sCreed,youwillfindthatyouwillindeedliveatranquillife.Thetranquilitythatcomesfromleadingavirtuouslifecomesfromknowingthatyouare living life as it should be lived.Youhave a clear conscience because youconstantly strive to make your decisions based on what is right and what iswrong.

IwillendthischapterwithagreatsummaryofvirtuefromBaltasarGracianwhodescribedvirtueasfollows:

Forvirtueisthebondofalltheperfections,andtheheartofall life’s satisfactions. It makes a man sensible, alert, far-seeing, understanding, wise, courageous, considerate,upright, joyous, welcomed, truthful, and a universal idol…Virtueisthesunofourlesserworld,theskyoverwhichisagoodconscience.Itissobeautiful,thatitfindsfavorofGod,and of man. There is nothing lovely without virtue…forvirtueistheessenceofwisdom,andallelseisfolly:capacityandgreatnessmustbemeasured in termsof virtue…Virtuealone is sufficient unto itself, and it, only, makes a manworthlovinginlifeandindeath,worthremembering.

MeditationsonVirtue

Followthepathofvirtue.Thevirtuousrestinblissinthisworldandinthenext.

TheDhammapada

Ifyoufollowvirtueforyourmean,andstrivetodovirtuousdeeds,youneednotenvythosethatarebornofPrincesandgreatmen,forbloodisinherited,butvirtueisachieved.

Cervantes

Thesuperiormanthinksofvirtue;thesmallmanthinksofcomfort.

Confucius

Anoblespiritwillseektherewardofvirtueintheconsciousnessofit,ratherthaninpopularopinion.

PlinytheYounger

It’squitepossibletobeagoodmanwithoutanyonerealizingit.

MarcusAurelius

Becauseofthediverseconditionsofhumans,ithappensthatsomeactsarevirtuoustosomepeople,asappropriateandsuitabletothem,whilethesameacts

areimmoralforothers,asinappropriatetothem.SaintThomasAquinas

Hewhowantstokeephisgardentidydoesn’treserveaplotforweeds.

DagHammerskjold

AlthoughtheTaoholdsnofavoritismorpartiality,italwayssupportsthosewhoarenaturallyvirtuous.

LaoTzu

Virtuealoneissufficientuntoitself,andit,only,makesamanworthlovinginlife,andindeath,worthremembering.

BaltasarGracian

Virtueisastateofwar,andtoliveinitwehavealwaystocombatwithourselves.

Jean-JacquesRousseau

Virtueismoreclearlyshownintheperformanceoffineactionsthaninthenonperformanceofbaseones.

Aristotle

Virtueshowsitselfinthelowestaswellasinthesublimestthings.

Confucius

Atrulyvirtuouspersoncannotbeindifferenttothetroubledworldinwhichhelives…

LaoTzu

Naturedoesnotbestowvirtue;tobegoodisanart.Seneca

Avirtuousmanconcentratesonhisownwork,notthatofothers.

Zengzi

Chapter4

CorrectThoughtTheMindoftheWarrior

Thought: The act or process of thinking; reflection;meditation; thepowerof reasoning; intellect; imagination;attention; consideration;mentalengrossment.

Correct thought is vital to the warrior lifestyle. Basically all religiousteachings,teachingsfromthesages,andwisdomliteraturefromthroughouttheworld, emphasize the importance of controlling your mind and the thoughtswhichyouentertainordwellupon.Learningtothinkrationallyandcontrolyourmind is of utmost importance to the warrior. Without mastering the art ofthought control (your own, not someone else’s), it is virtually impossible tosuccessfullylivethewarriorlifestyletothefullest.Yes,itisthatimportant.

BlaisePascalstatedthat,“Thewholedignityofmanisinthought.”Whenyoureallystopandthinkaboutit,thatistrue.Itisnotyouractionswhichmakeyouhonorableordignified.Whileitistruethatyouractionsareveryimportant,youractionscanbedeceptive.Actions,whichappearhonorabletothosearoundyou,canhavealternativemotiveswhichareonlyknowntoyou.

It is your thoughts and intentions which actually make your actionshonorable or dishonorable. Your thoughts ultimately determine your actions.Inappropriate or dishonorable actions are the result of inappropriate ordishonorablethoughts.Thoreaustated,“Thoughtisthesculptorwhocancreatethe person youwant to be.” Self-help guru,WayneDyer, echoes this thoughtsaying,“Yourthoughtsarethesourceofvirtuallyeverythinginyourlife.”

Unlessyoulearntocontrolyourthoughts,youwillneverbeabletocontrolyouractions;andifyoucan’tcontrolyouractions,youarewalkingonthinice.It is vital that you learn to control yourmind and think rationally. In order to

understandhowyourthoughtswork,itisusefultounderstandalittleaboutwhatyourthoughtsactuallyare.

The philosopher, Ralph Waldo Trine, taught what physicists are nowproving,“Thoughtsareforces.”Yourthoughtsactuallyhaveenergyandpower;they are not merely innocent, meaningless gibberish in your mind. Emersonstated, “There is no thought in anymind,but it quickly tends to convert itselfintoapower.”Hewenton tosay,“Every thoughtyouentertain isa force thatgoesout;andeverythoughtcomesbackladenwithitskind.”

Yourthoughtsaffectmanythingsinyourlifefromyouremotionstoyouractions,andinorderforyoutoactcorrectly,youhavetothinkcorrectly.ThisisnotsomeNewAgemumbo-jumbo.AmajorpartoftheBuddhistreligionistheEightfoldPath.EachpartoftheEightfoldPathcanultimatelybetracedbacktocontrollingyourthoughts.Buddhaunderstood,over2,500yearsago,thattoliveasuccessfullife,youhavetolearntocontrolyourmind.Thisisonereasonthatmeditation is such amajor part of theBuddhist religion.Buddha taught, “Themindiseverything.Whatyouthink,youbecome.”

As I mentioned, modern science is now proving that your thoughts areactualforcesandtheyhaveenergy.Thiscannowbemeasured.Thebestsellingbook,TheSecretbyRhondaByrne,exploresthisindetail.Irecommendthatyouread this book, if you haven’t already. In this book, it is explained that yourthoughts have a frequency, and different types of thoughts have differentfrequenciesthatcanhavedifferenteffectsonyourlife.

IhaveusedthegardenanalogytomakemypointsmanytimesinModernBushido,anditisalsoahelpfulanalogytouseinordertohelpyouunderstandhowyour thoughtsworkandwhywhatyouthinkisveryimportant.Teachingsfrom throughout the ages have taught that your thoughts affect your life.Sometimesyourthoughtshaveanimmediateeffectonyourlife,butthemajorityofthetime,thoughtstaketimetomanifestandtobecometangible.

Imaginethatyourmindisyourgardenandyourthoughtsareseedswhichyouplant.Ifyoupreparethesoil(yourmind),planttheseedsthatyouwanttogrow(correctthoughts),waterthoseseeds(focusonyourcorrectthoughts,keepyour garden weeded (rid your mind of negative, dishonorable thoughts), andcontinuetofaithfullytendtoyourgarden(beconsistentwiththisprocess),thoseseedswillmature and youwill harvest the fruits of your labor (your thoughtswillmaterialize).

Just like growing vegetables in your garden, this process takes time; itdoesn’t happen overnight. No one plants a garden one day, then harvestsvegetablesthenextday.Itsimplydoesn’tworkthatway.Ittakestimeandworkforaseedtomatureintoaplant,andfortheplant toproducefruit.Yourmind

worksthesameway.Firstyouhavetopreparethesoil(cleanseyourmindandgetyourattituderight), thenyouhavetoplanttheseeds(thethoughtsthatyouwanttomanifest).

Many people read about this process, get excited about the prospects ofputtingthistechniqueintoaction,andthenforgetaboutitafteracoupleofdaysorweeks.Thisislikeplantingagarden,takingcareofitforafewdaysandthenforgetting about it or evenworse, deciding that gardening doesn’t reallyworkanddiggingtheseedsupandthrowingthemaway.Onceyouplantyourseeds,youhavetowateryourseedsandworktokeeptheweedsoutofthegardensothoseseedscangrow.

Ifyoudon’tfollowthroughbygivingyourgardenwaterandfertilizer,andkeeping theweedsfromchokingyourplants,yourgardenwillnotproduce theresultsthatyouwant.Thisisnottosaythatyourgardenwillnotgrowanything.If you leave it up to chance, you will find that your garden will have plantsgrowinginit,butthoseplantswillbeundesirableplantssuchasnoxiousweeds,insteadoftheplantswhichproduceuseful,nutritiousfoodthatstrengthenyourmindandbody.

Thisishowyourmindworksalso.Ifyoudecidetomindfullytakecontrolofyourthoughtsinordertostartmanifestingthevirtuesandcharactertraitsthatyoudesire,butyougiveupon theprocessafteracoupleofweeksormonths,youwillfindthatthementalweedswilloverrunthegardenofyourmind.Anygarden, nomatter howbeautiful,will regress to nothingmore than a patch ofweeds if it is not continually taken care of. It doesn’t matter how wellestablished it may be or how long it has been growing, if the gardener quitstendingtoit,itwillsoonbeoverrunwithweeds.

Controllingyourthoughtsandbeingmindfulisadailyprocess.Itisnotanobjectiveinwhichyouachieveyourgoalandthenmoveontoanotherproject.Itisanongoing,never-endingpartofthewarriorlifestyle.Thedayyoudecidethatyounolongerhavetobeawareofyourthoughts,isthedayyoustarttoregress.Hopefully by now you are starting to see why it is so important for the truewarriortopayattentiontohisthoughts.

Your thoughts control your emotions and ultimately, your actions. Thewarrior cannot afford to allow his thought processes to be controlled by hisemotions; he must control his emotions, not the other way around. Rationalthought has to be the way of the warrior. Sai Baba taught that you must,“Controlyourmindandremainundisturbed.Thatisthesecretofperfectpeace.”Thisisalsothesecretofmaintainingyourcontrolasawarrior.

MarcusAureliuswroteinhiswonderfulbook,Meditations,“Thethingsyouthinkaboutdeterminethequalityofyourmind.Yoursoultakesonthecolorof

yourthoughts.”Ifyouallowyouremotionstocontrolyourthoughts,thentherewill be times when you are allowing anger, fear, passion, and frustrations toaffectyouractions.Thiscangetyouintosomemajortrouble.Thewarriormustnot allowhimself tobe controlledbyemotions suchas these.Hehas tomakesurethathisactionsareguidedbyrationalthought–notemotions.

Takuan Soho, the 17th century Zen master, pointed out that, “The minddeludesitself.Inmatterofthemind,youmuststayonyourguard.”Thisisverytrue.Itisveryeasyforyourmindtojustifythingsinordertoseethingsasyouwantthemtobe,insteadofthewaythingstrulyare.Youhavetoguardagainstthisandalwaysthinkrationally,seeingthingsastheyare,insteadofthewaythatyouwishtheywere.AstheRomanpoet,Horace,explained,“Ruleyourmind,oritwillruleyou.”

Whenyouallowyouremotionstocontrolyourthoughts,youareessentiallyallowingyourmindtoruleyouinsteadofyourulingyourmind.Emotionscancausestrongfeelingsandthoughts,andtheyhavetobecontrolled.W.ClementStone wrote, “When we direct our thoughts properly, we can control ouremotions.” This is essential for the warrior. Acting on emotional impulse isseldom a wise choice. If you dwell on certain emotions, your thoughts willsoonerorlaterturnintoactions.LaoTzuwarnedagainstthissaying,“Becarefulofyourthoughts;theyarethebeginningofyouracts.”

As you can see, taking control of your thoughts and yourmind is not assimple as itmay sound. It is easy for self-help gurus to tell people to controltheirthoughtsandmanifestwhattheywantintheirlives,butitismuchhardertodo this than theseexpertsmake itsound. It takesa lotofeffort,concentration,anddiligence tocultivateyourmindandcontrolyour thoughts,but it isworththeeffort.

Ialreadymentionedthefact thatscienceisprovingthatyourthoughtsareforcesandhavefrequenciesandenergythatcanbemeasured.Essentially,whatyoufocusonwilleventuallymanifestinyourlife.Thisisanotherreasonthatthewarrior must continually monitor his thoughts, especially thoughts which heallowshismindtocontinuallydwellondayinanddayout.Ifyoudonotwantsomethingtomanifestinyourlife,don’tallowyourmindtodwellonit.

Wayne Dyer teaches that, “Every thought you have can be assessed interms of whether it strengthens or weakens you.” This is something else thatscience isproving.Your thoughtscandirectlyaffectyourbody.Martialartistsknowthattheirthoughtsplayabigpartinwhattheycanaccomplishinthearts.Ifyouthinkthatyoucan’tdoakickorthatyoucan’tdefeatacertainopponent,yourmindandbodywillrespondtothatthought.Ifyoudoubtthis,testitoutinthe weight room. See if you can feel a difference in your weight training

betweendayswhenyourmindisfocusedanddayswhenitispreoccupiedwithoutsidethoughts.

Bodybuilders know how important a focused mind is to their overalltraining results. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote in his comprehensivebodybuildingbook,TheEncyclopediaofModernBodybuilding,“Thebodywillneverfullyrespondtoyourworkoutsuntilyouunderstandhowtotrainthemindaswell. Themind is a dynamo, a source of vital energy. That energy can benegative and work against you, or you can harness it to give yourselfunbelievable workouts and build a physique that lives up to your wildestexpectations.”Schwarzeneggerwentontosay,“Whenthegoinggetstough,itisalwaysthemindthatfailsfirst,notthebody.”

Itisimportantforthewarriortokeephismindfocusedonthethingswhichstrengthenhimratherthanweakenhim.Maintainyourmentalbalanceanddon’tletthedailyaggravationsandstressesunbalanceyourmind.Negative,stressfulthoughtsweakenyou,whilepositive thoughtsstrengthenyou.Youcan lookatyourthoughtsasyourinnerpeptalk.Thisinnerconversationwithyourselfcanmakeyoupowerfulorweak,happyorunhappy,confidentorunconfident.Neverforgetthatyourthoughtsarepowerfulforces.

Aswith all powerful forces, they can be used either to help you or usedagainstyou.Thegoodnewsisthatwhenitcomestoyourthoughts,youaretheonlypersonwhoisincontrol.Thusitisyouwhomakesthedecisionconcerningwhetheryourthoughtswillstrengthenyouandmoveyoutowardsyourgoals,orwhethertheywillworkagainstyouandweakenyou.

Thoughts of anger, hate, resentment, revenge, and unforgiveness, whichmost likely include all of the other four emotions, are all thoughtswhichwillweakenyouandworkagainstyou.AlthoughIdonothaveroomtogointothesubjectofunforgivenessinthischapter,itisasubjectthatwouldserveyouwelltodosomereadingon ifyoufind that this isanarea thatyouhaveaproblemwith inyour life.Unforgivenesscanbe likeahiddenpoolofquicksandonthepathofthewarriorlifestyle;onceyoustepintoit,youarebasicallystuckinthatspotuntilyougetoutofitandleaveitbehindyou.

I mentioned earlier that ultimately it is your thoughts that make youhonorable or dishonorable. It is the intention behind your actions whichdetermine if your actions are honorable or dishonorable, and your intentioncomesfromyourthoughts.Anactionwhichseemsrighttooutsideobservers,butwhichoriginatesfromdishonorableintentions,isnotanhonorableaction,evenif there is nothing inherentlywrongwith the action itself. This can be a littlehardformostpeopletograsp,butitisveryimportanttotruewarriorswhotaketheirhonorseriously.

Inorderforanactiontotrulybegoodorright,thethoughtbehinditmustbe right. In essence, thingshave tobe right on the inside for them to trulyberightontheoutside.Youcan’tdowrongright,butyoucandorightwrong.Theintentionbehindyouractionmakesall thedifferencein theworld.Peoplemayjudgeyouontheoutcome,butyourhonordoesnotdependontheoutcome,butratherontheintentionbehindyouraction.

Ifyourmind is rightandyour intentionsarehonorable,youcan resteasyknowingthatyouhaveactedhonorably,nomatterwhathappens.Aconsciencefreefromguiltleadstotranquilityofthemind,andonlyatranquilmindcanseethingsastheytrulyare.Thisisoneofthebenefitsofmeditation.Byquietingthemindthroughmeditation,youarebetterabletothinkrationallyandclearthefogthatcansometimescloudthemind.Notonlyshouldthewarriorlearntomeditateaspartofhisquesttolearntocontrolhismind,butheshouldalsomeditateonwhathewantstomanifestinhislifethroughhisthoughtprocesses.

The important thing tounderstand from this chapter is that your thoughtsare extremely important. They play a major part in either the success or thefailure of everything that you do. You can literally change your world bychangingyourthoughts.NapoleonHillwrote,“Wearethemasterofourfate,thecaptainsofoursouls,becausewehavethepowertocontrolourthoughts.”Therearemanythingsoutsideoftherealmofyourcontrol,butyourthoughtsareonethingthatyouhavetotalcontrolover.Youdictateyourpathbycontrollingyourthoughts.

MeditationsonCorrectThought

Humanbeings,bychangingtheinnerattitudesoftheirminds,canchangetheouteraspectsoftheirlives.

WilliamJames

Wearewhatwethink.Allthatweareariseswithourthoughts.Withourthoughts,wemaketheworld.

Buddha

Understandthatwhatyouthinkaboutexpands.WayneDyer

Thesuperiormaniscommittedtofocus.HsunTzu

Whenwedirectourthoughtsproperly,wecancontrolouremotions.

W.ClementStone

Onlyinquietwatersthingsmirrorthemselvesundistorted.Onlyinaquietmindisadequateperceptionoftheworld.

Margolis

Yourthoughtscreateyourrealitybecauseyourthoughtsdeterminehowyourespondtosituationsinyourdailylife.

WayneDyer

Whatthemindofmancanconceiveandbelieve,themindofamancanachieve.

NapoleonHill

Thinklikeamanofaction,actlikeamanofthought.ThomasMann

Thethingsyouthinkaboutdeterminethequalityofyour

mind.Yoursoultakesonthecolorofyourthoughts.MarcusAurelius

Whateveryouthink,besureitiswhatyouthink.T.S.Eliot

Becarefulofyourthoughts;theyarethebeginningofyouracts.

LaoTzu

Toreturn,timeaftertime,tothesameannoyance,isasortofinsanity.BaltasarGracian

Deliberateoften–decideonce.Latinproverb

Thewholedignityofmanisinthought.Laborthentothinkright.

Pascal

Changeyourthoughts,andyouchangeyourworld.NormanVincentPeale

Chapter5

RightActionsTheWarrior’sBuildingBlocks

Action:Thedoingofsomething;behavior;habitualconduct;habitualactivitycharacterizedbyenergyandboldness

Emersonstatedthat,“Aman’sactionisonlyapicturebookofhiscreed.”Your actionsdo indeed show to theworldwhoyou truly are as aperson, andwhat your inner beliefs and philosophy are. Your behavior is constantlyrevealingsomethingaboutyoutothosewhomyouinteractwiththroughoutyourlife.AsF.D.Huntingtonsaid,“Whatamandoes,tellsuswhatheis.”Forthisreason,itisvitallyimportanttothinkbeforeyouactandcarefullyconsiderallofyouractions.

The philosophy, that your actions reveal the true you, has been taughtthroughouttheages,fromsomeoftheearliestwisdomteachingsrightuptothepresentday.Ptah-Hoteptaughtthis,asdidJesusandLaoTzu.Thefactthatmenofhonorshouldcarefullyconsidertheiractionsandactappropriately,accordingto theirowncodeofhonor, isuniversallyaccepted,butseems tobe taken lessthanseriously,especiallyintoday’ssociety.Althoughmostpeopledon’tseemtotake theiractionsseriouslyanymore, thewarriordoesn’t live likemostpeople.Heknowshowimportantitistocarefullyconsiderhiseveryaction.

AsIdiscussedinthelastchapter,youractionsbeginwithyourthoughts,soitisvitalthatyoucontrolyourmindandyouremotionsoryouwillneverbeabletocontrolyouractions.Ifyouallowyourmindtorunwild,entertaininganyandeverythoughtthatpopsintoyourhead,thenyouractionswillfollowalong,andyouwillfindthatyouarerandomlydoingwhatever,withoutgivingyouractionsmuchthoughtatall.

Thesamegoesforallowingyouremotionstocontrolyouractions.Themanwho acts according to his emotions, instead of giving his actions rational

thought,will find thathe isconstantlybehaving inwayswhicharecontrary towho he trulywants to be. Allowing emotions such as fear, anger, frustration,hate,envy,orjealousytocontrolyouractionsisonlyaskingfortrouble,andwilldamageyourreputationanddisruptyourgoalsonyourquest tobecomea truewarrior.Youmusttakestepstocontrolbothyourthoughtsandyouremotionsinordertoensurethatyouractionsareright.

This is the first step toward acting correctly in every circumstance. Youmustgetyourmind rightbeforeyoucanpossiblymakeyouractions right.AsAshleyMontagu pointed out, “The onlymeasure ofwhat you believe iswhatyoudo. Ifyouwant toknowwhatpeoplebelieve,don’t readwhat theywrite,don’taskwhattheybelieve,justobservewhattheydo.”Actionsoriginatefromyour thoughts, so learning to control your thoughts and thinking rationally,insteadofemotionally,isthefoundationofrightactions.

Otherscanseewhatyoutrulybelievebyhowyouact.Jesustaught,“Youwill know themby their fruits.” JohnLocke echoed this thought saying, “Theactionsofmenarethebestinterpretersoftheirthoughts.”Itiseasyforsomeonetoprofesstobelieveinacertainphilosophy,butitistheiractionswhichserveasproofofeitherwhattheytrulybelieve,orhowseriouslytheybelievewhattheyespouse.

Thetruewarriorshouldwalkthewalk,notmerelytalkthetalk.Itiseasytosayyoubelieveinthevirtuesandtraitsofthewarriorlifestyle,butittakesmorethanaverbalpronouncementof thesevirtues toactually live the lifestyle;youhave tomake thesevirtuesand traitsanactivepartofyour life. In short,youractions have to coincidewith your professed beliefs. There is an old Chineseproverbwhichstates,“Totalkgoodisnottobegood;todogood,thatisbeinggood.”Thisisverytrue.

Thewarrior’swordswillcorrespondwithhisactions,andhisactionswillcorrespondwith hiswords.LaoTzu taught, “TheUniversalWay is not just amatter of speakingwisdom,but oneof continual practice.”This could alsobesaidoflivingthewarriorlifestyle.Itisnotamatteroftalkingaboutallthethingswhichmakethewarriorlifestyleagreatwaytolive,youactuallyhavetoliveit–practiceit.

Youdon’tlivethewarriorlifestyletoimpressothers;youlivethewarriorlifestylebecauseofapersonaldecisiontolivealifeofexcellence.Youdon’tdotherightthingforanykindofpersonalrewardortoimpressthosearoundyou;youdotherightthingsimplybecauseitisright.Thewarriordoeswhatheknowsisrightaccordingtohisowncodeofhonor,withoutworryingaboutwhatothersthinkaboutit.Heknowsthathealoneisresponsibleforhisactions,nooneelse.

TheHadithstates,“Dowhatyoushoulddowhenyoushoulddoit;don’tdo

what you shouldn’t do; andwhen it is unclear,wait until you aremore sure.”This is good advice for the warrior. Although this is pretty simple andstraightforwardadvice,itisnotalwayssosimpletofigureoutwhatyoushoulddo andwhat you shouldn’t do. Again, this requires thought, and tomake theright decisions, you have to spend time making sure your mind is right.Remember,forthingstoberightontheoutside,theyfirsthavetoberightontheinside. If you aren’t thinking rationally, there is a very good chance that yourdecisionswillbeoffkilter.

Thinking before you act is not enough, you must think rationally andcorrectly before you act. Misguided, emotional thoughts will lead to baddecisionsandbadactions.MarcusAureliustaughtthatyoushould,“Sayanddoeverything according to the soundest reason.”This is anothermaximwhich isuniversallytaughtthroughouttheworld.

So,whatshouldyoudo ifyoureallydonotknowwhat todo inacertainsituation? Wait and meditate until you do know what you should do.Bodhidharma, the 6th century Buddhist monk and Zen patriarch, stated, “Ifyou’renotsure,don’tact.”Thisisgoodadviceforthewarrior.Youdon’thavetomakea snapdecision.Waituntilyouknowwhat the rightaction is inyourspirit,thenact.Pythagorasstatedyoushould,“Consultanddeliberatebeforeyouact,thatyoumaynotcommitfoolishactions.”

Of course there will be times when you do not have the luxury ofmeditatingonwhatyoushoulddobeforeyoumakeadecision.Itisbecauseofthisthatyoushouldbedoingdailymeditationandstudyinginordertobeabletomaketherightdecisionwhenyoufindyourselfinasituationwhichrequiresyouto act immediately.You have to be prepared ahead of time tomake the rightdecisionintheseinstances.

Howdoyoudothis?Howdoyouensurethatyouwillbepreparedtomaketherightdecisionwhenyoudonothavetimetospendhoursordaysdeterminingtherightmove?Youmakethevirtuesandtraitsofthewarriorlifestyleapartofyou through constant study and integration of them in your life. Byunderstandingwhat you stand for andwhat you know is right, you aremuchbetterpreparedtodealwithlife’scurveballswhentheyarethrownatyou.

You wouldn’t wait until some mugger attacks you, before you startpreparing to defend yourself. That would be silly.Martial artists spend yearstrainingandlearningtheartofself-defenseinordertobeprepared,shouldtheyeverneedtousetheirskills.Thesamegoesforyourdecisionmakingskills.Youhavetostudyandprepareyourmindtomaketherightdecisionbeforeyouarefacetofacewithanimportantchoice.Studytheteachingsofthewisemenfromthroughouthistory.Mybook,Wisdomof theElders, isanexcellentaidtohelp

youprepareyourmindtomaketherightdecisionsthroughoutlife.Another factor thatdetermineswhetheryouractionsare rightorwrong is

the intention behind your actions.Your intentions should be sincere and pure.SheikhMuzafferstated,“Thefirstdutyistobehavewithpurityofintention.Itshouldneverbeforgottenthateverydeedandeveryactionisjudgedaccordingtotheintentionbehindit.”

Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouneedtodiscloseyourintentionsoryourmotivestoeveryoneelse; that isnotalwaysawisedecision.What itdoesmean is thatyoushouldbemakingyourdecisionsbasedonwhatisrightandwhatiswrong.LaRochefoucauld,inhisgreatbook,Maxims,wrote,“Weshouldoftenblushatour noblest deeds if theworldwere to see all their underlyingmotives.”Thisshouldneverbesaidofthetruewarrior.

Thewarrior’smotives shouldbebasedonhonor anddoingwhat is right.Although you don’t alwayswant to disclose themotives behind your actions,ideally,youshouldneverbeashamedofthosemotivesbecausetheywillcomefromaplaceofhonorandintegrity.Manytimes,peoplewillnotunderstandyouractions, but this is not your problem.LaRochefoucauldwent on towrite, “Acountless number of acts that appear foolish have secretmotives that are verywiseandweighty.”

Your objective is not for everyone to understand your actions, or theintentions behind your actions, only that your actions are honorable and right.Peoplewill readwhat theywill intoyouractions.ToquoteLaRochefoucauldagain, “Our actions are like rhymes: anyone can fit them in tomeanwhat helikes.”Peoplewillbelievewhattheywanttobelieve.Whatsomeoneelsethinksorbelievesaboutyouractionsshouldn’tconcernyou.RememberwhatMarcusAureliuswrote,“Itisquitepossibletobeagoodmanwithoutanyonerealizingit…Idowhatisminetodo;therestdoesn’tdisturbme.”

Concernyourselfmorewithwhatisright,havethecouragetoactonwhatyouknowisright,andleaveotherstobelievewhattheywill.Focusonyourownactions, not the actions of others. Yes, there will be times when you have torespond to what others do, but when you do respond, always do so from thestandpointofwhatisright.AsTakuanSohotaught,“Eachactionofthewarrioris performed from a place of fundamental wisdom…it is completely differentfromtheordinarybehaviorofafool.Evenifitlooksthesame,itisdifferentontheinside.”

Howcananactionlookthesameaswhatsomeunthinking,morondoesandyet not be the same?The answer is because it is different on the inside. Thismeansthatitcomesfromaplaceofhonorandintegrity.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatitlooksliketoothers,itmatterswhattheintentionisbehindtheaction.Remember

this andmake sure your intentions are always honorable and originate from aplaceofintegrity.

Todothis,youmustfirstunderstandyourobjectivesandyourmotivations.Marshall Ferdinand Foch stated, “In whatever position you find yourselfdeterminefirstyourobjective.”GuanYinTzualsotaughtthisreasoningstating,“The secret of success is before attempting anything, bevery clear aboutwhyyouaredoingit.”Ifyoudon’tknowyourobjectiveorthepurposebehindyouraction, howcan youpossibly know if your actions are right?Youmust knowwhyyouaredoingwhatyouaredoing,andwhatyouwanttoaccomplishwithyouractions.Yourobjectivedeterminesyouractions.

Why are you learningmartial arts?Why do you spend hours eachweekpracticingself-defense?Whydoyouwant to live thewarrior lifestyle?Whyismeditating important to you?These are all important questions for you to askyourself.Itisvitallyimportantforyoutobeclearonwhyyoudowhatyoudo.Ifyoudon’thaveaclearpictureofwhatyouwant,andyoudon’treallyunderstandwhyitisimportantforyoutocontinuetoworktoachieveyourgoals,youwillfindthatitwillbemuchhardertokeepyourselfmotivated.

Havingadeepunderstanding,concerningwhyyouaredoingwhatyoudo,isvitaltokeepingyouontrack.Thisislikehavingaroadmapthatguidesyoutowhereyouwanttogo,andthisroadmapalsohelpsguideyouconcerningwhatyou should and should not do.There are certain actionswhichwill bring youcloser to your goals and other actionswhichwill take you further away fromyourgoals.Keepingyourmindfocusedonwhat is important toyouhelpsyoudeterminewhichactionsarewhich.

Inadditiontoknowingwhatyoushouldandshouldnotdo,youalsowanttopayattentiontohowyouperformyourdeeds.SwamiSivanandataughtthatyoushould,“Putyourheart,mind,intellect,andsouleventoyoursmallestacts.Thisisthesecrettosuccess.”Multitaskingmaybeapartoflifetoday,butitisnotthebestwaytogetthingsdone,especiallyifyouareinterestedinexcellence.ThereisaZenmaximthatstates,“Whenwalking,walk.Wheneating,eat.”Thismeansthatyoushouldfocusonthetaskathand.Whateveryouaredoing,doittothebestofyourability–doitwell.

Thewarriorputshiswholeheartintohisactionswhetherheisworkingoutorplantingagarden.Heisamanofexcellenceandthisshouldbeevidentinhiseveryaction.Doonethingatatime,doitwell,thenfocusonsomethingelse.Ilike what JohnW. Gardner wrote, “Do ordinary things extraordinarily well.”Thisquoteisonethateverywarriorshouldmeditateonandkeepinmind.

Confuciustaught,“Bynature,menarenearlyalike;bypractice,theygettobewide apart.” It is your actionswhich set you apart fromordinarymen and

make you a superior man. Anne Byrhhe wrote, “Every action we take,everythingwedo,iseitheravictoryordefeatinthestruggletobecomewhatwewant to be.” Your actionsmatter. You have to start fromwhere you are andbegin to transformyouractions(ifyouractionshaven’tbeenwhat theyshouldbe).LaoTzuwrote,“Ajourneyofathousandmilesbeginswithonestep.”

Itdoesn’tmatterwhatyouhavedoneinthepast;youcanalwaysstartanewwhere your actions are concerned. Start to act like theman of honor that youwanttobe,today.Alwaysremember,everythingyoudo,everythingyouthink,and everything you say, has some consequence in your life, or the lives ofothers.Youcandowrong,notonlybyyouractions,butbyyourinactions,andyouareresponsibleforboth.Molierewrote,“Itisnotonlywhatwedo,butalsowhatwedonotdo,forwhichweareaccountable.”

Doingnothingisalsoanaction;notmakingadecisionismakingadecision.Everythingyoudoisanaction,evenifitistheactionofinaction.Bydecidingnot to workout, but instead to take the afternoon off and sit in front of thetelevision,youarestillacting.Watchingtelevisionisanaction.Takinganapisanaction.Everythingthatyoudoissometypeofaction.Wheneveryoudecidenottodoonething,youaredecidingtodosomethingelse.Thisistrueevenifwhatyoudecidetodoisnothing.Doingnothingisinfactdoingsomething.

What thewarrior shouldalwaysbeconcernedwith iswhetherhis actionsare right or wrong. Always use your sense of honor to determine the correctcourseofaction,andremember,asPlutarchpointedout,“Noteventhegodscanundowhathasbeendone.”Youcan’tgobackandchangethepast;allyoucandoisstarttodoright,rightnow,thisverymoment.Startingnow,strivetomakeyoureveryactionright,accordingtoyourowncodeofhonor.

MeditationsonRightActions

Firstsaytoyourselfwhatyouwouldbe;andthendowhatyouhavetodo.

Epictetus

Everymanisthesumofhisownworks.Cervantes

Iftheheartisrightthedeedswillberight.JapaneseProverb

Letyourwordscorrespondwithyouractionsandyouractionswithyourwords.

Confucius

Aman’sactionisonlyapicturebookofhiscreed.Emerson

Everyactionwetake,everythingwedo,iseitheravictoryordefeatinthestruggletobecomewhatwewanttobe.

AnneByrhhe

Whenwalking,walk.Wheneating,eat.ZenMaxim

Ajourneyofathousandmilesbeginswithonestep.LaoTzu

Ourgrandbusinessisnottoseewhatliesdimlyatadistance,buttodowhatliesclearlyathand.

ThomasCarlyle

Thesuccessofveryimportantmattersoftendependsondoingornotdoingsomethingthatseemstrivial.Evenin

littlethings,therefore,youmustbecautiousandthoughtful.FrancescoGuicciardini

Neverrefuseorhesitatetotakestepsagainstimpendingdangers…becauseyouthinktheyaretoolate.

Sincethingsoftentakemuchlongerthanexpected,becauseoftheirverynatureandbecauseofthevariousobstaclestheyencounter,itveryoftenhappensthatthestepsyouhaveomittedtotake,thinkingtheywouldhave

beentoolate,wouldhavebeenintime.FrancescoGuicciardini

Weshouldoftenblushatournoblestdeedsiftheworldweretoseealltheirunderlyingmotives.

LaRochefoucauld

Consultanddeliberatebeforeyouact,thatyoumaynotcommitfoolishactions.

Pythagoras

Itisnotonlywhatwedo,butalsowhatwedonotdo,forwhichweareaccountable.

Moliere

Chapter6

CorrectSpeechTheWordsoftheWarrior

Speech:theactofspeaking;expressionorcommunicationofthoughtsandfeelingsbyspokenwords;themannerofspeaking;thatwhichisspoken;utterance,remark,statement,talk,conversation.

Your speech is how you communicate with others. It is how you allowotherstoknowyourfeelingsandthoughts.Inessence,yourspeech,alongwithyouractions,istheonlywaythatotherpeoplecanjudgeyouandyourcharacter.Forthisreason,amongothers, it isveryimportant thatyoukeepaclosewatchoverwhatyousayandhowyousayit.Yes,howyouexpressyourselfcanbejustasimportantaswhatyousay.Yourattitudeandtonecantellsomeoneasmuchaboutwhatyouarecommunicatingasyouractualwords.AstheVikingbookofwisdom,TheHavamal,states,“Manbyhisspeechisknowntomen.”

Afteryouractions,yourspeechisthemostimportantfactorinhowpeopleseeyouasaperson.Thisiswhyitisimportantforthewarriortotakesometimetothinkaboutthewayhewantshisspeechtoportrayhimasamanofcharacter,thepitfallstobeawareof,andthefactorswhichcanhelpensurethathisspeechisanassetinsteadofaliabilityinhisquesttoperfecthimselfonhisjourneytobecomeasuperiorman.Thekeypartofthatlastsentenceistheword“think.”

Always think before you speak. The Buddhist philosopher, Nagarjuna,stated, “Those who speak with discretion are respected by mankind.” SoaccordingtoNagarjuna,discretioninyourspeechisthekeytobeingrespectedbyothers.Thismeansthatyouhavetogivesomethoughttoyourwordsbeforeyouallowthemtocomeoutofyourmouth.Thinkaboutwhatyouaregoingtosay,howitwillbereceivedby thosewhoare listening toyou,even those thatyoumaynotbeawarearelistening,andyourpurposeinspeaking,allbeforeyou

starttalking.Itisnotnecessaryoradvantageoustogiveyouropinionabouteverythingto

everyone.Itisnotyourjobtobeaformofcheapentertainmentforthosearoundyou. This is a trap that is very easy to fall into and is the downfall ofmanypeople.Whileitiscertainlyokaytochatwithyourbuddiesorotherpeopleaboutmeaningless things in order to be affable, you should be careful of yourconversation even on such relaxed occasions. It is all too easy to get carriedawaywithyourconversationandexpressopinionswhichcanbeoffensiveandusedagainstyouat a later time.Begenial and social,but at the same timebeawareandthoughtfulconcerningyourprivatebeliefs.

Even if you are talking to people who you consider harmless and well-intentioned,youneverknowhowyourwordswillbetakenortowhomtheywillbe repeated. It is always good policy to carefully monitor your speech, evenwhen chatting with friends. Francesco Guicciardini stated, “Unless you areforced by necessity, be careful in your conversations never to say anythingwhich, if repeated,mightdispleaseothers.Foroften,at timesand inwaysyoucouldneverforesee,thosewordsmaydoyougreatharm.Inthismatter,Iwarnyou,beverycareful.Evenprudentmengowronghere,anditisdifficultnotto.”

Confuciusalsotaughttheimportanceofwatchingwhatyousay.Hepointedout, “Foronewordaman isoftendeemed tobewise, and foronewordhe isoftendeemedtobefoolish.Weshouldbecarefulindeedofwhatwesay.”Youwill notice that neither Confucius nor Guicciardini made an exceptionconcerningwhenyouaretalkingtofriendsorenemies,orwhenyouaretalkinginprivateorinpublic.Theysimplywarnedustobeverycarefulwhenitcomestoyourspeech.

If you will remember, I wrote that it is not only your words which areimportant, but also your tone and how you speak, that should be taken intoaccount.Speechissimplyhowyoucommunicatewithothers,andthereismuchmore that goes into this communication than simple words.Meanings can becommunicated through other means as well, such as gestures, tone, and theoverallwaythatyousaywhatyouaresaying.

Someonecansaysomethingtoyousuchas,“Howniceforyou,”anditcanmeansomethingotherthanheishappyforyou,dependingonhowhesaysit.Asarcastic tone could indicate that he is jealous of you or is upset with you,whereas, if it isstatedinasinceremanner, itprobablymeansexactlywhat thewordsstate.Howyousaysomethingisjustasimportantaswhatyousay,oratleastfairlyclose.JohnWaynegavesomegoodadviceconcerningthiswhenhesaid,“Talklow,talkslow,anddon’tsaytoomuch.”

BenJohnsonstatedthat,“Talkingandeloquencearenotthesame:tospeak,

and to speakwell, are two different things. A foolmay talk, but a wisemanspeaks.”Youdonothavetobeloudandobnoxioustogetyourpointacross.Infact,speakinginaloud,angrytone,whilesometimesnecessary,isnotthewayto win overmost people or to leave someonewith a favorable impression ofyourself. Learn to use soft words, backed up with rational, hard arguments.Nagarjunataught,“Thesteadfastwhospeakinfewwordsandpolitelyareverymuchrespectedbymankind.”

Thereisatimeandaplacefordifferentkindsofspeech,butthereisneveratimeoraplaceforthoughtlessspeech.Alwaysthinkbeforeyouspeak,nomatterwhat the situation may be. The trick is to watch and listen to your audiencebefore you start speaking. Judge the nature, character, and beliefs of thosearoundyoubeforeyouspeak,thenyouarebetterabletospeakwithoutsteppingontheirtoesormakinganycommentswhichtheymayfindoffensiveandwhichmaycomebacktocauseyousomegriefatalatertime.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Would you persuade, speak of interest, not ofreason.”Don’texpecteveryonetounderstandthingsaswellasyouor to thinkrationally. Not everyone is rational or has the capability to understand thewarrior lifestyle andhowyou live your life, but you can still carry on a nice,social conversation with them by speaking in terms of things that they areinterestedinandallowingthemtodomostofthetalking.Youdon’thavetotrytoshoweveryonetheerroroftheirways.Notonlyisthisunwantedbythevastmajorityofpeople,but ithardlyeverworks,andmostpeople simply find thatoffensive.Youhavetobesmartandrealizethatnoteveryonethinkslikeyou.

It isbest tonot speakaboutyourself.Getothers to talkabout themselvesinstead. People love to talk about themselves and their lives.Nobody likes totalk to someonewho is obsessedwith his own life and goes on and on aboutevery detail of his “all-important” life,with little or no interest in anybodyoranythingelse.Thekeytobeingagoodconversationalististoknowhowtogetpeopletalkingaboutthingswhichinterestthem.

Thereareseveraladvantagestodoingthis.First,theotherpersonwillliketalkingtoyouandwillconsideryouagreatconversationalist,evenwithoutyousayingmuch.Also,youareabletolearnmuchmoreaboutsomeonewhentheyaretalkingandsharingthings,asopposedtoyoudoingso.Itisalwaystoyouradvantage to listen and learn instead of talking, but this takes discipline andpractice. It ishumannature towant toaddyour twocents to theconversation.Resistthisurgeunlessthereissomepurposeinyouraddingtothediscourse.

Taisou taught, “One offensiveword is enough to leave a permanent scarthatmaybecomeaseedforrevenge.”Itissoeasytoallowyouremotionstogetinvolved during a conversation and to permit yourself to vent your anger or

frustrationsthroughyourwords.Whilethisfeelsreallygoodatthetime,lateritcancomebacktocauseyoumanyproblems.Itisjustnotworththeriskorthestress of wondering if what you said will be used against you in some way.When you resist the urge to spout off and express your opinion, you areguaranteednottohavetodealwithanyadverseconsequencesofyourspeechatalatertime.AstheTalmudteaches,“Yourfriendhasafriend,andyourfriend’sfriendhasafriend;bediscreet.”

Evenifyouarespeakingtosomeonewhoyouconsiderclose,itiswisetowatchwhatyousaybecauseitmayberepeatedorusedagainstyousomewheredown the road, when your relationshipmay not be as close. Samuel Johnsonexplainedthereasonbehindthiswellwhenhewrote,“Amanshouldbecarefulnever to tell talesofhimself tohisowndisadvantage;peoplemaybeamused,andlaughatthetime,buttheywillberemembered,andbroughtupagainsthimuponsomesubsequentoccasion.”

Relationshipschange,justlikeeverythingelseinthisworld.Someoneyoumaybeonfriendlytermswithtodaymaychangehisfeelingstowardsyouinthefuture and use things you have disclosed to him against you. It is the safestpolicynottodisclosepersonalinformationwhichcanbeusedagainstyouandtocarefullywatchwhatyousay.Don’tallowyourself togetcarriedawayduringanyconversation.

This is especially important when you are highly emotional or angry.Always be extremely careful andmindful of yourwordswhen you are angry.During periods of anger, your mind will scream at you that, “It doesn’t careabout the consequences; you should put this person in his place.” It is duringtimeslikethisthatyouhavetotakecontrolofyouremotions,andyoururgetoletsomeoneknowexactlyhowyoufeel,andthinkrationallybeforeyouspeak.Never allow your negative emotions to control your tongue. Harsh words,combined with poor reasoning, never settle anything; they only make thingsworse.

By being a man of few words and controlling your speech, you will bebetterassuredofnotbeingthoughtlessinyourspeech.LaRochefoucauldwrote,“Asthestampofgreatmindsistosuggestmuchinfewwords,so,contrariwise,littlemindshavethegiftoftalkingagreatdealandsayingnothing.”Youwanttoconductyourselfassomeonewithagreatmind,whosewordshavemeaning,notbeseenassomeonewhocontinuallychattersandsaysnothing,orwhosewordsaremeaninglessandshouldbetakenwithagrainofsalt.

Thewarriorwillcarefullyconsiderhisspeech,notsimplytokeephimselfoutoftrouble,butbecausehisspeechisapartofhischaracter.Itisbestforthewarrior to be more introspective. He should communicate more with himself

thanwithothers,focusingonmakinghimselfthebesthecanbe,insteadofbeinginterested in the latestgossip.Confucius taught, “Asuperiorman ismodest inhis speech,but exceeds inhis actions.”This shouldbe thegoalof thewarriorwherespeechisconcerned.Bemodestandsincereinyourspeechandmakesureyouractionscoincidewithwhatyousay.

Thefundamentalnatureof thewarrior is tosaywhatyoumeanandmeanwhatyousay. Inorder todo this,youhave tobecarefulconcerningwhatyousay.Neverpromisetodosomethingifyoudon’tplanondoingitorcannotfulfillyourpromise.Shakespearepointedoutthat,“Thingsareoftenspokeandseldommeant.”This is thewayof theaverageman,but shouldnotbe thewayof thewarrior.Whenthewarriorsayssomething,hemeansitandbacksitupwithhisactions.

It is for this reason that he has to be careful not to say that he will dosomething simply to please the person he is talking to.Don’t say youwill dosomething then put it out of yourmind as if you nevermentioned it. That ismerelyawaytodestroyyourreputationasamanofcharacterwiththosearoundyou.Youwant to be knownas amanof yourword, amanwhoseword is asgood as gold, not someonewho simply spouts off and doesn’tmeanwhat hesays.Peoplewill takenoticeof thisandwillnot takeyouseriously ifyousaythingsandneverbackthemup.

The sameprinciple goes for exaggerating.Whenyou relay a storyor tellsomeonewhatyouhavewitnessed,don’texaggerate.BaltasarGracianexplainedexactly why you should not exaggerate, stating, “Never exaggerate…avoidoffending the truth, in part to avoid the cheapening of your judgment.Exaggeration wastes distinction, and testifies to the paucity of yourunderstanding.”Essentially,whenyouexaggerateyouareeither lying tomakeyourwordsseemmoreimportant,oryouaregivingevidencethatyourjudgmentisnottobetrusted.Neitheroftheseshouldbecharacteristicsofthetruewarrior.

To avoid this, it is best to not talk about things which you are not sureabout.Alwaysrememberthatyourignoranceexceedsyourknowledge.Don’ttrytoseemsmarterorbetter informed thanyouareby talkingabout thingswhichyou don’t understand or on which you don’t have complete information. AsSyrustaught,“Keepthegoldenmeanbetweensayingtoomuchandsayingtoolittle.” Trying to impress people by attempting to appear better informed orbettereducatedthanyouactuallyare,willusuallycomebacktoembarrassyou,asthereisalwayssomeoneout therewhoisbetter informedorbettereducatedthanyouondifferentsubjects.

Insteadof trying to impress people, simplybe sincere andbe yourself. Ifyoudonotknowsomething,keepyourmouthshut, listen,andlearn.Abraham

Lincoln stated thisprincipleperfectlywhenhe said, “It isbetter tokeepone’smouthshutandbethoughtafoolthantoopenitandresolvealldoubt.”Speakingabout thingswhich you don’t understand, as though you are an expert on thesubject,isacharacteristicofafool,notacharacteristicofthewarrior.

C.J.Ducassesaid,“Tospeakofmerewordsismuchlikespeakingofmeredynamite.” By now you should be starting to understand how important yourspeechandwordsare,andwhyyoushouldtakepainstothinkcarefullybeforeyouspeak.SwamiShivanandastatedthat,“Hewhohascontroloverhistongueis greater than a hero in battle.”What hemeant by this statement is that it isextremelyhardtoperfectthetraitofcontrollingyourtongue.Itishumannatureto like to talk, tobrag,and to freelycommunicateone’s thoughts,but it isnothumannaturetotakecontrolandcarefullymonitoryourspeech.

Whenindoubtaboutwhattosay,saynothing.Aesopstated,“Indangeroustimes wise men say nothing.” This is always the safest policy when you areunsurewhat tosay–simplyremainsilent.Therearemanytimeswhensilencesaysmuchmore thanwords can convey.You are not obligated to respond toeveryonesimplybecause theywould likeyou to.Many timespeople try tosetyouuptosaysomethingthattheycanuseagainstyou.Byremainingsilent,youbothspoiltheirlittletrapandmaintainyourdignityandpeaceofmind.

Don’t let your tongue be your own worst enemy; learn to control youremotions and your speech. It is always best to keep your private informationsecret.Don’tbetooopenortooeagertoshareyourpersonalthoughts.Thereisatimeforspeechandatimeforsilence,anditiswisdomtoknowwhenitistimetospeakandwhenitistimetoremainsilent.IwillendthischapterwithsomewisdomfromaLatinproverb,“Fromalittlesparkmayburstamightyflame.”

MeditationsonCorrectSpeech

Ifthebirdhadn’tsung,itwouldn’thavebeenshot.JapaneseProverb

Keepthegoldenmeanbetweensayingtoomuchandsayingtoolittle.

Syrus

Intimeslikethesemenshouldutternothingforwhichtheywouldnotbewillinglyresponsible

throughtimeandineternity.AbrahamLincoln

Youalwayswinbynotsayingthethingsyoudon’tneedtosay.

ChineseProverb

Asuperiormanismodestinhisspeech,butexceedsinhisactions.

Confucius

Saybutlittle,andsayitwell.IrishProverb

Eloquenceresidesnolessinaperson’stoneofvoice,expression,andgeneralbearingthaninhischoiceofwords.

LaRochefoucauld

Ofwhatdoesnotconcernyousaynothinggoodorbad.ItalianProverb

Indangeroustimeswisemensaynothing.Aesop

Agentleresponseallayswrath;Aharshwordprovokesanger.

TheBookofProverbs

Thinkbeforeyouspeakbutdonotspeakallthatyouthink.ChineseProverb

Bothspeechandsilencetransgress.ZenMaxim

Unlessyouareforcedbynecessity,becarefulinyourconversationsnevertosayanythingwhich,ifrepeated,

mightdispleaseothers.Foroften,attimesandinwaysyoucouldneverforesee,thosewordsmaydoyougreatharm.

FrancescoGuicciardini

Judgethenatureofyourlistenersandspeakaccordingly.Tiruvalluvar

Outsidenoisy,insideempty.ChineseProverb

Youcannottalktoafroginawellaboutthevastsea;heislimitedtohisareaofspace.

Asummerinsecthasnoknowledgeofsnow;itknowsnothingbeyonditsownseason.

ChiuShu

Chapter7

WisdomTheWayoftheSage

Wisdom: the quality of being wise; power of judging rightly andfollowing the soundest course of action, based on knowledge,experience,understanding;goodjudgment;sagacity.

Wisdomis thequalityofbeingwise.That isaprettysimplisticdefinitionandisnotveryhelpfulinunderstandingwhywisdomisimportanttothewarrior,butifyoureadtheotherdefinitions,youbegintounderstandwhywisdomissoimportant to thewarrior lifestyle.Wisdomenables thewarrior to judge rightlyand to follow the soundest course of action based on knowledge andunderstanding.Thisencompassesexactlywhatthewarriorneedsinordertolivethewarriorlifestyleinaworldwheregoodjudgmentisbecomingararity.

The Roman philosopher, Cicero, agreed with the current definition ofwisdom,stating,“Thefunctionofwisdomistodiscriminatebetweengoodandevil.”Thoreauwrote that,“It isacharacteristicofwisdomnot tododesperatethings.” Both of these require understanding and good judgment, which isexactly what wisdom provides for you. Without wisdom you are basicallyshootingin thedark.It isvital for thewarrior thathestrives toobtainwisdomandputsthatwisdomtouseinhislife.

Buddhacalledwisdomthemostpreciousofriches.ThebookofProverbssays, “Get wisdom, get understanding…Do not forsake wisdom, and she willprotect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme;thereforegetwisdom.”Thisisgoodadvice,butexactlyhowdoesonebecomeawisemanwithastoreofwisdomtoguidehimthroughouthislife?

Like most things, which are valuable and worthwhile, wisdom requireseffortandwork.Justasthefruittreedoesn’tproducefruitovernight,youcan’t

sitdownwithabookonedayandthinkthatyouwillhaveobtainedwisdomthenext day.Actually, I guess you could read a bookoneday and think that youhave obtainedwisdom the next day, but thinking that you arewise and beingwise are twodifferent things.Noneof the traits found inModernBushido aredeveloped overnight; they all take discipline and the hand of time to develop.Thedevelopmentofwisdomisnodifferent.

Solet’sgetbacktothequestionabouthowoneobtainswisdom.Ifyoulookbackatthedefinitionofwisdom,youwillnoticethatitisbasedonknowledge,experience and understanding. Knowledge is learning and can come fromanyone or anything. Always be open to learning from everything you read,everyoneyoumeet,andeverythingyoudo.LordChesterfieldwrote,“There ishardly any place or any companywhere youmay not gain knowledge, if youplease;almosteverybodyknowssomeone thing,and isglad to talkabout thatonething.”

BaltasarGracianstated,“Amanwithoutknowledge,aworldindarkness.”Knowledgeisthebeginningofwisdom.Withoutsomeknowledgeofhowthingsworkinthisworld,itisimpossibletohaveanyunderstandingofhowtheworldworks,andthereforeimpossibletodevelopwisdom.SakyaPanditputitplainlywhenhesaid,“Ofwhatuseisamanwhohasacquiredlittleknowledge?”

The first step in developing wisdom is to become knowledgeable. Studyand learn aboutmany different subjects, but especially about the subjects thatcanaffectyourlifeandthelivesofyourlovedones.Forthewarrior,developingavastarrayofknowledgeiscrucial,especiallyknowledgethatguideshimonhisjourneythroughthewarriorlifestyle.Tobeasuperiorman,youmustacquireasmuchknowledgeasyoupossiblycan.Neverstoplearning.

Ramakrishna, the famous Indianmystic, stated, “He alone is truly amanwho is illuminated by the light of the true knowledge.”Youmust obtain trueknowledge, not simply a bunchof factswhich you file away in yourmemorybank. Being able to recite hundreds of facts and figures does you little good,unless you make a living on game shows. You have to be able to put theknowledgewhichyou acquire to use for it to be valuable in your life.This iswhereunderstandingcomesintoplay.

Understanding is the ability to truly comprehend or grasp the principlesbehindthesubjectwhichyouarelearning.Inessence,itisbeingabletoputyourknowledgetowork.It is thisintellectualcapacitytotrulyunderstandwhatyoulearn that makes it useful. Without a true understanding of something, it isdifficulttoreallybenefitfromit.

Ofcoursethereareexceptionstothisstatement.Youdon’thavetohaveadeep understanding of how your refrigeratorworks in order to put a bottle of

waterinitandkeepitcold.Butifyourrefrigeratorquitsworking,youhavetohaveathoroughunderstandingofhowitworksinordertofixit.Onlytheman,whohasacquiredthatknowledgeandknowshowtoputthatknowledgetowork,can successfully use his understanding to fix the unexpected problem of hisrefrigeratornotworkingcorrectly.Thisappliestoeverythinginlife.Youcangetbywithalittleknowledge,butsoonerorlater,knowledgewithoutunderstandingwillcatchupwithyouandrevealyourdeficiency.

This same principle can be applied to your martial arts training. If yousimplymemorizecertainkicksorpunches,thatisbasicknowledge.Butinorderto successfullyuse thosekicksorpunches,youneed to thoroughlyunderstandtheunderlyingprinciplesbehindthem.Youneedtoknowmorethanmerelyhowtothrowapunchorkickintheair.Atrueunderstandingoftheusefulnessofthepunchorkickwouldentailknowingwheretoplaceitonyourattacker’sbodytostophim,howitfeelstostrikeanactualperson,anunderstandingofthehumananatomy,etc.

As you can plainly see, acquiring a deep understanding of a subjectinvolvesmuchmorethanarudimentaryknowledgeofthesubject;itgoesmuchdeeperandgetsdowntotheactualprinciplesbehindtheknowledge.Toachieveagenuinecomprehensionofsomething,youhavetocompletelyunderstandhowandwhyitworks.Thisappliestoeverythingyoudo,whetheritisgardeningormartial arts.And, to completelyunderstand something,yourknowledgehas tocome from experience. You can’t completely understand anything by simplyreadingaboutitorhearingaboutitfromsomeoneelse–youhavetoexperienceitforyourself.

Experienceisthethirdpartofacquiringwisdom.Tothoroughlyunderstandsomething,youhavetoexperienceitforyourself.Don’tmisunderstand;thewiseman can learn wisdom from other wise men. You don’t have to go out andexperienceeverythinginlifeinordertounderstandthatsomethingsaregoodforyouandsomethingsarebadforyou.Onlyafooldoesn’tlearnfromothersandbelievesthathehastoexperienceeverythingforhimself.

Forexample,onlyanidiotwouldbelievethathehastotrulyexperienceanactual rattlesnake bite to truly understand that rattlesnake bites are dangerous.While itmaybe true that themanwhohas lived throughanactual rattlesnakebite,hasamorethoroughunderstandingofwhatarattlesnakebitefeelslike,thatfactdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetoexperienceasnakebitetounderstandthatyouneedtostayclearofrattlesnakes.

Bewiseenoughtoacquirewisdomfromthosewhoknow,withouthavingtoexperiencethesamemistakesforyourself.Whiletherearemanytruthswhichyou cannot truly understand without experience, there are also many truths

whichcan,andshould,beunderstoodwithoutpersonalexperience.Learnfromtheexperiencesandmistakesofothers.LeonardodaVinci taught,“Wisdomisthe daughter of experience…Shun the teachings of those speculators whoseargumentsarenotconfirmedbyexperience.”

He did not say you should never learn wisdom from others, or that youcan’tacquirewisdomfromothers,onlythatyoushouldnotlistentothosewhosearguments arenot backedupby experience. It is perfectly acceptable to learnwisdom from others as long as that wisdom is based on proven experience.There are some things which you need to experience in order to thoroughlyunderstand,andotherthingswhichyoucanunderstandbyhavingthewisdomtolistenand learn from thosewho trulyknowandwhohaveexperiencedcertainthingsforthemselves.

The key here is listening to those who truly know. There is a Swedishproverbwhichstates,“Wherewisdomdoesn’tgoin,itdoesn’tcomeout.”Youcan’tgetwaterfromadrywell.Youcanacquirewisdomfromanotherpersonifthat person truly has wisdom to share with you, but only if he actually haswisdom to share. Just as Leonardo da Vinci taught, he has to have wisdombackedupbyexperience,ortheexperienceofotherswhichhehaslearnedfromovertheyears.

Eventhen,it isnottrulyyourwisdomuntilyouinternalizewhatyouhavelearned from someone else, or from your own experiences, andmake it yourwisdom. This requires that you understand what you have learned from yourstudiesandexperiences.Montaigne,the16thcenturyFrenchwriter,wrote,“Wecanbeknowledgeablewithothermen’sknowledge,butwecannotbewisewithothermen’swisdom.”Youonlybecomewisebydevelopingyourownwisdomfromwhatyoulearnandwhatyouexperience.

KahlilGibran,authorofTheProphet,wrote,“Learnthewordsofwisdomuttered by thewise and apply them in your own life. Live them– but do notmakeashowofrecitingthem,forhewhorepeatswhathedoesnotunderstandisnobetter thananass that is loadedwithbooks.”Onceagain,youcan see thatyou cannot trulybewiseuntil youunderstandwhat youhave learned and canapplyitinyourlife.

Wisdom is available for everyone, but like everything else in thisworld,youhavetoworkforit.The13thcenturySufimystic,Rumi,wrote,“Moonlightfloods thewholeskyfromhorizon tohorizon;howmuchitcanfillyourroomdependsonitswindows.”Wisdomiseverywhere,butitisuptoyouhowmuchyou acquire. You have to be open to learning, understanding, and applyingwisdominyourlife.

Youhavetoapplyyourmind,andworktoobtainwisdom.SaiBabataught,“Youmust dive deep into the sea to get the pearls.What good does it do todabbleamong thewavesnear theshoreandassert that theseahasnopearls?”Just like fine pearls obtained from the depths of the ocean, pearls of wisdomrequireyoutoputintheefforttofindthemandtousetheminyourlife.

Confucius taught that there are threemethods of obtaining wisdom, “Bythree methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest;second,byimitation,whichistheeasiest;andthird,byexperience,whichisthebitterest.”Actually,asyougothroughlife,youwillacquirewisdombyallthreeofthesemethods,ifyouarewise.Ifyouaren’twise,youwillhavetorelyonlyonyourpersonalexperiencesforwhateverwisdomyoumayacquire,andthisisalong,hardroad.

The important thing is that you make the effort to acquire wisdom andapply that wisdom in your life. As Epicurus stated, “Wemust not pretend tostudyphilosophy,butreallystudyit;foritisnotseeminghealthythatweneed,but truehealth.”Once again, it is importantnot tomerely talk the talk, but towalkthewalk.Don’tgooutandmemorizeabunchofquotesandthenpretendtobeawiseman.Like I saidbefore, itdoesyounogood tohaveabrain fulloffactsorquotesthatyoucanreciteatwill.Allthewisesayingsintheworldareuseless toyou ifyoudon’tput themtowork.Youhave toapply themtoyourdailylife.

This iswhere self-reflection andmeditation come into play.You have toreflect on your life and evaluate the different areas of your life to see whatchangesneedtobemade.Thenapplythewisdomthatyouhavelearnedinwaysthat improveyour lifeandbringyoucloser to theperfectionofyourcharacter,which, if you will recall, is the main objective of the warrior lifestyle. Self-reflectionandmeditationarehowyouincorporatewisdomintoyourlife.

BaltasarGracianwrote,“Self-reflectionistheschoolofwisdom.”Youhavetoreflectonhowyoucanputwisdomtoworkinyour life. Itdoesnothappenautomatically;youhavetomaketheeffort.Syruswentasfarastosay,“Wisdomis acquired bymeditation.” It is duringmeditation and self-reflection that youquietyourmindandunderstandhowtoapplywisdominyourlife.Thisbringsusback to thepoint thatwisdomisnot inwords,but rather inunderstandingandinternalizingthosewordsofwisdom.

Allofthewisewordsandquotesintheworldwillnothelpyouifyoudon’ttrulyunderstandwhatthesagesweretryingtoteachyouthroughtheirteachings.AsTheHitopadesa,abookofSanskritwisdom,says,“Manycanspeakwordsofwisdom; few can practice it themselves.” It is pretty useless to talk aboutwisdomwithoutpracticingitforyourself.Thetruewarriorhastomakewisdom

apartofhis life.Withoutwisdom,thewarriorcannotmaketherightdecisionsthatleadhimtoasuccessfullife.

Ittakeswisdomtoseethevalueinlivingthewarriorlifestyleandthevalueinmaking all of the traits of thewarrior lifestyle an integral part of your life.BaltasarGracianexplainedthat,“Withmenofunderstanding,wisdomcountsforeverything.”The reason for this is that it takeswisdom to live as you should.Withoutwisdom,peopledonotseetheimportanceoflivingalifeofexcellence.To the foolishman, living thewarrior lifestyleappears tobea lotofwork fornothing. Only the wise man can see the benefit in living the life of the truewarrior.

Evenafteronesees thebenefit in living thewarrior lifestyle, it still takeswisdom to do so successfully. Once you have the desire to live a life ofexcellence, you still need the wisdom to guide you to the fulfillment of thatdesire.TakuanSohowrote, “Desires arebrought to lifedependinguponone’swisdom.Wisdomgivesdirectiontodesires.”

Livingthewarriorlifestyletakesdisciplineanddetermination.Ittakesworkand effort. It is not about pretense or simply talking about all the benefits orcharactertraits;it’saboutaction.Senecastated,“Wisdomdoesnotshowitselfsomuch in precept as in life – in a firmness ofmind andmastery of appetite. Itteaches us to do as well as talk; and tomake our actions and words all of acolor.” This is ultimately what wisdom does for the warrior. It guides himthroughlifeandshowshimhowtolive.

Butbeforeyoucancountonwisdomguidingyoucorrectly,youmustspendthetimetoacquirewisdom.Spendtimestudyingthewisdomoftheeldersandmeditateonthemeaningsbehindtheirteachings.Itwillbetimewellspent.

MeditationsonWisdom

Desiresarebroughttolifedependinguponone’swisdom.Wisdomgivesdirectiontodesires.

TakuanSoho

Theplainestsignofwisdomiscontinualcheerfulness;herstateislikethatofthingsintheregionsabovethemoon,

alwaysclearandserene.Montaigne

Boastingbeginswherewisdomstops.JapaneseProverb

Learnthewordsofwisdomutteredbythewiseandapplytheminyourownlife.Livethem–butdonotmakeashowofrecitingthem,

forhewhorepeatswhathedoesnotunderstandisnobetterthananassthatisloadedwithbooks.

KahlilGibran

Amanmaylearnwisdomevenfromafoe.Aristophanes

Theheightofhumanwisdomistobringourtempersdowntoourcircumstances–andtomakeacalmwithin,undertheweightofthegreateststormwithout.

DanielDefoe

Trueknowledgedoesnotgrowold,sohavedeclaredthesagesofalltimes.

ThePaliCanon

Greatdoubtsdeepwisdom.Smalldoubtslittlewisdom.

ChineseProverb

Youmustdivedeepintotheseatogetthepearls.Whatgooddoesitdotodabbleamongthewavesnear

theshoreandassertthattheseahasnopearls?SaiBaba

Welearnwisdomfromfailuremuchmorethanfromsuccess.

SamuelSmiles

Allofthefar-reaching,unfadedteachingsoftheancientsagescomefromthesamesource:

thesubtletruthofgreatoneness.Differentexpressionsaremerelytheresultofdifferenttimesandplaces.

LaoTzu

Besidesthenobleartofgettingthingsdone,thereisthenobleartofleavingthingsundone.

Thewisdomoflifeconsistsintheeliminationofnon-essentials.

LinYutang

Wisdomisnotinwords;itisinunderstanding.

Rumi

Chapter8

HonorTheWarrior’sMarkofDistinction

Honor: a keen sense of right and wrong; adherence to actions orprinciples considered right; distinction; dignity; personal integrity;strong moral character or strength, and adherence to ethicalprinciples.

Honorisdefinitelythewarrior’smarkofdistinction.Asyoucanseebytheabove definition of honor, it overlapsmany of the traitswhich I have alreadycoveredinModernBushido,butatthesametime,itisadifferenttraitaltogether.I have already discussed personal integrity,moral character, and adherence toethical principles, so the definitions of honor that I will focus on is the keensenseof rightandwrongand theadherence toactionsorprinciplesconsideredright.

In the past, thewarrior’s honorwas considered something that had to bedefended,eventothedeath.Warriorsfoughtduels tothedeathtodefendwhattheydeclared tobean insult to theirhonoror toput it in today’s terms,beingdisrespected. Noblemen and warriors, both in the East and in the West,considereditpartoftheirdutytodefendtheirhonoriftheyfeltthatsomeonehaddisrespected them or challenged their honor in some way. These men tookdrasticmeasurestodefendtheirhonor.

In many cases these duels were not about honor at all, but more aboutsomeone’swounded pride.To fight to the death over somemisunderstanding,small disagreement, or perceived insult is not truly defending your honor, butratherdefendingyourpride.Thevastmajorityoftheseduelsofhonorweremoreabout defending the man’s reputation, not his honor. Nonetheless, honor isessentialtolivingthewarriorlifestyle.

Itishonorandcharacterthatsetthetrainedwarriorapartfromthecommonstreetthug.Boththewarriorandthethughavethecapabilityofbeingdangerous.Thedifference is that the truewarrior’shonordictateshisactions,whereas thethug’s actions aredictatedonlybyhisown selfishdesires.Withouthonor, thewarriorwouldbenothingmorethananotherdangerousthugwalkingthestreets,butwithbettertraininginthewaysofthemartialarts.

As the definition above states, honor is the warrior’s sense of right andwrong, and his dedication to living by the principleswhich he considers rightand just. These principles are his code of honor which he lives by andincorporatesintohislife.Thereisnospecific“honorcode”forthewarrior.Eachmanmust decide for himselfwhat his personal code of honor entails, but thewarrior’s code of honor must be based on the character traits of the warriorlifestylewhicharediscussedinModernBushido.

Among these traits are courage, integrity, respect, and a strong sense ofobligationandjustice.Ihavealreadydiscussedtheimportanceoflivingyourlifewith integrity, and I will discuss the traits of courage, respect and justice infurtherdetaillateroninthisbook.SoIwillstartmydiscussionofhonorwiththesubjectof thewarrior’sobligation,both tohiscodeofhonorand tohis fellowmen.

Oneofthemainpartsofawarrior’shonorishisstrongsenseofobligation.Itisthewarrior’sdutytorecognizeandfulfillhisvariousobligationsinlife.Thefulfillmentofone’sobligationsseemstobeforgottenbythemajorityofpeopleintoday’ssociety,thusthisisanothertraitwhichsetsthetruewarriorapartfromtheaverageperson.Mostupstandingpeopleremembercertainobligationsinlifesuchasprovidingfortheirfamily,butformany,thatisprettymuchwheretheirsenseofobligationends.

Itisdifferentforthewarrior.Honorrequiresthewarriortotakehissenseofobligationmoreseriouslythantheaveragemanonthestreet.Notonlydoesthewarriorfeelastrongsenseofresponsibilityforprovidingforhisfamily,butheisalsohonorboundtofulfillhisvariousotherobligationsinlife.Atthispoint,youmaybewonderingwhatotherobligationsthewarriorhasotherthantobeagoodperson and to provide for his family. Actually, those are the obligations thateveryone in a civilized society should adhere to; the warrior’s obligations gomuchdeeperbecauseofhisownpersonalcodeofhonor.

Oneof thedefinitionsof thewordobligation is: “something thatmustbedone because of amoral duty.” Theword duty is synonymouswith thewordobligation. The true warrior, who takes his own personal code of honorseriously,hasadutytobetruetohiscode.Partofthatcodeofhonoristofulfillhisduty tohis fellowmen.Aquickandeasyway to lookat thisduty toyour

fellowmanis:wheneversomeonedoessomethingforyou,nomatterhowlargeor how small, youhave a duty to repay the favor.Repaying the favor is yourobligation–itisassimpleasthat.

For example, if your neighbor spends the afternoon helping you hangcabinetsinyourgarage,thenyouowehim.Byacceptinghishelponyourgarageproject, you have assumed a debt that you owe until you pay him back in amanner equal to the service he freely provided for you. If someone lets youborrowhistrucktohaulsomething,youowehimadebtandyoushouldreturnhistruckcleanandfillthegastankforhimasawayofrepayingthatdebt.

Itisprettystraightforward.Whensomeonedoessomethingforyou,youareinhisdebtuntilyourepaythatdebtbydoingsomethingofequalvalueforhim.AsIsaid,thisissomethingthatthevastmajorityofpeopletodaypayverylittleattentiontointheirdailylives.Formost, theyconsidertheirobligationpaidinfullwithasimple“thankyou”andthentheyquicklyforgetthematteraltogether.

Saying“thankyou”isnotfulfillingyourdebt,itismerelybeingcourteous.The truewarrior understands this andunderstands that heowes this person anobligationuntilheisabletofulfillitinamannerequalto,oraboveandbeyond,whatthispersondidforhim.Tothewarrior,thisisonlyright,andhissenseofright and wrong is what his code of honor is all about. This is where thewarrior’ssenseofjusticecomesintoplay.

Justice is simply the warrior’s dedication to doing what is right. As Idiscussed in the last chapter, thewarriormust have thewisdom to be able tomake the distinction between right and wrong, and then, he must have thecouragetoactonwhatisright.Thisisthebasisforthewarrior’scodeofhonor.Hemust be utterly dedicated towhat is right. Sometimes, doingwhat is rightwillnotbethesameasdoingwhatiseasyorwhatisprofitable,butthewarrior’scode of honor requires him to put what is right ahead of what is easy orpersonallyprofitable.

WalterLippmannwrote,“Hehashonor ifheholdshimself toan idealofconduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.” Thisstatement is a great description of thewarrior. It is for this reason thatMarkTwainwrote,“Honor isahardermaster than the law.”Therearemany things,which the lawof the landpermits,which thewarrior’spersonalcodeofhonordoesnotpermit.

Thediscussionaboutfulfillingyourobligationtoyourneighborwouldbeagreatexampleof this statement.The lawdoesnot require thewarrior to repayhisneighborforlendinghimhistruckorforhelpinghimworkinhisgarage;itisthewarrior’scodeofhonorthatrequireshimtorepayhisdebt.Whenyoubegintoreflectandmeditateonyourowncodeofhonor,youwillfindthatthereare

manyexampleswhichprovethisstatementtobetrue.Ultimately,youdeterminewhetherornotyouarehonorable.Honorisnot

somethingwhich is set in stone or somethingwhich I can lay out for you inblackandwhiteterms.Icangiveyouthecornerstonesofhonorandtheguidanceas to what traits makes up honor, but it is up to you to determine your ownpersonalcodeofhonor.Thekeyis thatyourcodeofhonorhastobebasedonthe character traits discussed in this book, a strong sense of justice andobligation,andyoumusthavethecouragetoliveuptoyourcodeofhonoronceyouhavedevelopedit.

Nobody is going to force you to live your life by a code of honor; it issolelyup toyou.This ispartofyourdutyasa truewarrior.Youhave tobaseyour actions on a strong sense of right and wrong. That is what honor is allabout.Itisnotaboutalistofrulesthatyourigidlyadheretonomatterwhatthesituationorcircumstancesmaybe.

Byadheringtoarigidsetofrules,youareplacingahighervalueonthoserulesthanyouareonwhatisright.Thisisawarpedsenseofjusticewhichmanytimesleadstoinjustice.AstheRomanplaywright,Terence,wrote,“Thestrictestjusticeissometimesthegreatestinjustice.”Thisappliestoastrictadherencetoaspecific set of rules, with no room for flexibility. This is not the way of thewarrior.

Thewayofthewarrioristhewayoftruejustice,wherewhatisrightistheultimate law and trumps the law of the land. There is an inscription in theCatacombs which reads, “The just man is himself his own law.” The Greekdramatist,Menander,echoedthissentimentstating,“Whenyouarejustyouuseyourcharacteraslaw.”Thisisthewayofthewarrior.

Many people see this as a license to do as they please, but that is amisconception. The key to those statements is the word just, which meansmorally correct, valid and reasonable. If someone is not just then he cannotcountonhischaracterorconsciencetoguidehimastowhatisrightandwhatiswrong.Therefore,hecannotbehisownguide.Inorderforthewarriortousehischaracterorconscienceashisguide,hemustbededicatedtowhatisright,havedeveloped the wisdom to discern right from wrong, and he must be totallydevotedtolivingalifebasedonhonor.

RobertWoodwrote,“Anhonorablemanesteemshismoralhealthtoomuchtolowerhimselfwillinglybyanyactthatmayseembase.Heistruetohimselfandvalueshonorfor itshighestmeaning…Therecanbenorealsuccess in lifeunless it isaccompaniedby thishighsenseofhonor.”It is thissenseofhonorwhich sets the true warrior apart from other men. This is what makes him asuperiorman,asConfuciusdescribedhim.

You have to make your own mind up to live a life of honor. It is thisdecisionwhichguidesyouonthepathtowarriorship.SamuelColeridgewrote,“Ourownheart, andnotothermen’sopinion, formour truehonor.”Onlyyouknow for sure if your actions are truly honorable.Of course there are actionswhichanyonecantellaredishonorablesuchasrobbingsomeoneinadarkalley.I am not talking about those types of actions. I am referring to actionswhichonlyyouknowyourtrueintentions.

It is your intentions behind your actionswhich determinewhether or notyour actions are honorable. Sometimes this is not easily ascertained by otherpeople.FrancescoGuicciardinidemonstratedthisfactverywellinthefollowingexamplefromhisbookMaximsandReflections.Hewrote,“Thereisadifferencebetweenabravemanandonewho facesdangeroutof regard forhonor.Bothrecognizedanger;buttheformerbelieveshecandefendhimselfagainstit,andifhedidnot,hewouldnotfaceit.Thelattermayevenfearthedangermorethanhe should, but he stands firm–not becausehe is unafraidbut becausehehasdecidedhewouldrathersufferharmthanshame.”

Inthisexample,anonlookerwouldnotbeabletovisiblyseethedifferenceintheactionsofthesetwomen.Itisonlythementhemselveswhowouldtrulyknowwhether or not their actionswere honorable.And it is not just the rare,dangerousconflictswhichtestyourhonor.

Howyouhandle the smaller,more commonchallenges, also revealsyoursense of honor, maybe even more so than the more dangerous situations.Compromising your honor in the small, daily conflicts is sometimes moretemptingthaninthelarger,moreseriousconflicts.Itisduringthesetimes,whenit is easier to lie or to cower down, that you learnmuch about your sense ofhonor.

These situations requireasmuch resolveandcourageas themore seriousones.I’mtalkingabouttimeswhendoingtherightthingcouldcostyoumoneyoryourjob.Atthesetimes,yourlifemaynotbeontheline,butyourhonorisnonetheless.Your job, yourmoney, your car, andyour home can all be takenaway from you, butwhether or not you keep your honor is completely underyourcontrol.Ittakesalotofcouragetochooseyourhonoroveryourfinancialsecurity.Duringthesetimesyoulearnhowseriousyouareaboutyourhonor.

Asa truewarrior, younotonlyhaveobligations tootherpeople, butyoualso have a duty to yourself to maintain your honor, even in the face ofadversity.Thisiswherethevirtueofcourageentersintotheequation.Youhavetohave thecourage tostandupforwhatyouknowisright.This ispartof thewarrior’scodeofhonor.Astrongsenseofrightandwrongencompasseseverypart of the warrior’s life. This sense of justice dictates the warrior’s code of

honor.It is this sense of justice which enables the warrior to make decisions

concerninghisobligationsandwhichhelpshimmaketherightdecisionsduringquestionsofhonor.AsIsaidbefore,honorisnotblackandwhite.Thewarriordoesnotlivebyastrictsetofrules.Thisisnotwhathavinganhonorcodeisallabout.Forexample,thewarrior’scodeofhonormayincludebeinghonest,butatthesametime,therearetimeswhenbeingcompletelyhonestisnothonorable,ortherightthingtodo.

Therearemanypeoplewhowillarguethatyoushouldneverlie.Theywilltell you that all lies are an act of cowardice, but this is simply not true.Obligationsofhonorarenotrigidruleswhichthewarriormuststrictlyabidebyorelselosehishonor.Thehonorablewarriorwillalwaysactaccordingtowhatisrightinthesituationhefindshimselfin–accordingtohishighestobligationofhonor.

Socratestaughtthat,“Theshortestandsurestwaytolivewithhonorintheworldistobeinrealitywhatwewouldappeartobe;allhumanvirtuesincreaseand strengthen themselves by the practice and experience of them.” Don’tmerely appear to be honorable, but actually be honorable. Take your code ofhonor seriously.Youwill be presentedwithmany temptations to compromiseyour honor.Don’t allow emotions such as fear, greed, or anger to rob you ofyourhonor.Nobodycantakeyourhonorfromyou,butyoucanloseyourhonorbygivingintothesevarioustemptations.Youhavetobecompletelydedicatedto maintaining your honor or you will find that it has quietly slipped away,withoutyouevenrealizingit.

Just remember, as with all of the traits of the warrior lifestyle, you willmakemistakesattimes.Itdoesnogoodtobeatyourselfupwhenyoufallshort.Ifyoufindthatyouhavefallenpreytosometemptationandcompromisedyourhonorinsomeway,thebestthingyoucandoisgetrightbackontrackandre-dedicate yourself to living a life of honor.You are never defeated unless youquittrying.

MeditationsonHonor

Ourownheart,andnotothermen’sopinion,formourtruehonor.SamuelColeridge

Thegloryofgreatmenmustalwaysbemeasuredagainstthemeanstheyhaveusedtoacquireit.

LaRochefoucauld

Hewholiveswithoutdisciplinedieswithouthonor.IcelandicProverb

Dealsolelywithmenofhonor…theywhodonotcherishhonordonotcherishvirtue,

andhonoristhethroneofvirtue.BaltasarGracian

Hewhowantstosellhishonorwillalwaysfindabuyer.

ArabianProverb

Shunanyactionsthatwilldiminishhonor.Tiruvalluvar

Honorissimplythemoralityofsuperiormen.HenryLouisMencken

Hehashonorifheholdshimselftoanidealofconductthoughitis

inconvenient,unprofitable,ordangeroustodoso.WalterLippmann

Thereisadifferencebetweenabravemanandonewhofacesdangeroutofregardforhonor.Bothrecognizedanger;buttheformerbelieveshecandefendhimselfagainstit,and

ifhedidnot,hewouldnotfaceit.Thelattermayevenfearthedangermorethanheshould,buthestandsfirm–not

becauseheisunafraidbutbecausehehasdecidedhewouldrathersufferharmthanshame.

FrancescoGuicciardini

Thepostofhonorisaprivatestation.JosephAddison

Thegreatestwaytolivewithhonorinthisworldistobewhatwepretendtobe.

Socrates

Nothingismorehonorablethanagratefulheart.Seneca

Onestumbleisenoughtodefacethecharacterofanhonorablelife.

L.Estrange

Honorisahardermasterthanthelaw.MarkTwain

Honoristhatwhichnomancangiveyouandnomancantakeaway.It’sagiftamangivestohimself.

RobRoy

Chapter9

RespectTheConsiderationofThoughtfulness

Respect: Consideration or thoughtfulness; the feeling or admirationanddeferencetowardssomebodyorsomething.

Respect isan importantpartofmartialarts.Stopbyanymartialartsdojoandyouwillseethestudentsbowing,saying‘yessir’andgoingthroughvariousritualsdesigned to show respect to thedojo, their instructor, and their art.Butwhat you will also notice, in the vast majority of these dojos, is studentsbasicallyperforming thesemotionshurriedly,giving little thought towhy theyarebowingorgoingthroughthesecustoms.Isthistrulyasignofrespectorjustjumping through the hoops which they have been taught are part of theirexpectations?

Ifyoudefine respectasconsiderationor thoughtfulness, then thesequick,thoughtless bows are really not a sign of respect, but rather mere habitualcustoms.Forthesestudentstoactuallybeshowingrespect,theirmindshavetobeengagedinthoughtfulnessconcerningwhytheyarebowingandwhytheyareaddressing their instructor in a respectful manner, not just going through themotions.

True respect comes from the heart and mind, not from mere outwarddisplays, although if you truly have respect for something or someone, yourrespectwillmanifestitselfthroughyouroutwardactionsaswell.Showingreal,heartfelt respect for those who deserve your respect is another sign of a truewarrior.

Whenthetruewarriorisinthedojo,hisbowswillbeslowanddeliberate.Youcansense therespect inhisaction. It isnotsomequick,head-bobmotionwhichyouseewithsomanymartialartsstudents.Thesemechanicalbowslookmorelikesomeonejustsmackedthestudentinthebackoftheheadinsteadofa

truebow,andtheseactionscontainnorealrespectfortheirinstructor,theirdojo,orwhat theyare learning. It isobviouswhenyouseesomeonewho isbowingoutoftruerespectasopposedtothesehabitual,meaninglessactions.

Respect isoneof the areas that thewarrior takesmore seriously than theordinary person. To the warrior, just going through the motions of bowing,withoutgivinghisactionanythought,wouldbasicallybeasignofdisrespect.Itwouldbehypocritical,kindoflikesayingsomethingthatyoutrulydonotmean.

As Idiscussed in thepreviouschapter, thewarrior’s actionsarebasedonhiscodeofhonorandwhatisright.Hebowsinthedojotoshowhistruerespectbecausethatiswhatisinhisheart,notoutofhabitorroutine.Showingrespectto his teacher andwhat he is learning is part of his obligation or duty to hisinstructor.Ifforanyreasonhedecidesthathisinstructorisnotworthyofhistruerespect, he should simply move on and find someone else to teach him. Butwhileheislearningfromhisinstructor,heshouldshowhimtruerespect,fromtheheart.

Emerson stated that, “Men are respectable only as they respect.” This istrue. Itwould be a disrespectful action for thewarrior to not show respect tothosewhodeservehisrespect.Beingdisrespectful,whethertoyourmartialartsinstructor, teacher, or whoever it may be, without just cause, speaks to yourcharacter, not their character. It is your duty to show respect to those whodeserveyourrespect.

Thisbringsustothequestionofwhodeservesyourrespect.Obviously,noteveryoneontheplanetdeservesthetruerespectofthewarrior.Ipersonallyhaveno authentic respect for criminals, thugs, or people of low character. In myopinion, these people do not deserve my respect. Oh, I may have a healthyrespectforwhat theycoulddo, justasIhaveacertainamountofrespectforadangerousanimal.ButthisisnotthekindofrespectthatIamtalkingabout.Therespectthatyoumayhaveforadangerouscriminalcouldbedefinedmoreasahealthy fear of what they are capable of doing, not respect in the sense ofadmiration.

WhatIamreferringto,forthisdiscussionisrespectinthetermsofhavingsincere admiration for someone who deserves your high regard. Clearly noteveryone deserves your highest admiration.Whether or not someone deservesrespect dependsonwhohe is, his character, andhis actions.True respect thatcomes from the heart and soul of the warrior, and is not freely given to justanyone and everyone, but only to those who he feels deserves his respectbecauseofthekindofpersontheyare.

Thisleadstoanotherquestion,“Ifeveryoneisnotdeservingofrespect,isithypocritical to treat everyone with respect?” The answer to this question is

absolutelynot. It isnotbeinghypocritical to treatpeoplewith respect, even ifthey do not deserve true respect or admiration. I know this sounds like acontradictionofwhatIsaidearlier,butit’snot.Thinkaboutit.Treatingsomeonewith respect is not the same as going through habitualmotionswithout beingthoughtful, and it is not the same as giving someone your true respect. It issimplytreatingpeopleinarespectfulmanner–that’sall.

William Lyon Phelps stated, “This is the final test of a gentleman: hisrespect for thosewhocanbeofnopossible service tohim.”He isnot talkingabouthavingadeepadmirationofpeoplewhodonotdeserveadmiration.Whathe is talking about is howyou treat peoplewhomaynot bedeservingof truerespect,peoplelikethewinoonthestreetcorner.Mostlikelyyoudon’thavealot of admiration for thewinowho is drinking his life away, but that doesn’tmeanthatyouhavetotreathimwithcontempt.

There is a vast difference between treating someone with respect andhaving true respect for someone.This iswheremanypeoplegowrong.Whenthe majority of people do not respect someone, they treat that person withcontemptoroutright ignorehimaltogether.Since theyhavenorespect for thisperson,theyconsiderhimworthlessandnotworththeirtime.Infact,theytakethe opposite approach of treating this person in a respectfulmanner, and treathimwithoutrightdisrespect,asifheisgarbage.

This isnot thewayof thewarrior.While thereareobviouslypeoplewhoyou will not have any true admiration for, it doesn’t mean that you shouldoutwardly show that fact. Remember, one of the definitions of respect isthoughtfulness.Respectisnotonlywhatyougivetopeoplethatyouadmire,butitisalsosomethingthatyouhavetoearnbyyourownactions.Thetruewarriorwilltreateveryoneinarespectfulmannerregardlessofwhetherornothetrulyrespectsthem.

Howyoutreatothersspeakstoyourcharacter,nottheircharacter.Itspeaksto thekindofman thatyou areand thecode thatyou liveby.Being rudeandinconsideratetoothers,simplybecauseyoudonothavetruerespectforthem,isunacceptable. Of course there will be times when your outward disrespect iscalled for, but I am talking about generally as you go through life. Treateveryoneinarespectfulmanneruntilyouhaveagoodreasonnottodoso,andthatreasonwillconcernpersonalissuesandhavespecificpurposes.

Ifsomeonetreatsyouwithtotaldisrespect,isrudetoyou,etc.,youhavenofurtherobligation to continue to treat him in a respectfulmanner. In fact, it isbesttojustkeepyourdistancefromhim,ifatallpossible.Itisnotyourdutytocontinuetoallowsomeonetodisruptyourlifeorrobyouofyourpeaceofmind.People who do these things are not worthy of your true respect or of your

respectful treatment. Inshort, just ignore themas if theywereaghost, ifatallpossible.

Thosepeoplearetheexceptiontotherule.WhatIamreferringtohere,isthepeopleyouencounter inyourdaily life.Youwillnothave true respect foreveryone you come in contact with in your life, but that doesn’t absolve youfromyourdutytotreateveryoneinarespectfulmanner.Youdon’thavetotrulyrespect everyone, but you do owe everyone a measure of respect, which issimplybeingthoughtfulandkind.

John Gay explained it this way, “We must respect the other fellow’sreligion,butonlyinthesenseandtotheextentthatwerespecthistheorythathiswife isbeautifulandhischildrensmart.”This isnot true,authentic respect fortheotherguy,butratherarespect in thesense thathehas theright tohisownbeliefsand to livehis life inhisownway,as longashe isnothurtinganyoneelse.Itisnotyourdutytojudgeanyoneelseortheirchoices,butrathertotreatthemintherightway.

You treat people in a respectful way because that is who you are as awarrior. How they react or behave is their business; how you behave is yourbusiness.AsBaltasarGracianwrote,“Themanofprincipleneverforgetswhathe is, becauseofwhat others are.”Thewarrior doesn’t lowerhis standardsofbehavior because of the way othermen act. He doesn’t act in a disrespectfulmannermerelybecausehehashadabaddayorisinabadmood.Headherestothestandardsthathehasdecidedtolivebyregardlessoftheactionsofothers.

It is not the opinion of the commonman thatmatters, but the opinion ofmenforwhomyouadmireand trulyrespect.Theseare themenwhoserespectthewarriorseeks.Thisonlymakessense.Thinkaboutit.Doyoucarewhatthewinoonthestreetcornerthinksaboutyouorwhatsomeonewhoyouhavegreatrespectforthinksofyou?

Don’tseektoberespectedbyeveryone,ratherseektobeworthyofbeingrespectedbyeveryone.Conductyourself inamanner that isworthyof respectanddon’tworryaboutwhatothersthink.Youdeterminewhetherornotyouareworthyoftruerespect.Earnrespectbylivingbyyourprinciplesandstandards.Don’tloweryourstandards.

MeditationsonRespect

Nevertakeaperson’sdignity:itiswortheverythingtothem,andnothingtoyou.

FrankBarron

Menarerespectableonlyastheyrespect.Emerson

Hewhowantsarosemustrespectthethorn.PersianProverb

Hewhodoesnothavethecouragetospeakupforhisrightscannotearntherespectofothers.

ReneG.Torres

Respectiswhatweowe;love,whatwegive.PhilipJamesBailey

Thisisthefinaltestofagentleman:hisrespectforthosewhocanbeofnopossibleservicetohim.

WilliamLyonPhelps

Seeknotthefavorofthemulititude;itisseldomgotbyhonestandlawfulmeans.

Butseekthetestimonyoffew;andnumbernotvoices,butweighthem.

ImmanuelKant

Withoutfeelingsofrespect,whatistheretodistinguishmenfrombeast?

Confucius

Respectyourefforts,respectyourself.Self-respectleadstoself-discipline.

Whenyouhavebothfirmlyunderyourbelt,that’srealpower.

ClintEastwood

Conductyourselfinamannerthatisworthyofrespectanddon’tworryaboutwhatothersthink.

BohdiSanders

Wemustrespecttheotherfellow’sreligion,butonlyinthesenseandtotheextentthatwerespect

histheorythathiswifeisbeautifulandhischildrensmart.JohnGay

Think,feel,andactlikeawarrior.Setyourselfapartfromtherestofsocietybyyourpersonalexcellence.

ForrestE.Morgan

Themanofprincipleneverforgetswhatheis,becauseofwhatothersare.

BaltasarGracian

Knowledgewillgiveyoupower,butcharacterrespect.

BruceLee

Chapter10

DisciplineTheArtofSelf-Control

Discipline: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mentalfacultiesormoral character; controlgainedby enforcingobedienceororder;orderlyorprescribedconductorpatternofbehavior;self-control.

Disciplineisvitaltolivingthewarriorlifestyle.Noneoftheothervirtuesortraits of warriorhood will ever be developed to their full potential withoutdiscipline. It takes discipline to control your spirit, mind and body and bringthemallinlinewiththestandardsbywhichthewarriorhasdecidedtolivehislife.Withoutdiscipline, therecanbenowarrior lifestyle.Thismightseemlikeanextremestatement,butitistruenonetheless.

So,whyisdisciplinesoimportanttothewarriorlifestyle?Theanswerliesinknowingwhat it takes toactually live thewarrior lifestyle.The traitsof thewarrior lifestyledonotmagicallyappearinyourlifesimplybecauseyouthinkthey sound like the way to live. It takes a lot of time and constant effort todevelop these traits, just as it takes a lot of time and work to develop yourmartial arts skills to a point where you are proficient with them. Thewarriorlifestyletakesworkanddedication–it’snoteasy.

Without self-discipline,youwillbarelygetoutof the startinggatebeforeyou find yourself starting to make excuses for skipping workouts, for notspending time inmeditation, or for not studying to improveyourself.As JohnRohnwrote,“Wemustallsufferoneoftwothings:thepainofdisciplineorthepainofregretordisappointment.”

Ifyoureallywanttolivethewarriorlifestyle,thesearetrulyyouronlytwochoices.Youwill take control of yourmind and body, and discipline them to

meet your goals, or you will find that somewhere down the line, you willexperiencethepainofregretanddisappointmentfornotfollowingthroughwithyourgoals.It’sthatsimple.

This isaformofdelayedgratification.Eitheryoudisciplineyourselfnowforfuturerewards,whichyouwillbeproudofandwhichwillmoldyouintothepersonyouwanttobe,oryoulivefoolishly,onlydoingwhateveryourmindandbodydictatetoyou,andpayinthefuturewhenyoufindyourgoalshavenevercometofruition.Itisuptoyoutodecidewhatthefutureholdsforyou.Willyoudisciplineyourself and live a life of excellenceorwill you allow laziness andmalaisetorobyouofthecompletionofyourobjectives?

Discipline is important tovirtuallyeverypartof thewarrior lifestyle.TheDhammapada states, “Whoevergivesoneself todistractionsanddoesnotgiveoneself to meditation, forgetting true purpose and grasping at pleasure, willeventually envy the one who practices meditation.” This is true for everyundertaking.Ifyoucontinuallyputoffhoningyourskills,youwillfindthatyourskillswillnotdevelop,andnotonlywilltheynotdevelop,buttheywillregress.

Itdoesn’tmatterwhattheskillisthatyouwanttoperfect,ifyoudon’tworkatit,itwillfadeaway.Thisnotonlygoesformeditation,butforeverythingfromyourmartialartsskillstogolf.Whateverskillsyouwanttoperfectinyourlife,you have to discipline yourself to work at them, and if you don’t, you willeventuallyfindyourselfenviousof thosewhohadthediscipline tocontinue towork and perfect their skills. As William Arthur Ward said, “The price ofexcellenceisdiscipline.”

Ifthepriceofexcellenceisdiscipline,thenyoumusthavedisciplinetolivealifeofexcellence,andlivingalifeofexcellenceiswhatthewarriorlifestyleisallabout.Therefore,disciplineisvitaltolivingthewarriorlifestyle.Thefamouspoet,PercyByssheShelley,wrote,“Whatwedouponsomegreatoccasionwillprobablydependonwhatwealreadyare;andwhatwearewillbetheresultofpreviousyearsofself-discipline.”

You must discipline yourself to prepare to successfully meet futurechallenges.Ifyoudonotdisciplineyourselftopracticeandperfectyourmartialartsskills,whenyouactuallyneedthemtosaveyourlifeorsomeoneelse’slife,theywillnotbethereforyou.Don’tthinkthatyoucanrestonyourlaurelsandstillbepreparedtodefendyourselfwhenyouneedto.Itdoesn’tworkthatway.Andyousurecan’twaituntilyoufindyourselffacetofacewithsomethug,whoisdeterminedtoripyoutothreads,andaskforacoupleofminutestostretchandloosenupbeforeyouengagehim.Thatisridiculous!

Jim Rohn pointed out, “Discipline is the bridge between goals andaccomplishments.” Yet, so many people let discipline slide and still feel that

theyarepreparedtomeetlife’schallenges,thatis,untiltheygettotheriverandfindthatthe“bridge”thatdisciplinewassupposedtobuildbetweentheirgoalsand their objectives, never got built because they neglected to disciplinethemselves.Thenitistoolateandallthattheyhavearetheirregrets.

Youhavetotrainyourselftodowhatittakestocomposeyourcharacter,tocontrol your mind and emotions, and to build your physical skills. It takesdedication and hardwork, andmany times yourmind and your bodywill bescreamingatyou todosomethingbesidesworkonyour training.Youhave tohave the discipline to overrule yourmind, take control, and follow through toachieveyourgoals.Thisiswhatself-disciplineisallabout.

ElihuRootput it thisway,“Theworst, thehardest, themostdisagreeablethingthatyoumayhavetodomaybethethingthatcountsmost,becauseit istheharddiscipline,and italone, thatmakespossible thehighestefficiency.” Itdoesnogoodtoonlyconcentrateonthetrainingthatyouenjoyorthatyouaregoodat and find easy; youhave toworkon the areas that need improvement.Youhave topushyourself to trainand improveyourweakpoints,even ifyoufindthattrainingdisagreeableandunpleasant.

David Campbell wrote, “Discipline is remembering what you want.”Whenever you find yourself tempted to be a couch potato instead of training,remindyourselfwhatyoureallywant.Whatisitthatyouwanttoachieve?Whatkindofpersondoyoureallywanttobe?Askyourselfthesequestions,andthenaskyourselfwhatyouneedtodotoachievethoseobjectives.

Youcanlookatyourgoalsinthewarriorlifestylelikeagarden.Inessence,youarecultivatingallofthequalitiesthatyouwantinyourlifebygivingthemcontinual attention. Just like a garden, you have to give your goals dailyattentiontoseethemcometofruition.Ifyoustartagardenanddon’tcontinuetotend to it, your goal of a good harvest will not be fulfilled. You have todisciplineyourself todo thegardenwork, evenwhenyouhad ratherbedoingotherthings,inordertohaveabeautiful,strivinggarden.

Thepartsofyourgardenthataregrowingwellandweedfreewillrequirelesswork; theparts thathaveweedsgrowingandarenot thriving,will requiremore of your time. This same principle can be applied to the development ofyourcharactertraitsandmartialartsskills.Youhavetomaintaintheareasthatyouhavedevelopedwell,andyouhavetoworkharderontheareasthatseemtobeproblemareasforyou.

Bynow, you shouldbe starting to comprehend that self-discipline beginswithyourmind.Youhave to learn tocontrolyourmind inorder to trainyourbodytodowhatisneededtoachieveyourgoals.Ifyoucan’tcontrolyourmind,you will find that your self-discipline is weak. The great self-help author,

NapoleonHill,wrote,“Self-disciplinebeginswiththemasteryofyourthoughts.Ifyoudon’tcontrolwhatyouthink,youcan’tcontrolwhatyoudo.Simply,self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.”Discipline yourmind,andyourbodywillfollow.Itisyourmindthatcontrolsyourbody.

AbrahamJ.Heschelwrote,“Self-respectisthefruitofdiscipline;thesenseofdignitygrowswiththeabilitytosaynotooneself.”Themoreyoubringyourmind under control, and force both your mind and your body to do what isneededtogrowinthewarrior lifestyle, themoreconfidentyouwillbecomeinyourability tocontinue todevelopself-discipline. It is likeacontinuouscyclewhere the more you discipline yourself, the easier it becomes to disciplineyourself.And,asyoucontinuetotakecontrolofyourmind,anddevelopmoreself-disciplineinyourlife,themoreyourself-confidence,self-respect,andself-esteemgrow.

Self-disciplineisjustlikeeverythingelse.Themoreyoupracticeitandthemore youwork at it, the easier it becomes, and eventually it becomes almostautomatic.Thisisthepointthatyouwanttogettoinyourtraining.Makeself-disciplineahabitinyourlife.Donotletyourmind,emotions,orbodydictatetoyouhowyouwillliveyourlife.Youdecidewhatkindofpersonyouwanttobe,and thenyou tellyourmindandbodywhat theywilldo and force them todowhatisneededtobecomethepersonthatyouwanttobecome.

Itisyourdedicationtobecomingasuperiormanthatwillmotivateyoutodevelopthiskindofself-discipline.Nobodycandothisforyou; it is totally inyourhands.Ifyouconsistentlydisciplineyourself,youwillreapgreatrewards.Iwill end this chapter with a quote by Grenville Kleiser, “By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.” Start tocultivate self-discipline in your life today and take control of yourworld.Therewardsarewellworthit!

MeditationsonDiscipline

Whatliesinourpowertodo,itliesinourpowernottodo.Aristotle

Whatwedouponsomegreatoccasionwillprobablydependonwhatwealreadyare;andwhatwearewillbetheresultofpreviousyearsofself-discipline.

PercyByssheShelley

Hewhoconquersothersisstrong;hewhoconquershimselfismighty.

LaoTzu

Nomanisfreewhoisnotmasterofhimself.Epictetus

Byconstantself-disciplineandself-controlyoucandevelopgreatnessofcharacter.

GrenvilleKleiser

Self-respectisthefruitofdiscipline;thesenseofdignitygrowswiththeabilitytosaynotooneself.

AbrahamJ.Heschel

Disciplineisthebridgebetweengoalsandaccomplishments.JimRohn

Asterndisciplinepervadesallnature,whichisalittlecruelthatitmaybeverykind.

HerbertSpencer

Thepriceofexcellenceisdiscipline.WilliamArthurWard

Theworst,thehardest,themostdisagreeablethingthatyoumayhavetodomaybethethingthatcountsmost,

becauseitistheharddiscipline,anditalone,thatmakespossiblethehighestefficiency.

ElihuRoot

Disciplineisrememberingwhatyouwant.DavidCampbell

Self-Disciplineisanactofcultivation.Itrequiresyoutoconnecttoday’sactions

totomorrow’sresults.GaryRyan

Wemustallsufferoneoftwothings:thepainofdisciplineorthepainofregretordisappointment.

JimRohn

Self-disciplinebeginswiththemasteryofyourthoughts.Ifyoudon’tcontrolwhatyouthink,youcan’tcontrolwhatyoudo.Simply,self-disciplineenablesyou

tothinkfirstandactafterward.NapoleonHill

Chapter11

HonestyTheElusiveFactsofLife

Honesty:Moral uprightness; the quality, condition or characteristicofbeingfair,truthful,andmorallyupright;truthfulnessorsincerity.

When most people think of the word “honesty” the definition of moraluprightness is not the first thing that comes to mind. Most people connecthonestywith simply being truthful, but honesty encompassesmuchmore thansimply telling the truth, and sometimes moral uprightness involves beinguntruthful.

Moraluprightnesssimplymeansbehavinginamoralorhonorablemanner,andasyouwillseeinthischapter,sometimeshonorrequiresahigherdutythanyour obligation to be completely honest with someone, as I have alreadydiscussedinpreviouschapters.Yes,Iknow,thissoundsconfusing,especiallyina chapter discussing the importanceof honesty, but by the endof this chapteryouwillseethebigpictureandwillunderstandwhatImean.

Solet’sgetbacktowhathonestyactuallyis.Ifsomeonesaysthatyouarehonest, itmeans that you are truthful, sincere, andmorally upright. To boil itdowntothesimplestterms,beinghonestmeansthatyouaretruthful–youtellthe truth. Inevitably, whenever this discussion comes up, there are thosewholove to debate this issue and argue that truth is relative and that everyone hastheirowntruth.Whileitmaybetruethateveryoneseesthetruthfromtheirownpointofview,thatisnotproofthatalltruthisrelative.

There isaDanishproverbwhichstates,“Theskyisnot lessbluebecausetheblindmandoesnotseeit.”Whatthisproverbmeansisthatthetruthdoesn’tchangesimplybecausesomeoneseesitacertainwayfromhisorherownpointof view. Carl Frederickwrote, “The truth simply is that’s all. It doesn’t needreasons:itdoesn’thavetoberight:it’sjustthetruth.Period.”

Thetruthsimplyiswhatis.Itisreality.Whetheranyonechoosestoseeit,to disagreewith it, to like it, or to dislike it,makes no difference; it remainsrealitynomatterwhatanyonethinksorsaysaboutit.Peoplecanviewitinanyway they like,but theirviewsof the truthneverhaveanybearingon the truthitself,onlyontheirownpersonalperceptionofreality.Wherepeoplegowrongiswhen theybelieve that theirpersonalbeliefsconcerningwhat is the truth, isactuallythetruth.Theirviewsarenothingmorethanjustthat–theirviews.

AsGiordanoBruno stated, “Truthdoesn’t changebecause it is, or isnot,believed by a majority of the people.” Someone may believe that rattlesnakevenom is not life-threatening, but his personal belief on that subject does notchange the chemicalmakeupof rattlesnakevenomor its effectson thehumanbody.Hisbeliefismisguided,butaslongashenevercomesintocontactwitharattlesnake, it will most likely never cause him any harm and doesn’t reallyaffect anything, other than thepossibility of other people thinking that he is alittleoffhisrocker.

ThepointthatIamtryingtomakehereisthat,whileitistruethateveryoneisentitled to theirownpersonalbeliefs, thosebeliefsnever affect reality,onlyhowtheychoosetoviewreality.Peoplechoosetobelievemanythingswhicharenotnecessarily true. It is for this reason thatBertrandRussellwrote,“Thefactthatanopinionhasbeenwidelyheldisnoevidencethatitisnotutterlyabsurd;indeedinviewofthesillinessofthemajorityofmankind,awidespreadbeliefismoreoftenlikelytobefoolishthansensible.”

So, even thoughpeople seem to love to argue thepoint aboutwho reallyknowswhat the“real truth” is,what itallboilsdown to is that truth is simplyreality.Whetherornotanyonecanclearlyseerealityisanotherdiscussion,butithasnobearingontheactualtruth.Thetruthisthetruth,period.Problemsappearwhen people try to spin the truth for their own benefits. This is called beingdishonestandistheoppositeofhonesty,and,inmostcases,isdishonorable.

Ihavealreadydiscussedthefactthatthetruewarriorhascertainobligationsto his fellowman. Being honest and truthful to other people is one of thoseobligations.Noonehasanyrespectforaliaroraconmanwhocontinuallytwiststhe truth for his own gain. Be sincere and forthcoming with your fellowmanwherethetruthisconcerned.Inshort,thetruewarriorisanhonestman.

Itisimportanttonotethatbeinghonestwithyourfellowmandoesnotmeanthat you have to be completely open and share everything in your life oreverything that you think. While this would definitely be classified as beingupfront and honest, it would also be classified as unwise and foolish. Beinghonest does not mean that you have an obligation to share your personalthoughts,feelings,orprivateinformation.Infact,youshouldkeepthesethings

toyourselfthevastmajorityofthetime.There is a big difference between being honest and being foolish.

Withholdingpersonalinformation,whichisnobodyelse’sbusiness,isnotbeingdishonestatall.Noteverythingismeanttobeshared,anddoingsoonlysetsyouup to have your openness used against you.Bediscreet!Don’t share personalinformation. Don’t feel the need to share your opinions with everyone. Keepprivateinformationprivate.FrancescoGuicciardiniwrote,“Youhaveeverythingtogainfrommanagingyouraffairssecretly.Andyouwillgainevenmoreifyoucandoitwithoutappearingsecretivetoyourfriends.”

Whileyouwanttokeepyourpersonalinformationprivate,youdon’twanttomakeaspectacleoutofdoingso.Don’tbragabouthowyouneversharethisorthat,orhowyoudon’ttrustanyone,notevenyourfriends.Whilethismaybetrue,sharing this informationkeepsyourfriendsatarm’s lengthandcancausehard feelings. Keep private information to yourself, but do it discreetly. Behonestwith everyone,butbe smart about it at the same time.Keepingprivatethoughtsandpersonalinformationtoyourselfisnotbeingdishonest.

Itisimportantforthewarriornottobedishonestwithotherpeoplebecausehonesty isoneof thecharacter traitswhichmakeshimamanofhonor.Beinghonestwith others is prettymuch common sensewhen it comes to living thewarrior lifestyle. But honesty involves more than merely being honest withothers,italsoinvolvesbeinghonestwithyourself.Thisisasideofhonestythatmany people forget about; it is much easier to deceive yourself than it is todeceiveotherpeople.

Howdoessomeonedeceivehimself?TheanswerliesinwhatIhavealreadydiscussed–seeingthingsfromapersonalpointofvieworasyouwantthemtobe,insteadofseeingthingsastheytrulyare.SamuelJohnsongivesgoodadvicewhenhestated,“Insteadofthinkinghowthingsmaybe,seethemastheyare.”People see the truth through their own perception of it. If they aren’t verycareful, their perception will be influenced by a variety of personal factorsincluding their own personal beliefs, their desires, their emotions, and theirneeds.

Allofthesethingscantwistthetruth,atleastintheirmind,andtheybeginto see the truth through colored glasses. This doesn’t change what is, it onlychangeshow theypersonally see reality.Therefore, theyaren’t actually seeingthings as they are, but as they want them to be, or as they wish they were.Alwaysstrivetoseethingsastheytrulyare,lookingatwhatiswithanimpartial,rationalmind, and carefully discerning reality from falsehood. It is onlywhenyouseethingsastheyreallyarethatyoucanmakegoodchoicesconcerninghowtorespondtothem.

Bodhidharma stated that, “There is no advantage in deceiving yourself.”This is true. Although, at the time, there may seem like some advantage fordeceivingyourself,inthelong-runthereneveris.Whileitistruethatputtingthetruth out of yourmind, or putting a spin on the truth for your ownmental oremotional benefit, may have some temporary, comforting qualities, at somepointyouwillhavetocometogripswithrealityandquitdeceivingyourself.Intheend,seeingrealityasittrulyis,isamustforthewarrior.

Iamsurethatyoualreadyknowhowrareitistofindatrulyhonestpersoninoursociety.Bendingthetruthhasbecomefairlyacceptable,anditseemsthatthe vast majority of people have no problem lying when it is convenient forthem.This isyetanother trait that sets the truewarriorapart from theaverageperson. The warrior strives to be as honest as possible, even in small,unimportantareas.

Forexample,mostpeopledonotthinkofexaggeratingasbeingdishonest,but isn’t it?TheTalmud states,“Ifyouadd to the truth,yousubtract fromit.”Exaggeratingisbeingdishonest,period.Ifyouseesomeonepunchanotherguyandknockhimdown, andhe gets up and shakes it off, butwhenyou tell thestory,youstatethattheguywasknockedoutcold–that’salie.Theworldseesitassimplyexaggerating,butinreality,itissimplylying.Don’texaggerate;tellthetruthexactlyasitiswithoutaddingorsubtractingfromit.Anythingmoreorlessisbeingdishonest.

The truewarriorshouldbeknownforhishonesty.Hiswordshouldbeasgoodasgold.Ifhesayssomethinghappenedacertainway,thenthatshouldbeexactlyhowithappened.Ifyouwillliveyourlifeinthisway,peoplewilllearntorespectyourword,andwhenyousaysomething,theywillknowthatitisthetruth.This isexactly thekindof reputation that the truewarriorwants tohaveamonghispeers.Strivetobeamanofyourword.

Atthesametime,considerhowtobehonest.Therearemanypeoplewhodelightinbeingbrutallyhonest,whichmeansthattheythinkthataslongastheyare being honest, that is all thatmatters. They don’t concern themselveswithother people’s feelings or the consequences of their words; all that concernsthem is that theyhavebeenblatantlyhonest, and in theirmind, that is all thatmatters.

This isaselfish, inconsiderateattitude tosay the least.Many times, thesepeople are using their honesty for an excuse to disrespect someone else or tocovertly hurt someone’s feelings.The bottom line is this is simply being rudeandtactless.ArthurDobrinstated,“Thereisalwaysawaytobehonestwithoutbeing brutal.” Being brutally honest is showing a lack of tact and a lack ofthoughtfulness towardsyourfellowmen.Behonest,butdoso in therightway.

LikeEmersonwrote,“Thereisalwaysabestwayofdoingeverything.”Another factor to consider on the subject of honesty is that, as I already

discussed, honesty is a rare trait, especially complete honesty. Oh sure, mostpeopleare fairlyhonestabout trivial things,butat the same time, theyarenotbeyondlyingwhenitistotheiradvantage.Therefore,thewarriorhastobecomeproficient at distinguishing between what is true and what is falsehood. Itdoesn’tmatterwhothesourceofthestatementis,youalwayshavetoquestionthevalidityofthestatementbeforeyouacceptitasthetruth.

Hans Reichenback drove this point home when he said, “No statementshouldbebelievedbecauseitismadebyanauthority.”IwilltakeHans’pointabit furtherandstate that ifastatement ismadebyanauthority,youhadbettergiveitagoodexaminationbeforeyouacceptitastruth.Thoseinauthorityarenotoriouswhenitcomestospinningthetruth.Itistheirperceivedjobtocontrolboth people and the information which they allow people to know, not to becompletelyhonestwiththepopulation.Keepthisinmind.

Politicians and those in authority seem to take to heart what BaltasarGracianwrote,“The truth is for the few, the false is for thepopulace,becausepopular.”Gracianwasnotsayingthatonlyaveryfewpeopleshouldknowthetruth,butratherthatonlyaveryfewpeoplebothertotakethetimetodiscoverthetruth.Politiciansandleaders,ontheotherhand,firmlybelievethatitisonlythefewwhodeserve toknowthe truthorwhocanhandle the truth.There isabigdifference.

Gracian goes on to say, “Look beneath. For ordinary things are far otherthantheyseem…Thefalseisforevertheleadineverything,continuallydraggingalongthefools:thetruthbringuptherear,islate,andlimpsalongintime.”Thewarrior has to read between the lines. He has to be intelligent enough todistinguishbetweentherealityofthingsandthespinthatisfedtopeoplebythemediaorourleaders.

ThelastpointthatIwanttomakeonthesubjectofhonesty,isthat,likeallof the other ideals in the warrior’s code of honor, honesty should always bemoderated bywhat is right.Aswith all of thewarrior’s actions,what is rightshoulddictatehisactions,notarigidsetofrules.Thisbringsmetothequestion,“Isitalwayswrongtolie?”Absolutelynot!

There are many preachers and legalistic people who will state that it isindeed always wrong to lie. Theywill tell you that lying is always an act ofcowardice. But they arewrong. The truewarrior lives his life by his code ofhonor, and like I discussed in the chapter on honor, honor is based on thewarrior’sobligations.It isnotbasedonanyblackandwhite,rigidsetofrules,likesomanypeoplewronglyassume.

Therearetimeswhenthewarriorhasahigherdutythantobehonestwithsomeone.Forexample,let’ssaythatyouwerelivinginNaziGermanyandthatyouwerevaliantlyhidingayoungJewishgirl.IfagroupofNazisoldierscametoyourdoorandaskedyouifyouwerehidinganyJews,doyouthinkthatyouwould have a higher duty to be honest with the soldiers or a higher duty toprotect the young girl?Would lying to the soldiers mean that you are beingdishonest?Yes,ofcourseyouarebeingdishonest.Woulditmeanthatyouarebeingdishonorable?No!

I have heard preachers argue this point and say, “Yes, that would bedishonorablebecauselyingisdishonestandasin.YoushouldjusttellthetruthandtrustthatGodwillprotectthegirl,youandyourfamily.”Thatargumentisridiculous.Livingyourlifebyrigid,inflexiblerulesisnotasignofhonor;itisasignofalackofunderstandingconcerningwhathonortrulyis.

The intelligent man understands that there will be exceptions to almosteverything, based on what the situation calls for and what is right in eachcircumstance. He strives to be honest at all times, but at the same time, heunderstandsthatdoingwhat isrightandhonorablecomesfirstandforemost ineverysituationofhislife.Userighteousnessasyourguideineverydecisionandyouwillnotgowrong.Righteousnesstrumpsadherencetoanyonetrait,rule,orlaw.

Alwaysconsideryourhighestdutyandtakestepstomakesurethatdutyisfulfilled to the best of your ability. This is not being dishonest; it is beingrighteous.IwillendthischapterwithaprofoundthoughtfromtheancientGreekphilosopher, Isocrates,“Throughoutyour lifechoose truthandyourwordswillbemorebelievablethatotherpeople’soaths.”

MeditationsonHonesty

Nostatementshouldbebelievedbecauseitismadebyanauthority.

HansReichenbach

Thetruthsimplyisthat’sall.Itdoesn’tneedreasons:itdoesn’thavetoberight:it’sjustthetruth.Period.

CarlFrederick

Behonesttothosewhoarehonest,andbealsohonesttothosewhoarenothonest.Thushonestyisattained.

LaoTzu

Thereisalwaysawaytobehonestwithoutbeingbrutal.ArthurDobrin

Thefactthatanopinionhasbeenwidelyheldisnoevidencethatitisnotutterlyabsurd;indeedinviewofthesillinessofthemajorityofmankind,awidespreadbeliefismoreoften

likelytobefoolishthansensible.BertrandRussell

Ifyouaddtothetruth,yousubtractfromit.TheTalmud

Insteadofthinkinghowthingsmaybe,seethemastheyare.SamuelJohnson.

Throughoutyourlifechoosetruthandyourwordswillbemorebelievablethanotherpeople’soaths.

Isocrates

Theskyisnotlessbluebecausetheblindmandoesnotseeit.

DanishProverb

Lookbeneath.Forordinarythingsarefarotherthantheyseem...

Thefalseisforevertheleadineverything,continuallydraggingalongthefools:thetruthbringsuptherear,islate,

andlimpsalongintime.BaltasarGracian

Truthdoesn’tchangebecauseitis,orisnot,believedbyamajorityofthepeople.

GiordanoBruno

Ihaveseldomknownanyonewhodesertedtruthintriflesthatcouldbetrustedinmattersofimportance.

WilliamPaley

Shouldonesaythatsomethingdoesnotexist,merelybecausewehaveneverseenorheardofit?

GeHung

Thereisnoadvantageindeceivingyourself.Bodhidharma

Chapter12

CourageTheSpiritofValor

Courage:qualityofbeingbrave;theabilitytofacedanger,difficulty,uncertainty, or pain without being overcome by fear or beingdeflectedfromachosencourseofaction.

G.K.Chestertonstatedthat,“Courageisalmostacontradictioninterms.Itmeansastrongdesiretolivetakingtheformofreadinesstodie.”Courageisoneofthosetraitsthatmanypeopleseemtomisunderstand.Peoplealsohaveahardtimedistinguishingbetweencourageandcowardice,theoppositeofcourage.Atfirst, it sounds ridiculous that anyonewould not be able to tell the differencebetweencourageandcowardice,butyouwillunderstand this statementby theendofthischapter.

To begin with let’s discuss what courage is. Many men have definedcourage in differentways throughout the ages, andwewill look at several ofthosedefinitionsinthischapter.Butfirst,let’sexaminethestandardWebster’sdefinition, courage is thequality of beingbrave andhaving the ability to facedangerordifficultsituationswithoutbeingovercomebyfear.

The first part of this definition is pretty straightforward – courage is thequalityofbeingbrave.But,asyouwillseethereismuchmoretocouragethansimply being brave.Themajority of people think that being bravemeans thatonedoesn’thaveanyfear.Thisisnotnecessarilyso.Themanwithnofearatall,inanysituation, isnotnecessarilybrave,but ratherabitunbalanced.Fear isanatural emotion, andbravemen, aswell as everyone else, feel the emotionoffear.

If youwill notice, the definition of courage doesn’t state that courage isbeing brave without fear. It states that courage is the quality of being brave

without beingovercome by fear. There is a big difference between having nofearandnotbeingovercomebyfear.Havingnofearindicatesatotalabsenceofthe emotionof fear,which is a scaryprospect in itself. If someonehas a totalabsenceoffear,hisjudgmentwillbefaultyinmanysituations.Atotalabsenceof fear is not a virtue, but rather a mental deficiency. Fear is a necessaryemotion, designed to warn us and protect us. It is only when fear becomesobsessive,andweallowfeartocontrolus,thatfearbecomesaproblem.

MarkTwainwrotethat,“Courageisresistancetofear,masteryoffear–notabsenceoffear.”Ifamanhasabsolutelynocapabilitytofeelfear,thenhereallyhasnocapabilitytobecourageous.Courageisovercomingyourfearstodowhatisrightinthefaceofsomedanger,uncertainty,pain,orembarrassment.Amanwhohasnofearoranxietywheredanger,uncertainty,orpainisconcerned,hassome other mental issues going on which make him seem brave, when inactuality,whathisactionsarerevealingaresimplyhismentaldeficiencies.

Tocallamanwhoisincapableoffeelingfearbravecouldbecomparedtogivinga twoyearoldboyahandgrenade toplaywithasa toy.Ofcourse theyoungboywouldhavenofearofthehandgrenadebecausehedoesn’thavetheintelligencetounderstandwhatitisorthatitcouldhurthim.Hedoesn’thavetheknowledgeorwisdomtounderstandwhatthedangersofthis“toy”trulyare,sohe has no fear of it. It would bewrong to classify this boy as courageous orbrave for playing with the hand grenade, when in fact he is not displayingcourage,butmerelyhisignorance.

Thesameprincipleappliestothemanwhoisincapableoffeelingfear.Ifaman does not have the wisdom to know what should be feared and whatshouldn’t be feared, his actions cannot be classified as courageous. He is notacting out of courage, but out of his ignorance or lack of understanding.Thucydides, theGreek historianwho documented the courageous story of thePeloponnesianWar,wrote,“Thebravestaresurelythosewhohavetheclearestvisionofwhatisbeforethem,gloryanddangeralike,and,notwithstanding,goouttofaceit.”

Ifamandoesnotunderstandwhatheisfacing,hecannotbebraveinthatsituation, only ignorant. The difference in a courageousman and a foolhardyman is that the courageous man understands what he is up against. Heunderstands the possible consequences of standing up for his principles, or ofengaging in some physical battle, but he still acts according to his principlesdespitehisknowledgethathisactionscouldcosthim.Thefoolhardymansimplyacts.He is rash and compulsive, and either doesn’t take the time to reflect onwhatthedangersare,ordoesn’thavetheintelligencetounderstandthedangers.

Cervanteswrotethat,“Themanoftruevalorliesbetweentheextremesof

cowardiceandrashness.”Cowardiceandrashnessare indeed the twoextremesofcourage.Cowardiceisalackofcourage.Itisallowingfeartoovercomeyouand cause you to falter at the time of action. Rashness, on the other hand, isbeingreckless,impulsive,andmovingforwardwithoutgivinganythoughttothesituation.

The one thing that both cowardice and rashness have in common is thatwhen someone acts from either of these extremes, he is letting his emotionscontrol his actions, not rational thought, and definitely not courage. To becourageous,amanhastobethoughtful.FrancescoGuicciardiniwrote,“Onlythewisearebrave.Othersareeithertemerariousorfoolhardy.Thus,wecansaythateverybravemaniswise,butnotthateverywisemanisbrave.”

Fromthispointofview,wecancomparecouragetohonorinthat,itisnotthateasyforanoutsidertojudgewhetherornotamanisbeingcourageous,justasitisnotobviouswhetherornotamanisactingoutofasenseofhonor.Ifyouwillrecall,someactionsmayseemdishonorablefromanoutsidepointofview,which,ifwewereprivytotheman’sthoughtsandintentions,wouldprovetobeveryhonorable.Thesameprinciplecanapplytocourage.

Thereare someactionswhich,when initially seen,mayseem likeactsofcowardice,butwhenexaminedcloser,weretrulycourageousacts.Atthesametime, there are some actionswhich seem like very courageous acts, but ifwewereable toseebeyondtheobvious,wewouldunderstandthat theactionwasnottrulyanactofcourageatall.Let’slookatacoupleofexamples.

First, let’s look at themanwith his buddies,who are about to enter intosome type of physical encounter, whether it is a brawl or maybe on thebattlefield. The fact that this man follows through and fights alongside hisbuddies, isnotnecessarilyasignthatheiscourageous.Therehavebeenmanymenwho trulywanted to retreat, but didn’t have the courage todowhat theirmind was telling them to do. Instead, peer pressure or the fear of what theirfriendswouldthinkofthem,influencedtheirdecision.Thusthedecisionwasnotmadefromaplaceofcourage,butfromamindsetoffear.

Ontheotherhand,let’ssayyouarewatchinganaltercationatanightclub.Twomenarehavingadisagreement.Oneguyseemspushyandobnoxious,andobviouslywantstofight.Theotherseemsreluctanttofight,nomatterhowmuchthe other guy pushes him.Ultimately, themanwho is reluctant to fight, turnsandwalksaway,amidstjeersfromtheothermanandmanyonlookers.

Tothosewatchingthisscene,thismanmayseemlikeacoward,andindeedhemay be, but the fact that he turned andwalked away does not necessarilyindicatethatthismanwasacoward.Hemayhavebeenatruewarriorwiththeabilitytotaketheotherman’slifeatwill,butinsteadchosetoendthisencounter

peacefully instead of hurting the other guy. An action like that takes a lot ofcourageandself-confidence.Thisisademonstrationofself-controlandcourage,notofcowardice,buttotheuntrainedeye,itprobablywouldappearlikethemanwasacoward.

DoyouunderstandthepointthatIamtryingtogetacrosstoyou?Courageis demonstrated inmany differentways. It is not always expressed by simplyrushinginandfightingineveryinstance,andmanytimesthemanwhorushesinand fights is not demonstrating courage.Walking away,beingpatient,waitingfor the correct time and place, and enacting self-control are all courageousactions. There is a Philippine proverb which states, “To evade danger is notcowardice.” John F. Kennedy stated a similar sentiment when he said,“Compromisedoesnotmeancowardice.”

Aristotle stated that, “Theman, then, who faces and who fears the rightthingsandfromtherightmotive,intherightwayandattherighttime,andwhofeels confidence under the corresponding conditions, is brave.” If we go byAristotle’sdefinitionofbravery,youwillobservethatmuchofwhatconstitutescouragehastodowithwhatisgoingoninsideoftheman,andyouarenotprivyto these factors. It is the internalstruggle thatdecideswhetherornotaman iscourageous,notmerelyhisexternalactions.

Youwillfindsuchideasoncouragerepeatedbywisemenfromthroughouttheworld.E.B.Bensonputitthisway,“Theessenceofcourageisnotthatyourheartshouldnotquake,butthatnobodyknowsthatitdoes.”Herodotusechoedthis sentiment stating, “He is thebestmanwho,whenmakinghisplans, fearsandreflectsoneverythingthatcanhappentohim,butinthemomentofactionisbold.” To be courageous a man has to be thoughtful; he cannot act on mereemotionorrage.Thecourageousmanhastobeincontrolofhimself.

Ohiyesa,whenspeakingofcouragefromaNativeAmericanpointofview,stated,“Thebraveman,wecontend,yieldsneithertofearnoranger,desirenoragony.He is at all timesmasterofhimself;his courage rises to theheightsofchivalry.” You have to think rationally and be in control of your mind to becourageous. If you aren’t, your actions, while they may seem brave andcourageous,areactuallycomingfromanotherplace,andmanytimesthisplaceisfear.

Courageisanotherofthetraitsofthetruewarriorwhichisintertwinedwithall the other virtues and character traits, forwithout courage amanwill falterwhenthetimecomestostandforhisprinciples.It takesa lotofcouragetodowhat is right when everyone around you is urging you to do the opposite.Emersonpointedout,“Thetestofcouragecomeswhenweareintheminority.”

Itdoesn’ttakealotofbackbonetostandforyourprinciplesifyouhavea

wholecrowdofpeoplecheeringyouonandpattingyouontheback,butitisadifferentstorywhenthosepeoplearejeeringatyouandinyourface.C.S.Lewisstated that, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of everyvirtueat thetestingpoint.”Thereasonforthis iswhatI juststated,whenyourbackisagainst thewall, it takescouragetofollowthroughandliveuptoyourstandards.

Confuciusdidn’tsugarcoatitwhenhetaught,“Toseewhatisrightandnottodoitiscowardice.”Thetruewarriorknowswhatisrightaccordingtohiscodeofhonorthathehasmeditatedonanddecidedtomakehisguideforhislife.Thetestofhisdedicationcomeswhenheisconfrontedwithachoicetocompromisehisstandardsortoliveuptohisstandardsanddealwithwhateverconsequencesthatdoingtherightthingmayhaveonhislife.Thisiswhenhehastocallonhiscouragetobestrong.

Mostmartial artists think of courage in terms of physical confrontations.Will he have the courage to stand up and fightwhen the time comes and thesituationrequiresthisofhim?Willheallowhisfeartogetthebestofhimandcausehimtobackdown?ThesearethequestionsthatIhearmanymartialartistsdiscussing,andtheyaredefinitelyvalidquestions.Butyoushouldalsoconsiderthequestionofwhetherornotyouarededicatedenough,toyourstandardsandyourcodeofhonor,tostandupforwhatyoubelieveinwhenyouarefacedwithamoraldecision.

RobertLouisStevensonwrote that,“Theworldhasnoroomforcowards.Wemustallbereadysomehowtotoil,tosuffer,todie.Andyoursisnotthelessnoble because no drum beats before you when you go out into your dailybattlefields,andnocrowdsshoutaboutyourcomingwhenyoureturnfromyourdaily victory or defeat.” Courage is not just about being brave in battle orphysicalconfrontations.Infact,youwillfindmanymorechancestoproveyourcourageindailylifethanintherarephysicalconfrontation,unlessyouworkinawarriorprofession.

ThereisafamousquotebyShakespearewhichwehearquotedveryoften,“Cowardsdiemanytimesbeforetheirdeaths,thevaliantnevertasteofdeathbutonce.”Whenyouallowfeartoovercomeyou,whetheritisfearofpainorfearofsomeotherconsequenceofstandingupforwhatisright,youhavetolivewiththepainofyourdecisionformonths,years,ormaybeeventherestofyourlife.Youwillreplayyourdecisionoverandoveragaininyourmind,andeachtimeyouwillfindthattheregretthatyoufeelisaverypainfulexperience.ThisisthedeaththatShakespearewasreferringtoinhisfamousquote.

SaintTheresaoncesaid,“Wheneverconsciencecommandsanything,thereisonlyonethingtofear,andthatisfear.”Ifyouallowfeartocontrolyourlifeor

your decisions, you will end up with a life full of regret. You must learn tomasteryour fearand takecontrolofyourmind.Youcultivatecourage inyourlifejustlikeyoucultivateanyoftheothervirtues–byworkingatit.

Thewaythatyoulearntoconqueryourfearsisbyconfrontingthem.Thisgoesback towhat I discussed in the chapter on controllingyour thoughts andyourmind.Fearisanemotionandoriginatesinyourmind.Themindiswhereyoumust battle and conquer your fears. Each time you notice fear starting todominateyour thoughts,youhave tostopandaddress it; ifyoufail todo this,yourfearwillgainmomentumandwillexpand.

Faceyourfearsandyouwillbeabletoconquerthem.Ifyouevaluateyourfearful thoughts,youwillnotice that theyallhave todowithsomethingin thefuture, not the immediate present. Let’s go back to the example of the manwalking away from a fight. The thoughts of fear that this man, if he is aconfidentmanwith theability to end the fight atwill,willhavecenteron thequestions,“WhatwilleveryonethinkofmeifIwalkaway?”“WilltheythinkIamacoward?”“WillI lookweak?“WillIeverbeabletoholdmyheadupinthisbaragain?”

Noticethatallofthesequestionshaveonethingincommon–theycenteraroundwhatmighthappeninthefuture,notonwhatishappeningatthepresentmoment.Focusonwhatisrightinthepresentmoment,notonwhatmayhappendown the line. Of course you should consider all possible consequences andalternatives when making important decisions, but do not let fear be yourdeciding factor. Think rationally and always let what is right be the ultimatedecision maker in your life. I will end this chapter with a thought from TheHavamal,“Thebraveandgeneroushavethebestlives.They’reseldomsorry.”Liveyourlifewithcourageandyouwillhavefewregrets.

MeditationsonCourage

Bebraveandcourageous,foradversityistheprovinggroundofvirtue.

BattistaAlberti

Courageisthemostimportantofallvirtues,becausewithoutitwecan’tpracticeany

othervirtuewithconsistency.MayaAngelou

Theworldhasnoroomforcowards.Wemustallbereadysomehowtotoil,tosuffer,todie.Andyoursisnotthelessnoblebecausenodrumbeatsbeforeyouwhenyougooutintoyourdailybattlefields,andnocrowdsshoutaboutyourcomingwhenyou

returnfromyourdailyvictoryordefeat.RobertLouisStevenson

Cowardsdiemanytimesbeforetheirdeaths,thevaliantnevertasteofdeathbutonce.

Shakespeare

Toevadedangerisnotcowardice.PhilippineProverb

Toseewhatisrightandnottodoitiscowardice.Confucius

Thetestofcouragecomeswhenweareintheminority.Emerson

Courageisgraceunderpressure.ErnestHemingway

Themanoftruevalorliesbetweentheextremesofcowardiceandrashness.

Cervantes

Heisthebestmanwho,whenmakinghisplans,fearsandreflectsoneverythingthatcanhappentohim,

butinthemomentofactionisbold.Herodotus

Onlythewisearebrave.Othersareeithertemerariousorfoolhardy.

Thus,wecansaythateverybravemaniswisebutnotthateverywisemanisbrave.

FrancescoGuicciardini

Courageisaspecialkindofknowledge:theknowledgeofhowtofearwhatoughttobefearedandhownottofearwhatoughtnottobefeared.

DavidBen-Gurion

Courageisresistancetofear,masteryoffear–notabsenceoffear.

MarkTwain

Chapter13

EnduranceTheWarrior’sFortitude

Endurance:Theabilitytobearprolongedhardship,exertion,orpain;thesurvivalorpersistenceofsomethingovertime.

Asyoucanseefromthedefinitionabove,therearebasicallytwodifferentdefinitions for endurance, and both are important for thewarrior. Thewarriormustbeabletowithstandprolongedhardshipandpain,justaseveryonemustatone time or another in life. In addition, it should go without saying, that thewarriormust be persistent in his quest for thewarrior lifestyle in order to besuccessful.Withoutadoubt,theabilitytobearprolongedexertionispartofthewarrior’sphysicaltraining.Togetherthesetraitsformthewarrior’sfortitude.

HenryTuckermanstatedthat,“Thereisastrengthofaquietenduranceassignificantofcourageasthemostdaringfeatsofprowess.”Endurancedoestakecourage. It is extremely tempting to justgiveupand throw in the towelwhenhardshipandpainbecomesalmostoverwhelming,butitispreciselyatthattimethatthewarrior’senduranceismostneeded.Duringtimesofpersistenthardshipiswhenthewarriorlearnsthemostabouthisfortitude.

You have to train yourself to endure the tough times in order to besuccessful,nomatterwhatyourgoalmaybe.Ifyougiveupwhenthegoinggetstough, you will never accomplish much in life. Everyone has tough times.Everyonehasperiodswhereeverythingseemstogowrongandwheretheyheartheverytemptingvoiceofdefeatwhispering,“Itisnotworthit–justthrowinthe towel and walk away.” The temptation to give in to defeat is felt byeverybodyatonetimeoranother,butadeterminedfortitudeandanever-say-dieattitude are distinctive characteristics of the warrior. It is a vital part of thewarriorlifestyle.

To put fortitude in layman’s terms, it literally means, “guts, grit,

determination,resilience,andstayingpower.”Obviously,thesearetraitsthatthewarrior must have, not only to be successful in the warrior lifestyle, but tosuccessfully perfect any one of the single traits of Modern Bushido. RalphBunchestated,“Tomakeourway,wemusthavefirmresolve,persistence,andtenacity.Wegearourselvestoworkhardalltheway.Wecanneverletup.”Thatisaperfectpictureofwhatittakestolivethewarriorlifestyle.

One of the most famous self-help authors of our times, Napoleon Hill,wrote, “The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack ofpersistenceincreatingnewplanstotaketheplaceofthosewhichfail.”Avitalpartofthewarrior’sfortitudeisthetenacitytonotgiveupwhenhefailsinoneendeavororanother.Everyonemakesmistakes.Everyonefallsshortatonetimeoranother.Thewarrior lifestyle isanever-ending,ongoingprocess,notagoalthatyouachieveandthencheckoffofyourcompletionlist.

You will fall short in one area or another as you work to perfect yourcharacter, yourmental processes, andyour physical skills.Youwill encountersoremuscles, injuries, and setbacks asyougo through theprocessof training.The trick is tonotgiveup.This iswhat itmeans toendure, to follow throughwith determination, to endure exertion and pain. If you find that your plan toachieveyourobjectivesisnotworking,don’tgiveup,simplycreateanewplan.ToquoteNapoleonHillagain,“Patience,persistenceandperspirationmakeanunbeatablecombinationforsuccess.”Youwillfindthatmanytimesalittlemorepersistencewillturnaseeminglyhopelesssituationintoasuccess.

The second definition of endurance is the survival or persistence ofsomethingover time.NapoleonHillstatedthat,“Persistenceis to thecharacterofmanascarbonistosteel.”Whenyouaddcarbontosteel,youmakethesteelharderandstronger.Carbonmakesitbetter.Thisiswhatpersistencedoeswithyourcharacter.Givingupweakensyourcharacter,whereaspersistentlyenduringlife’shardshipsbuildsyourcharacter.

William Barclay wrote, “Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hardthing, but to turn it into glory.” For the warrior, endurancemeansmore thansimply putting upwith a bad situation; itmeans conquering that situation andturningitintoavictory.Itisonethingtosimplysurviveaprolongedhardship,but it is another thing entirely to take that hardship and turn it into somethingpositive.Thatisthewarrior’sobjective.Survivalisthefoundationofendurance;completetriumphistheendgame.

When speakingof survival, there are two schoolsof thoughtwhichgo toopposite extremes. The first school of thought is when it comes to survival,anythinggoes.ImeldaMarcosstated,“Doesn’tthefightforsurvivalalsojustifyswindleandtheft?Inself-defense,anythinggoes.”ImeldaMarcoswasacrook.

Her statementwas basicallymeant to justify her unethical actions.While it istrue that in a real life-or-death, physical encounter, anything goes, thisphilosophyshouldnotapplytoenduringlife’shardships.Thisisespeciallytrueforthewarrior.

Thewarriorhastolearntoendurelife’shardshipsandpain,buthavingtoendurehardshipsisnotanexcusetoloweryourstandardsortoloseyourhonor.Thereisarightwayandawrongwaytodoeverything.Turningtodishonestactsandjustifyingthembyblamingthemonyourcircumstancesismerelyacopout.Thisisnotthewayofthewarrior,butratherthemindsetofthecriminal.

On theotherextreme,youhave theultrapassiveschoolof thoughtwhichbasicallystatesthatitisbettertodiethantoeverharmanotherperson,nomatterwhatthecircumstances.KhalilGibranstated,“Ifmysurvivalcausedanothertoperish, thendeathwouldbe sweeter andmorebeloved.”Again, this isnot thewayofthewarrior.Therearetimeswhenyoursurvivalmayrequirethatyoudoharm to another person.While the true warrior neverwants to hurt or injureanyoneelse,heiscertainlywillingtodosoifhishandisforced.

If his survival depends on his usingmartial arts skills to defend himself,then he is certainly justified.The philosophy that there is never any reason toharm or kill another human being is for monks or priests – not for warriors.Someone has to be willing to stand against evil in a proactive way, and thatsomeoneisthewarrior.

Thewarrior lives somewhere in between these two extremephilosophies.Hisphilosophy,concerningenduringhardshipsandsurvivingwhatlifethrowsathim, has to be balanced with the code by which he lives. Surviving life’shardshipsdoesnotmean loweringyourstandardsor temporarilyshelvingyourprinciples. It means using your principles to overcome the hardships you arefacingandturningthosehardshipsintoavictoryintheend.

Hunkerdownwhenyouneedto.Themiddleofablizzardisnotthetimetotakeactionandshovelyourdriveway;itisthetimetopatientlywaitinthesafetyof your warm house. After the storm clears is the time to pull out the snowshovels and persistently work to clear the snow and declare victory over thestorm.Goingoutandworkingtoremovethesnowinthemiddleoftheblizzardisonlyanexerciseinfutility;thisisnotsmart.Endurethestorm’sfury,andthentakeactiontoachievevictoryandovercomewhatthestormhasthrownatyou.

Timingisimportant.Thereisatimeandaplaceforeverything.Thereisatimetositpatientlyandatimetotakeaction.Bothoftheseareimportantaspectsof endurance.Waiting patiently is not the same thing as doing nothing.Manytimes, patientlywaiting for the right time to take action is the hardest part ofenduringlife’shardships.Agoodexampleofthishastodowithyourphysical

training.Suppose that during your training, you pull a muscle in your leg while

sparring.Ofcourseyouaren’tgoingtojustgiveupanddecidetothrowinthetowelonyourmartialartstraining.Persistenceisavitalpartofperfectingyourmartialartsskills,soyouhavetoendurethispainfulinjuryandcontinuetotrain,butyouhavetobedisciplinedindoingso.Youhavetobepatientandwaitforyourinjurytohealbeforeyoucontinueyourtraining.Thisisanimportantpartoftheprocessofenduranceandpersistence.

Ifyouweretoskipthisphaseandjustcontinuetotrain, thinkingthatyouare showing your fortitude by enduring the pain and working through it nomatter what, you would simply be making things worse. Don’t confuseenduranceandperseverancewithfoolishness.LikeIsaidbefore,thereisatimeandaplaceforeverything,includingwaitingpatientlyfortherighttimetoact.

Beingpersistentdoesn’tmeanthatyouworknonstopandtrytoforcethingsto happen; itmeans not quitting, not giving up. Neither does being persistentmean thatyoucontinue topoundawayatyourchallengeusing theexactsamemeans.Youmayhavetochangeyourplansandyourapproachtotheprobleminorder to ultimately be successful. Remember that often repeated definition ofinsanity–doingthesamethingandexpectingdifferentresults.

Be persistent in continuing to endure and to work at achieving yourobjective,notatdoingthesameexactthing.Thereisabigdifferenceinthetwo.W.EdwardsDemingstatedthat,“It isnotnecessarytochange.Survival isnotmandatory.”Everythingchanges.Nothingremainsthesameforverylong.Youhave to be willing to change in order to survive.While your core principlesshouldnotchange,youractionsmustbeflexible.Youmustadaptyouractionstothecircumstancesinordertosurvive,andyoumustdosowithoutcompromisingyourprinciples.Endurethestormsoflifeandriseabovetheminordertoreachyourultimategoal.

MeditationsonEndurance

Enduranceisoneofthemostdifficultdisciplines,butitistotheonewhoenduresthatthefinalvictorycomes.

Buddha

Enduranceisnoblerthanstrength.JohnRuskin

Sorrowandsilencearestrong,andpatientenduranceisgodlike.HenryWadsworthLongfellow

Wetoomustendureandpersevereintheinquiry,andthencouragewillnotlaughatourfaintheartednessinsearchingforcourage;whichafterallmay,verylikely,beendurance.

Socrates

Enduranceispatienceconcentrated.ThomasCarlyle

Thereisastrengthofaquietenduranceassignificantofcourageasthemostdaringfeatsofprowess.

HenryTuckerman

Heroismisenduranceforonemomentmore.GeorgeF.Kennan

Enduranceisnotjusttheabilitytobearahardthing,buttoturnitintoglory.

WilliamBarclay

Prolongedendurancetamesthebold.LordByron

Themenwholearnendurance,aretheywhocallthewholeworld,brother.

CharlesDickens

Comewhatmay,allbadfortuneistobeconqueredbyendurance.

Virgil

Enduranceandtobeabletoendureisthefirstlessonachildshouldlearnbecauseit’stheonetheywillmostneedtoknow.

Jean-JacquesRousseau

Enduranceisthecrowningquality.JamesRussellLowell

Themajorityofmenmeetwithfailurebecauseoftheirlackofpersistenceincreatingnewplans

totaketheplaceofthosewhichfail.NapoleonHill

Continuous,unflaggingeffort,persistenceanddeterminationwillwin.

JamesWhitcombRiley

Chapter14

JusticeTheWarrior’sConviction

Justice: the quality of being righteous; rectitude; impartiality;fairness; the quality of being right or correct; sound reason;rightfulness;validity.

Justice is thequalityofbeingrighteous,or inmorestraightforwardterms,thequalityofbeingrightorcorrect.Thisisn’treferringtobeingrightasfarastrivialknowledge,butratherbeingrightwhereyouractionsareconcerned.AsIhavealreadydiscussed,thetruewarriordoeshisbest toensurethathisactionsarerightandthatallofhisdecisionsarebasedonwhatisrightaccordingtohisown standards, not necessarily the legal standards of the day. This is thewarrior’s conviction and his dedication to integrating justice into his everyaction.

Itisyourcommitmenttojusticethatmakesyouractionsrighteous,nottheoutcomeofyouractions.Youdonothavecompletecontrolovertheendresultsofyouractions,andconsequently,itisnottheoutcomewhichshouldultimatelyconcern you – it is doing what is right that is your main responsibility as awarrior.Ofcourseyouwanttotryyourbesttoachieveasatisfactoryoutcome,but you aren’t God, and you can’t control everything. Your job is to becommitted to justice inyouractions.Makesure thatyouractionsarerightandjust,andthenletthechipsfallwheretheymay.

Socrateswassocommittedtobeingjustthathecarriedoutadeathsentenceonhis own life for trumpedup charges.Evenwhenhehad theopportunity toescape, he refused because he considered breaking the law of the day unjust.Thisistotaldedicationtojustice,althoughinmyopinion,amisguidedviewofjustice. Simply because a group of men decide to declare something a “law”

doesn’tautomaticallymaketheirdeclarationjust.Infact,giventhecharacterofthemajorityofourlawmakers,justlawsarebecomingararity.

It is for this reason that thewarriorshouldmeditateonwhat is trulyrightand wrong, and develop his own code of honor with justice as his guide. Ofcoursethatdoesn’texempthimfrombeingheldaccountabletothelawsof thecountry inwhich he lives, but it does assure him that his actionswill be justinstead of simply lawful. Lao Tzu taught, “Highly evolved people have theirown conscience as pure law.” This train of thought is also found in theCatacombswhereitisinscribed,“Thejustmanishimselfhisownlaw.”

Thisdoesn’tmean that thehighlyevolved, justmandoesn’thave toobeythelawsoftheland,butratherthatthelawofthelandisnothisultimateguideor finalwordas faraswhat is justandwhat isunjust.Thefinaldeterminationcomesfromthewarrior’sinternalsenseofrightandwrong,thushisconscienceishisultimatelaw.Thecatchhereisthatthewarrior’sconsciencehastobepure,sincere,andasLaoTzustated,highlyevolved.

Manypeoplearenothighlyevolvedandhaveverylowmorals.Forthemtodepend on their conscience to guide them would be ludicrous. It is for thisreason that we have to have laws at all. If everyone was highly evolved anddedicated to justice and always doing the right thing, laws would beunnecessary.But,as Iamsureyouareaware, this isnot thecase, soweelectpoliticians,manywithnocluewhattruejusticeis,tomakelawstocontrolthosewhodonothavethecharactertocontrolthemselves.

Thisisyetanothertraitwhichsetsthetruewarriorapartfromtheaverageperson. The general population falsely believes that justice simply meansfollowingtheletterofthelaw.EventhewiseSocratesbelievedthis,butthisisnot true justice.As I stated above, the letter of the law ismanmade, it is notsacred.Thevastmajorityofourlawsareenacted,notbecausetheyarededicatedtojustice,butratheroutofhiddenagendasandbackroomdeals.Theyhavelittletodowithjustice.

Adheringstrictly tosomeof these laws isactually injustice runamuck. Ithas always been this way. Aristotle taught, “The virtue of justice consists inmoderation, as regulated by wisdom.” Notice Aristotle said, “regulated bywisdom”notregulatedbytheletterofthelaw.TheancientRomanplaywright,Terence, stated, “Extreme law is often injustice.” Antoine the Healercommented,“Oftenmanispreoccupiedwithhumanrulesandforgetstheinnerlaw.”

It is this innerlaw that thetruewarriorhastolistentoinordertodiscernwhatisjustandwhatisunjust,notrulessignedintolawbycrooked,dishonestpoliticians. The warrior knows that true justice goes much deeper than these

officiallaws.Simplybecausesomethingisvotedonandpassedintolawdoesn’tmake it just.As Friedrich von Schiller said, “The voice of themajority is noproofofjustice.”

Again,IwanttoemphasizethatIamnotsayingthatyoushouldnotobeythe law,merely that the law is not theultimate authority concerning right andwrong to theenlightenedwarrior.Deliberately ignoring the lawcancauseyoumanyheadachesandmajorproblems.Doingsowouldsimplybefoolish,unlessyouarerequiredtodisregardthelawforreasonsofhigherjusticeorhonor.

BaltasarGracianwrote,“Ajustman.Hestandsonthesideoftherightwithsuchconviction,thatneitherthepassionofamob,northeviolenceofadespotcanmakehimoversteptheboundsofreason.”Thisisthecommitmentthatthewarrior shouldhave to justice, and it is alsowhereSocrateswaswrong inhisdecision to take his own life at the command of the Greek politicians. Heoversteppedtheboundsofreason.

Thereisabigdifferencebetweenbeinglawfulandbeingjust.Althoughthetwocanoverlap,thisisnotalwaysthecase.Socrateswasfollowingtheletterofthe law, not necessarily being just. If justice was actually done in that case,Socrateswouldhaveneverbeensentenced todeath in thefirstplace.This isagreatexampleof thelawandtruejusticebeingatoddswitheachother.Ifyoutry, I am sure that you can come up with many other clear cut, modern dayexamplesaswell.

It is important for the warrior to keep this distinction in mind whenconsidering his actions. It is also important that he keep in mind theconsequencesofhisactions.Sometimesbeingjustcanputyouatoddswiththelaw,andthatmostlikelywillhavelessthandesirableconsequences.Althoughitmay seem to be easy and straightforward at first glance, living the warriorlifestyle is not easy or uncomplicated. Sometimes being just requires you tomakesomeharddecisions,but the truly justmanwillputwhat is rightbeforewhatiseasy.

Socrates,althoughIbelievehemadethewrongdecisionintheend,wasanextremelywiseteacherandhadmuchtosayaboutjustice.Hetaught,“Youaremistakenmy friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought tospend his timeweighing up the prospects of life and death. He has only onethingtoconsiderinperforminganyaction,thatis,whetherheisactingjustlyorunjustly,likeagoodmanorabadman.”

Although I personallywould not havemade the decision to drink poisoninsteadof escaping fromprison, there canbenodoubt thatSocratesmadehisfinaldecisionbasedonwhathethoughtwasright.Thatisthebestthatanymancando.Otherscansecondguesshisdecisions,debatehisdecisions,etc.,butin

theend,whattrulymattersisthatthewarriorbaseshisdecisionsonwhatisrightaccordingtohisownprinciples.Ifhedoesthis,hehasdonethebestthathecando and should be honored for having the integrity to dowhat he thoughtwasright.

Beingjustisnotamatterfordebate.Everydecisionhastobeeitherrightorwrong, just or unjust. Zeno the Stoic stated, “Just as a stick must be eitherstraightorcrooked,soamanmustbeeitherjustorunjust.Noragainaretheredegreesbetweenjustandunjust.”Adooriseitheropenorshut;ithastobeoneor the other. It can be almost shut, but almost shut is still open. The sameprincipleappliestoyouractions.Theyareeitherjustorunjust.Ifacertainactionisclosetobeingjust,butnotquitethere,itisstillunjust.

Therearemanyreasonsthatpeoplechoosenottodowhatisright,whichineffect is choosing to be unjust. For most people, acting unjustly is merely amatter of selfishness; they are purely concerned with what is best for thempersonally, not in being just. This shouldn’t be the case for the warrior. Thewarriorhastoholdhimselftoahigherstandard.Hiseverydecisionisbasedonhisperceptionofrightandwrong.Thisispartoflivingthewarriorlifestyle.

Livingthewarriorlifestylerequiresmuchmorethanlivingliketheaveragecitizen. The warrior is focused on justice in all his actions, as well as hisinaction.Yes,youcanbeunjustbydoingnothing.MarcusAureliuspointedthisoutclearly, stating, “Youcanalsocommit injusticebydoingnothing.”GichinFunakoshiechoedthisthoughtwhenhesaidthat,“Toavoidactionwhenjusticeisatstakedemonstratesalackofcourage.”

The true warrior is accountable for both his actions and his inactions.Actingaccordingtowhatisjust,alsoincludesdoingnothing.“Doingnothing”isactually an action, and can be as unjust as doing something that is blatantlywrong. Pontius Pilate actually did nothing during the trial of Jesus, but hisactionsof“washinghishandsofthewholematter”wasunjustact.

Justice is basically doing what is right without allowing your personalbiasesorpersonaldesirestocauseyoutoveeroffcourse.Thistakesdisciplineand practice, and many times it can be a hard thing to master, but the truewarriorwillmakeitoneofhispriorities.Aswithallofthetraitsofthewarriorlifestyle, it is important to trulymake dedication to justice an integral part ofyourlife.AsAeschylussaid,“Don’tappearjust;bejust.”

MeditationsonJustice

Youaremistakenmyfriend,ifyouthinkthatamanwhoisworthanythingoughttospendhistimeweighinguptheprospectsoflifeanddeath.

Hehasonlyonethingtoconsiderinperforminganyaction,thatis,whetherheisactingjustlyorunjustly,

likeagoodmanorabadman.Socrates

Thevoiceofthemajorityisnoproofofjustice.FriedrichvonSchiller

Thereisapointatwhichevenjusticedoesinjury.Sophocles

Ajustman.Hestandsonthesideoftherightwithsuchconviction,thatneitherthepassionofamob,northeviolenceofadespotcanmakehimoversteptheboundsofreason.

BaltasarGracian

Hethatisunjustintheleastisunjustalsoinmuch.TheGospelofLuke

Toavoidactionwhenjusticeisatstakedemonstratesalackofcourage.

GichinFunakoshi

Oftenmanispreoccupiedwithhumanrulesandforgetstheinnerlaw.AntoinetheHealer

Justasastickmustbeeitherstraightorcrooked,soamanmustbeeitherjustorunjust.

Noragainaretheredegreesbetweenjustandunjust.ZenotheStoic

Youcanalsocommitinjusticebydoingnothing.MarcusAurelius

Thejustmanishimselfhisownlaw.CatacombsInscription

Thesuperiormanenactsequity;justiceisthefoundationofhisdeeds.

Confucius

Don’tappearjust;bejust.Aeschylus

Extremelawisofteninjustice.Terence

Thejustmanisnotonewhodoeshurttonone,butonewhohavingthepowertohurtrepressesthewill.

Pythagoras

Chapter15

SincerityTheGenuineArticle

Sincerity: the quality or state of being sincere, honesty of mind;freedomfromhypocrisy.

I have said many times that you should be a man of honor, not merelyappeartobeamanofhonor.Thismeansyoumustbesincere.Youmustbefreefrom hypocrisy and develop honesty of mind, which means that you have tomonitor your thoughts as I discussed earlier. No one respects a hypocrite. Ahypocrite issomeonewhopretends tohaveadmirableprinciplesorbeliefs,butdoesn’tbackthemupwithhisactions.Heisafraud.Thisisnotthewayofthewarrior,butratherthewayofthecharlatan.

TheChinesebook,TheDoctrineoftheMean,statesthat,“SincerityistheWayofHeaven…Hewhoissincereisonewhohitsuponwhatisrightwithouteffort…He is naturally and easily in harmonywith theWay. Such aman is asage.Hewhotriestobesincereisonewhochoosesthegoodandholdsfasttoit.”Sincerityisaveryimportantpartofthewarriorlifestyleanditisvitalwhenitcomestobeingcomfortableinyourownskin.

Bewhoyouare.Thisdoesn’tmean that youdon’t takepains to improveyourselfandmakeyourselfabetterperson, rather itmeans thatyoushouldberelaxed and comfortable letting people knowwho you truly are andwhat youstandfor–besincerelyyou.Don’tworrywhateveryonethinksaboutyouoriftheyapproveordisapproveofwhoyouare; justbeyourself, andbeamanofhonor.Letthemseewhatatruemanofhonorislike.

Thekeyhere is being a truemanof honor, not simply appearing to be amanofhonor.Behonorable toyourverycore.Whenyou trulyare thepersonyouwanttobe,youdonothavetobeshyaboutbeingyourself.Itisonlywhenyou are pretending to be someone other than who you really are, that you

becomeunsureaboutallowingotherstofindoutwhoyoutrulyare.For many people, depending on your personality, this can be a difficult

thingtodo.Mostpeopledesiretheapprovaloftheirfriendsandfamily,andtheycanworrythatiftheyallowotherstoseewhotheytrulyare,thattheywillnotapproveofwhattheysee.Thisisoneofthemainreasonsthatpeoplehidewhothey are and more or less play the part of an actor in public or around theirfriendsandfamily.Thisusuallyboilsdowntooneoftwothings.

First,eitherthepersonislackinginoverallself-confidenceconcerningwhoheisorhowheliveshislife,andfearsthathispeers,friends,andfamilywillnotbe accepting ofwho he truly is or how he lives. The second factor is that hewants somuch to be liked or admired, that he is hesitant to take the risk thatshowinghisrealfacewillcosthimtherespectandadmirationofhisfriendsandfamily.

Bothofthesecomedowntoalackofself-confidenceinwhohetrulyisasaperson.Whilehemayfeel,deepdowninhisspirit,thatheislivingasheshould,hehasadeep-seatedfearthatotherswillnotunderstandorapproveofwhoheisorhowheliveshislife.Ittakescouragetolivelifeyourway,withoutworryingaboutwhatotherpeoplethinkofyourchoices.Italsotakessincerityandmakingupyourmindthat,intheend,youaregoingtoliveyourlifeinyourownway,nomatterwhatanyoneelsemaythinkaboutyourchoices.

AnneMorrowLindberghpointsout,“Themostexhausting thing in life, Ihave discovered, is being insincere.” It is exhausting to put on an act, alwaysbeingsomeoneelsewhenyouarearoundotherpeople,likeanactoronastage.It is drainingbecauseyou are trying tobe someoneyou arenot.On theotherhand,beingsincereandbeingyourselfmeansbeinginarelaxedconfidentstateofmind.Thusitdoesnotdrainyourenergyandyoufeelmorecomfortable.

The bottom line,where this is concerned, is that your life is your life. Itreallyisnobodyelse’sbusinesshowyouchoosetoliveyourlife,aslongasyouarenotharminganyoneelse. Ifyouaredoingyourbest to livea lifeofhonorandintegrity,youhavenothingtobeashamedof.Eventhoughmostpeoplemaynotunderstand thewayof thewarrior, it doesn’tmeanyouhave tokeepyourbeliefsandprincipleshiddenorbeshyaboutsharingyourphilosophy.

Livingthewarriorlifestyleisnotsomethingthateveryonewillunderstand,butitisalsonothingtobeashamedofortokeephidden,unlessofcourse,youaremerelypretending to live thewayof thewarrioranddon’twantanyone toknow that you are apretender. If this is the case, youhavebigger issues thanwhatothers thinkofyou,andyouneed toaddress thoseunderlying issuesandquit being a hypocrite. Be sincere in your quest to perfect your character.AsTzu-ssutaught,“Justactsincerely,inaccordancewithyourtruenature.”

It is also important to note that, while it is important to allow others,especiallythoseclosetoyou,toknowwhoyoutrulyareasaperson,thisdoesn’tmean that you have to share everything about yourself. Being sincere doesn’tmean you have to be completely open and share every piece of privateinformationaboutyourlife.Youcanbesincerewithoutbeinganopenbook.Usediscretionabouthowmuchofyourlifeyousharewithotherpeople.

Ittakesstrengthandcouragetobeyourself.LaRochefoucauldstatedthat,“Theweakcannotbesincere,”and this is true.Weakpeoplehaveaveryhardtimebeing sincerebecause theydoubt themselves; and it isnotonly theweakthat have a hard time being sincere with others. In fact, the vast majority ofpeopleareinsinceretoapoint.

LaRochefoucauldwentontoteachthat,“Sincerityisanopennessofheartthatisfoundinveryfewpeople.Whatweusuallyseeisonlyanartfuldisguisepeople put on to win the confidence of others.” People have agendas, and toachieve those agendas, they play the parts that they believe will make themsuccessful, insteadof sincerelybeing themselves. It is for this reason that youhavetobeverycarefulandtrytolookbehindtheveil tofindoutwhotherealpersontrulyis.

Thewarrior,ontheotherhand,actswithsincerity.Thisdoesn’tmeanthathe always lets everyone know exactly who he is or what he is thinking – hedoesn’t.Thatwouldbeunwise.Sincerity simplymeansacting fromaplaceoftruthconcerningwhoyoureallyare.Youmustbesincerewithyourselfaswellaswith other people. JamesRussell Lowell stated that, “Noman can producegreatthingswhoisnotthoroughlysincereindealingwithhimself.”Youhavetobe sincereandhonestwithyourself first,beforeyoucanbe sincerewithotherpeople.

Lowell goes on to say, “Sincerity is impossible, unless it pervades thewholebeing,andthepretenceofitsapstheveryfoundationofcharacter.”Thisisaninterestingthought.Sincethemaingoalofthewarriorlifestyleistoperfectyour character, if you are doing something that is undermining the veryfoundationofyourcharacter,youaregoingtohaveahardtimebeingsuccessful.GeorgeHenryLewesechoesthispointstating,“Insincerityisalwaysweakness;sincerity even in error is strength.”Are you starting to see the importance ofsincerityforthetruewarrior?

Unless you are sincere about living the warrior lifestyle, you are onlyplaying around, and thiswill not lead to permanent changes in your life.Youhavetobesincerelydevotedtoyourbeliefsandtheprinciplesinyourlife.Ifyouaremerelypretending,soonerorlaterthatwillcometolight.AsAesoptaughtinhisfamousfables,“Thosewhopretendtobewhattheyarenot,soonerorlater,

findthemselvesindeepwater.”Beingsinceremeanshavingconfidenceinyourdecisionsandwhoyouare,

orwhoyouarebecoming.Youdevelop thisconfidencebymeditatingonwhoandwhatyouwanttobe,thensincerelyworkingtobecomethatperson.Atthispoint, I need to make a distinction between pretending to live the warriorlifestyleandpretendingtobewhoyouwanttobe.Thesetwoactionsmaysoundthesame,buttheyaremilesapart.

Pretendingtolivealifeofhonorandintegrity,whileatthesametimereallybeingtheopposite,ismerelybeingahypocrite.Pretendingtobewhoyouwanttobe,asyouworktodevelopthequalitiesthatyousincerelydesiretodevelop,ispartoftheprocessofbecomingthepersonyouwanttobecome.Ifyouwanttobeamanofhonor,actlikeamanofhonoruntilyousincerelyhavebecomethatperson.This isnotbeingahypocrite,but ratheroneof the techniques thatoneusestochangehischaracter.Doyouseethedifferenceinthetwo?

Furthermore, being sinceremeans that you aren’t competingwith others.You are merely doing the best that you can do to improve your own life. Itdoesn’tmatterwhereanyoneelseisintheprocessofbecomingwhohewantstobe;itonlymatterswhereyouareandwhatyouaredoingtoimproveyourownlife.Itisokaytouseothersasexamplesorasrolemodels,butnotassomeonethatyouhavetocompetewithinordertoachieveyourobjectives.

Lao Tzu taught, “When you are content to be simply yourself and don’tcompare or compete, everybody will respect you.” Well, maybe saying thateverybodywill respect you is going a bit too far, but youwill definitely gainmuchmorerespectbybeingyourself,andbeingsincere,thanyouwillbyputtingonanactthatsoonerorlatermostpeoplewillbeabletoseethrough.ThereisanoldShinto teaching that sums this thoughtup, it says,“Withsincerity, there isvirtue.”

While it is important to be sincere with other people, it is even moreimportanttobesincerewithyourself.Youhavetobehonestwithyourselfaboutwhatyouwantandwhoyouwanttobe.Thenyouhavetosincerelyfollowyourroadmaptobecomethepersonthatyouwanttobe–amanofcharacter,honor,andintegrity.

MeditationsonSincerity

Justactsincerely,inaccordancewithyourtruenature.Tzu-ssu

Themostexhaustingthinginlife,Ihavediscovered,isbeinginsincere.

AnneMorrowLindbergh

Sincerityisanopennessofheartthatisfoundinveryfewpeople.Whatweusuallyseeisonlyan

artfuldisguisepeopleputontowintheconfidenceofothers.LaRochefoucauld

Withsincerity,thereisvirtue.Shintoteaching

Everythingisbasedonmind,isledbymind,isfashionedbymind.Ifyouspeakandact

withapollutedmind,sufferingwillfollowyou,asthewheelsoftheoxcartfollowthefootstepsoftheox.

Everythingisbasedonmind,isledbymind,isfashionedbymind.Ifyouspeakandactwithapuremind,happinesswillfollowyou,

asashadowclingstoaform.Buddha

Whenyouarecontenttobesimplyyourselfanddon’tcompareorcompete,everybodywillrespectyou.

LaoTzu

Thematurepersonvaluessincerityaboveallthings.Tzu-ssu

Insincerityisalwaysweakness;sincerityeveninerrorisstrength.

GeorgeHenryLewes

Sincerityisimpossible,unlessitpervadesthewholebeing,andthepretenceofitsapstheveryfoundationofcharacter.

JamesRussellLowell

Theweakcannotbesincere.LaRochefoucauld

Thosewhopretendtobewhattheyarenot,soonerorlater,findthemselvesindeepwater.

Aesop

Sincerityisthesinglevirtuethatbindsthedivineandmaninone.

Shintoteaching

Sincerityismoraltruth.GeorgeHenryLewes

Nomancanproducegreatthingswhoisnotthoroughlysincereindealingwithhimself.

JamesRussellLowell

Chapter16

Self-KnowledgeTheWarrior’sIntrospection

Self-Knowledge: knowledge or understanding of one’s owncapabilities,character,feelings,ormotivations.

Self-knowledge is very important. Without the knowledge of your owncapabilities, you will not be able to understand what your strengths andweaknesses are, thus you will not know what you need to focus on in yourtraining, or what you can and cannot do. This same principle applies tounderstandingyourcharacter.Youhavetoknowwhatareasneedimprovinginyour quest to perfect your character. If you don’t understand your feelings ormotivations,youwillhaveproblemscontrollingyouremotionsandmakingsurethatyouractionsarejust.So,asyoucanclearlysee,thewarrior’sintrospectionisvitallyimportant.

BaltasarGracianstated,“Nomancanbemasterofhimself,whodoesnotfirstunderstandhimself.”Thetruewarriormustspendtimealone,searchinghissoul,inordertoknowexactlywhoandwhatheis.Examineeveryareaofyourlife. It is thewarrior’sultimateobjective to livea lifeofexcellence– ineveryway.Forthewarriortobeabletocompletethisgoal,hehastohaveanintimateknowledgeofhimself.Whilethismayseemobvious,itisnotascommonoraseasyasyoumaythink.

Mostpeopleassumethattheyknowthemselves.Afterall,whoknowsyoubetter thanyou, right?Well, this isnotnecessarily true.Letmeput this in theformofananalogyofafootballgamewherethecoachessithighabove,inthepress box, in order to observe the players. Those coaches can seemore aboutwhattheplayersaredoingthantheplayersthemselves,thustheytendtoknowtheplayers’weaknessesbetter than theplayersdo.Otherpeoplecanoften seethingsthatyoucan’tseeinyourself;soatruefriendcanbeavaluableresource

intheprocessofobtainingself-knowledge.NelsonBoswellstated,“Wemustfindoutwhatwereallyareandwhatwe

reallywant.”Bothofthesearepartoftheprocessofself-discovery.Achievingrealself-knowledgeinvolvesknowingwhoandwhatyouare,andwhatyoutrulywantinlife.Withoutthisknowledge,youarelikeaboatdriftingonthewaves,being carried wherever the winds of life blow you. Self-knowledge is thebeginningofself-improvementandvitaltothedevelopmentofyourprinciples.Gracianwrote,“Itisafirstprinciplethatinordertoimproveyourself,youmustfirstknowyourself.”

This is an important principle since self-improvement iswhat thewarriorlifestyle isallabout.Youcan’t improveanything ifyoudon’t firstknowwhatneedstobeimproved.Onceyouknowwhatneedstobeimprovedorfixed,youcanthenbegintheprocessoffindingouthowtomaketheneededimprovements.Makingimprovementsinyourlifeislikeamechanicworkingonacar.Hefirsthastofigureoutwhatiswrongwithyourcarbeforehecanworkonitandmakeitrunbetter.

No mechanic would simply start replacing parts, rewiring the electricalsystem, etc. without first doing some investigating and finding out what isworkingandwhatisnotworking.Thesameprinciplegoesforyouinyourquestto live the warrior lifestyle. You have to find out what strengths you alreadyhave and what areas need some work. Then you can work to make yourstrengthsevenstronger,andtoturnyourweaknessesintostrengths.

Ittakesquiteabitofintrospectiontoreallyunderstandyourselfandknowwhatyoubelieveinandwhatyoutrulystandfor–tounderstandyourprinciplesandtodevelopyourowncodeoflife.CarlJungtaughtthat,“Weshouldknowwhatourconvictionsare,andstandforthem…Thereforeitiswisetobeasclearaspossibleaboutone’ssubjectiveprinciples.”Socratesstated,“Oneofthemostimportantpreceptsofwisdomistoknowoneself.”

Athoroughunderstandingofoneselfisnotoptionalforthetruewarrior.Itis absolutely necessary.This should be a top priority for you throughout yourjourney.Itisself-knowledgethatallowsyoutolivealifeofexcellence;withoutit,youcannotpossiblydevelopyourlifetothefullest.Socratesevenwentasfaras to say, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This is a pretty strongendorsementofself-knowledge!

Self-knowledgegivesyouinsight,notonlyintowhatareasofyourlifeneedto be changed, but also intowhat trulymatters to you.You only live on thisplanetonce,asfarasyouknow,soitisimportantthatyoulivethekindoflifethatyouwanttolive.Thatincludesbeingwhoyoureallyareandlivingbyyourbeliefs.Ifyouaren’tclearonwhatyouwantoutoflifeorwhatyoutrulybelieve,

thenhowcanyoupossiblylivethelifeyouwanttolive?Howcanyoubetruetoyourselfandyourprinciples?Youcan’t!

Shakespearewrote,“Thisaboveall;tothineownselfbetrue.”Youhavetounderstand yourself thoroughly in order to be true to your own self – to thebeliefs andprinciples thatyouholddear.Thewarrior’s introspection isvitallyimportant tohisgrowth.TheHagakure, the famousSamuraibookofwisdom,tells us, “Only thosewho continually re-examine themselves and correct theirfaultswillgrow.”Thekeywordinthisquoteis“continually.”

Self-knowledgeisnotaprocesswhereyoucangointomeditationforafewhours,discoveryourtrueself,andthenmarkoffityourto-dolist.It,likeallofthe traits of the warrior lifestyle, is an ongoing process – not a one-timediscovery. Self-knowledge is continuous. Nothing in this world is static;everything is constantly changing, and that includes you. Therefore, it isimportant thatyoucontinuallymonitoryourselfandstayontopof thechangeswhich take place in your life. Dag Hammarskjold stated that, “The longestjourney is the journey inward.” This is because that journey is not onlyadventurous,butalsonever-ending.

Youwillnotbetheexactsamepersonthistimenextyearasyouarenow.Onceyoudevelopyourcoreprinciplesandoverallcodeofhonor,theywillstaythesameforthemostpart,buteventhen,youwillneedtocontinuallyscrutinizeyourself, your attitude, andyour adherence to the life thatyouhavechosen tolive. It is up to you to ensure that you live a life of excellence and work tomaintain your strengths and to improve your weaknesses. Nobody else reallycaresorwilldoitforyou.

Whether or not you live a life of excellence rests solely on your ownshoulders,andyouabsolutelycannot livea lifeofexcellencewithoutknowingyourself intimately.There is anold Indianproverbwhich states, “Hewhohasstudied himself is his ownmaster.”Youmust be your ownmaster and guideyourlifeinthedesireddirection.

Self-knowledge is the foundation for any improvements in your life -mental,spiritual,orphysical.Youhavetoknowwhereyouare,whatyourlimitsmay be,what your current knowledge base is, andwhere youwant to be.Nomatterwhatareaofyourlifeyoufocuson,self-knowledgehastobethestartingpointforself-improvement.Yes,thisevenincludesyourmartialarts.

Thinkaboutit,youhadcertainlybetterknowyourinitiallimitsbeforeyoustart training, or youwill enduppushingyourself too far and endupwith aninjury thatwill set your goals back. In your physical training, just aswith allotherareasofyourlife,youhavetoknowwhatkindofshapeyouareintostartwith.Youhavetoknowwhatyourweakpointsareandwhatyourstrengthsare.

Ifyouareveryinflexibleandeitherdonotknowthis,orignorethisfact,andyoutrytothrowahighkick,chancesareyouaregoingtoenduppullingamuscleorworse.

Self-knowledgealsoplaysapartinyourself-defense.Youmustknowyourown capabilities and evaluate themhonestly. There is a famous quote by SunTzuwhich illustrates this point. Sun Tzuwrote, “Know the enemy and knowyourself;inahundredbattlesyouwillneverbeinperil.Whenyouareignorantoftheenemybutknowyourself,yourchancesofwinningorlosingareequal.Ifignorantbothofyourenemyandofyourself,youarecertainineverybattletobeinperil.”

Ifyoudon’t trulyknowwhatyourabilitiesareandyouoverestimateyourskills,youareputtingyourselfindangerifyoueverfindyourselfinatruelife-or-death situation.There is an Italianproverbwhich states, “Hewho is an assand takes himself to be a stag, finds his mistake when he comes to leap theditch.”Inthemiddleofaself-defensesituationisnotagoodtimetofindoutthatyoudon’thavetheskillsthatyouthoughtyouhad.

Youhavetoevaluateyourselfhonestlywhenyouarebeingintrospective.Itdoesyounogoodtobedishonestwithyourselfandfoolyourself intothinkingthatyouaresomethingmorethanyouactuallyare.Appraiseyourselfhonestly.Onlythencanyouseethingsclearlyandstarttoimproveyourlife.Sometimesthiscanbedifficulttodo,especiallyforthewarriorwhoseskillsarenotwheretheyoncewere.

CharlesSpurgeonwrote,“Itisfoolishtotrytoliveonpastexperience.Itisa very dangerous, if not fatal habit, to judge ourselves to be safe because ofsomethingthatwefeltordidtwentyyearsago.”Thingschangeandyoumustbeaware of those changes in your life. Perfecting your character is an ongoingprocess. Staying in shape is an ongoing process. Monitoring these things,understandingwhoyou are andwhat youbelieve, andkeeping trackofwhereyoustand issimplypartof theprocessof living life to the fullest.This is trueself-knowledge,andisapartofbeingtrulypreparedtoliveasuccessfullife.

MeditationsonSelf-Knowledge

Ifamandoesnotkeeppacewithhiscompanions,perhapsitisbecausehehearsadifferentdrummer.

Lethimsteptothemusicwhichhehears,howevermeasuredorfaraway.

Thoreau

Wemustfindoutwhatwereallyareandwhatwereallywant.

NelsonBoswell

Knowingothersiswisdom,knowingyourselfisEnlightenment.

LaoTzu

Thisaboveall:tothineownselfbetrue.WilliamShakespeare

Weshouldknowwhatourconvictionsare,andstandforthem…Thereforeitiswisetobeas

clearaspossibleaboutone’ssubjectiveprinciples.CarlJung

Itisafirstprinciplethatinordertoimproveyourself,youmustfirstknowyourself.

BaltasarGracian

Oneofthemostimportantpreceptsofwisdomistoknowoneself.

Socrates

Ninetypercentoftheworld’swoecomesfrompeoplenotknowingthemselves…Mostofusgoalmostallthewaythroughlifeascompletestrangerstoourselves.

SydneyJ.Harris

Theunexaminedlifeisnotworthliving.Socrates

Onemayconquerinbattleathousandtimesathousandmen,yetheisthebestofconquerorswhoconquershimself.

TheDhammapada

Onlythosewhocontinuallyre-examinethemselvesandcorrecttheirfaultswillgrow.

TheHagakure

Thelongestjourneyisthejourneyinward.DagHammarskjold

Hewhohasstudiedhimselfishisownmaster.IndianProverb

Nomancanbemasterofhimself,whodoesnotfirstunderstandhimself.

BaltasarGracian

Chapter17

PreparednessTheSpiritofReadiness

Preparedness: The state of full readiness; readiness for action;attentiveness,watchfulness,awareness,orvigilance.

Readinessforactiondefinitelyappliestothetruewarrior.Thewarriormustcontinuallybeinastateoffullreadinessforaction,whichmeansthathemustbeas prepared as possible forwhatevermay come hisway.Hemust be vigilantwherehispreparedness isconcerned,carefullyexamininghimselfdailyso thathetrulyunderstandshowpreparedheistomeetdifferentchallenges.

Problems and challenges never comewhen youwould like them to; theycomewhentheycome.Therefore,thewarriorhastostayinastateofreadinesstomeetwhatevermaycomehisway.Youhearmanymartialartists talkabouthowimportant thisattitude is,at thesametime, fewof themseemto take thisseriously.Theiractionsdonotseemtomatchtheirwords.AsEmersonsaid,“Aman’sactionisonlyapicturebookofhiscreed.”Thewarrior’sactionsshouldmatchhiscreedorhisbeliefs.

Ifyoureallybelievethatitisimportanttobepreparedtohandlewhateverchallengesmaycomeyourway,thenyoushouldbelievethatyoumusttraintobeprepared.Thereisnowaythatyouwillbepreparedifyoudon’ttakeactiontomake yourself prepared. The state of full readiness doesn’t just automaticallyhappen.You have to train to develop this attitude ofmind and spirit, and thepreparation of physical skills. Just like all of the other traits of the warriorlifestyle,youhavetoworktoattainthestateofpreparedness.

Thetruthis,attainingthestateoftotalpreparednesstakesmoreworkthanmostoftheothertraitsofthetruewarrior.Infact,itwouldbeimpossibletobepreparedforeverysinglethingthatcouldeverhappen,unlessmaybeyournameisMacGyver.Whatpreparednessmeans to thewarrior isbeingaspreparedas

possible to successfully encounterwhatever difficultiesmay come hisway. Itdoesn’tmeanheistotallypreparedforeverysinglepossibleproblem.Itwouldbe impractical to walk around daily with a backpack full of supplies rangingfromasnakebitekittoclimbinggear.

Althoughitisimpracticaltothinkthatanyonecanbecompletelypreparedfor anything at anytime, and will always have all the tools he needs at hisdisposal, you can be mentally and physically prepared for a multitude ofproblems.Youmaynotwalkarounddailycarryingasnakebitekit,butyoucanwalk around with the knowledge of how to treat a snake bite, should thisunfortunate incident takeplace.Partofbeingprepared isobtainingknowledgeaboutmany different things, and being able to recall and use that knowledgewhenneeded.

A wide, general base of knowledge, covering many possible topics, isdefinitely an important part of beingprepared tomeet life’s challenges.Manyopportunitiesarelostfromlackofknowledge.Studyandlearnasmuchasyoucan aboutmany different subjects; you never knowwhen the knowledge youobtainwillcomeinhandyorwillgetyououtofatightspot.Havingavastanddiverse foundation of knowledge is an important part of your mentalpreparedness, but it is not the only piece of beingmentally prepared tomeetlife’schallenges.

Besidesobtainingknowledgeonmanydifferentsubjects,youalsohavetotrain your mind to be prepared to handle emergency situations or physicalconflicts.Beingabletothinkrationallyandstaycalminanemergencysituationdoes not come naturally; you have to train your mind to handle high stresssituations, just like you train any other part of your body. There are manytechniques that you can use to train yourmind to be prepared to handle life’sunexpectedchallenges.

Meditationandvisualizationarebothexcellenttoolstoprepareyourmindtoremaincalmandrationalinstressfultimes.Also,manymartialartsinstructorsarenowmovingmoretowardsrealitybasedtrainingtotrainstudentstohandlethedifferenteffectsthatstressandadrenalinehaveonthebodyduringaphysicalconfrontation. In addition, there aremany breathing techniques which aid thewarriorinconsciouslykeepinghismindcalmduringhighstresstimes.

Thepoint is youhave to train yourmind just like you train your body. Iwouldrecommendthatyouusealloftheabovetrainingtechniquesinpreparingyour mind to successfully handle stressful situations. If you consistentlyintegrateacombinationofthesefourtrainingtechniquesintoyourdailytraining,you will begin to see a difference in your mental preparedness very quickly.Let’slookateachoftheseinalittlemoredetail.

Although Iwill covermeditation is a separate chapter, I dowant to giveyou a brief overview of it here for the purposes of mental preparedness.Meditation is very important to the warrior who wants to live the warriorlifestyle,andnot just for thepurposesofmentalpreparedness.Therearemanybenefits to meditation, but I will limit my discussion here to howmeditationhelpsprepareyourmindtomeetwhateverchallengesyoumayencounter.

Oneofthekeyskillsinanyphysicalencounteristobeabletomaintainacalm, rational thought process, evenwhenyour adrenalin is pumping and youareunderhighstress.Meditationcanhelpwiththis.Themoreyoumeditate,themore you will find your mind remains in a calm state, no matter what ishappeningoutsideofyourmind.Consistentmeditationalpracticesdefinitelyaidinkeepingyourmindcalmandstable.Itisjustlikeanyotherskill;themoreyoupracticeit,thebetteryougetatitandthemorebenefitsyoureceivefromit.

The key, when it comes to meditation, is consistency. You can’t simplymeditateeverynowandthenandexpecttoseegreatresults,anymorethanyoucanexpecttopracticeyourmartialartseveryonceandawhileandperfectyourtechniques. The key to success in any endeavor is consistency. You have tocommityourselftowhateveryouaredoing,andthisincludesmeditation.

It isbest tosetasideaspecial timeeachdayforyourmeditationpractice.Also, you will want to have a special place that you go for meditation,somewherewhereyouwillnotbedisturbed.Bypracticingatthesametime,andin the same place each day, you will train your body and mind to go intomeditation at this time and when you are in this place. Consistently practicemeditationandyouwillbegintoseesomeamazingresults.

The next technique is fairly close to meditating. In fact, it is a form ofmeditation in itself. I’m talking about visualization. Every martial artist usesvisualization, even if he doesn’t realize that he is doing so. Visualization issimply seeing or visualizing certain things in yourmind. If you are amartialartist, I can almost guarantee you that you have imagined yourself protectingsomeone, or fighting off some thug who was trying to attack you. This is anormalprocessofyourimagination,andthis iswhatImeanwhenI talkaboutvisualization.

Visualizationisbasicallytheprocessofmakingamovieinyourmind.Youwanttoseeyourselfinmanydifferentsituations,usingyourmartialartsskillsoryourde-escalationskills towalkawayfromspecificconflictsvictoriously.Thekeytosuccessfulvisualizationisthatyoualwaysseeyourselfbeingvictorious.You don’t want to visualize yourself screwing up or making mistakes.Visualizing yourself losing ormessing up, is like practicing yourmartial artsskillsincorrectly,overandoveragain.

Inthepracticeofvisualization,seeyourselfperformingeachskillperfectly.Whenyoupracticevisualization,seeallthedetails.Seeyourselfsayingexactlythe right thing, at the right time. See yourself throwing perfect kicks andpunches. See yourself successfully countering anything which your opponentthrows at you.Are you starting to understand? Perfect practicemakes perfecttechniques, and that is what you want to develop through your visualizationpractice.

Thisbringsmetorealitybasedtraining.Inyourvisualizationpractice,youwanttomakethingsasrealisticaspossible,whilemakingsureyoualwayswin.Realitybased trainingworkson the sameprinciplebypreparingyourmind todealwithrealproblems.Inrealitybasedtraining,instructorswillplaytheroleofthepredator.Theywillgetinyourface,screamatyou,curseatyou,andtrytheirbesttopushyourbuttons,justassomethugwoulddointhestreets.

Eventhoughyourealizethatthisisroleplay,itstillhasthesameeffectasarealassaultwouldonyourmind.Itgetsyouradrenalinpumpingandputsstresson your mind. Sometimes it will make you angry. This is all a part of theprocess. The purpose of reality training is to allow you to experience theseemotionsandthefeelingoftryingtocontrolyourtemperwhilesomejerkisinyourface,screamingobscenitiesatyouandshovingyou.

Thisisespeciallygoodpracticeforsomeonewhohasneverexperiencedareal fight, but it is helpful for everyone. It gives you vital practice in de-escalatingvolatilesituationsandallowsyou topracticeself-controlwhileyouradrenalineispushingyoutoattack.Itwouldserveyouwelltofindaninstructorwhointegratesthisformofpracticeintohistraining.

ThelasttechniqueIwanttogooverwithyouisautogenicbreathing.Manypeoplefromcopstomartialartistsusethistechniquetoremaincalminstressfulsituations.Itiseasytolearnandworkslikeacharmonceyouhavepracticeditforawhile.Thepurposeistokeepyourmindandbodycalm,nomatterwhatishappeningoutsideofyourmind.

Hereishowitworks.Itissimplybreathing,butwithacatch.Youbreathein throughyour nose, slowly for a count of four.Thenhold your breath for acountofsix,andslowlybreatheoutofyourmouthforacountoffouragain.Doseveralcyclesofthisbreathingpatternandyouwillfindthatbothyourmindandyourbodywillbecomemorerelaxed.Youcandothisasoftenasyouneedto.Therearemanyotherbreathingtechniquestoexplore,butthisoneissimpleandcanbeusedquicklyinmostanysituation.

Whilementalpreparednessisvital, it isequallyimportantforyoutokeepyourbodyingoodshape.Wehaveallseenthecomedianinthemovieswhohasbeentakingmartialartsclasses,andwhoisunexpectedlyaccostedbysomethug.

Whenheisabouttobeattacked,thecomediansays,“HoldonaminutewhileIstretch,” and the thug looks at him as if he is crazy. In the realworld, this iscrazy!

Thugs attack you in order to overtake you in the fastest, easiest waypossible. They hope you aren’t prepared for their assault, and they certainlyaren’tgoing togiveyousomeextra time togetpreparedoutofsomesenseoffairplay.Youhavetobepreparedbeforeyourunintotrouble.Youhavetobepreparingforthismomentdaily.Thisiswhatyourphysicaltrainingisallabout.If you allow your laziness or melancholy attitude to get in the way of yourtrainingtoday,youwillnotbepreparedfortheunexpectedchallengetomorrow.

Musashi put it this way, “Study strategy over the years and achieve thespirit of thewarrior.Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow isyourvictoryoverlessermen.”Whatyoudotodaydetermineshowpreparedyouwill be for tomorrow’s challenge. To be prepared, you have to continue yourtraining and keep your body in good physical condition. This includesweighttraining,stretching,weaponstraining,andyourmartialartstraining.

Furthermore, if you go back to the definition of preparedness, you willnotice that the third definition is: attentiveness, watchfulness, awareness, orvigilance. Being aware of your surroundings is an important part of beingpreparedtomeet,ormoreimportantly,toavoid,possibledangers.Theconceptofawarenessgoeshand inhandwithbeingprepared tomeet life’schallenges.Awarenessmeansnoticingorrealizingsomething,orbeingwell-informedaboutwhatisgoingonintheworldaroundyou.Itisalsoobtainingknowledgeaboutsomethingfromhavingobserveditorheardit.

Youcannotbepreparedinthisworldwithoutsomedegreeofawarenessofwhat is happening in theworld aroundyou. In short, awareness is thewayofconscious living.Toomanypeople simplywalk through lifeonauto-pilot,notpaying attention to the world around them. You see them walking with theirheadsdown,oblivioustoeverythingelse.Theyarelostintheirownlittleworld,completelyfocusedonwhateveristiptoeingthroughtheirmindsatthemoment,withlittlecareaboutanythingelse.Thisisnotastateofpreparedness.

Inorder tobe trulyprepared,youhave tobemindfulofwhat isgoingonaround you, both in your immediate presence, and in your world in general.Beingtrulypreparedtodefendyourselfdoesn’tmerelymeanthatyouknowhowtofight,butrather thatyouknowhowtoavoidfighting.AsSunTzutaught inTheArtofWar,“Heisvictoriouswhoknowswhenandwhennottofight.”Themasterofself-defenseisalsoamasterofawareness.

Likementalpreparedness,awarenessincludesmuchmorethanbeingawareof your immediate surroundings, although that is definitely very important.

Awareness also refers to being aware of how prepared you actually are andknowingwhatyour stateofpreparednessactually is.Youneed tobeawareofhowpreparedyouare tomeetcertainsituations.Areyoumentallyprepared todefendyourself?Howfarareyouwillingtogotoprotectyourlifeorthelifeoryour loved ones? Are your physical skills at a point where you can defendyourselforareyoumerelyundertheillusionthatyoucandefendyourself?

Theseareallquestionswhichyouhavetoknowtheanswertoinordertobetruly prepared to successfully deal with an unexpected physical conflict. Youhavetobeawareofwhatyoucanandcannotdo.Knowyourcurrentlimitationsso that you don’t find yourself in a tough spot from either overconfidence orfoolishpride.BarryLong stated, “The stateof awareness is the state inwhichyouseethingsastheyare.”Thisisveryimportantforthewarrior.

It issoeasy tosee thingsasyouwant themtobe insteadofas they trulyare, but this is dangerous for the warrior. You have to judge your spiritual,mentalandphysicalpreparedness soberly. It isvital thatyouevaluateyourselfhonestly. Itdoesnogood toconvinceyourself thatyouareprepared todefendyourself,when in reality,youdon’thave the skillsyou reallyneed tobe trulyprepared.This self-deception is unhelpful at best, and downright dangerous atworst.

Preparednessisoneofthecornerstonesofthewarriorlifestyle.Thatiswhywetrainsohardinwhatis,forthemostpart,apeacefulsociety.Youmayneverbecalledon touseyourmartial arts skills in a real life-or-death situation,butonethingisforsure,ifyoudon’thavethoseskillswhenyouneedthem,youwillbeintrouble.

For the warrior, being prepared means that you are ready to handle achallenge before it slaps you across the face, not afterwards. Living in fullreadinesstomeetlife’schallengesdoesn’tmeanyouareun-relaxedoralwaysonedge;itmeansthatyouhavebeentruetoyourtrainingandthatyouarelivinginastateofawareness.

MeditationsonPreparedness

Theartofwarteachesustorelynotonthelikelihoodoftheenemy’snotcoming,butonourownreadinesstoreceivehim;notonthechanceofhisnotattacking,butratheronthefactthatwehavemadeourpositionunassailable.

SunTzu

Letusnotlookbackinangerorforwardinfear,butaroundinawareness.

JamesThurber

Thekeytogrowthistheintroductionofhigherdimensionsofconsciousnessintoourawareness.

LaoTzu

Bykeepingyourweaponsinorder,yourenemywillbesubjugated.

Nagarjuna

Donotbetrickedintothinkingthattherearenocrocodilesjustbecausethewaterisstill.

MalaysianProverb

Survivalfavorsthepreparedmind.RobertCrowley

Avoidingdangerisnotcowardice.PhilippineProverb

Thestateofawarenessisthestateinwhichyouseethingsastheyare.

BarryLong

Whatisnecessarytochangeapersonistochangehisawarenessofhimself.

AbrahamMaslow

Foropportunityknocksatyourdoorjustonce,andinmanycasesyouhavetodecideandtoactquickly.

FrancescoGuicciardini

Youmustbedeadlyseriousintraining.GichinFunakoshi

Tobepreparedforwarisoneofthemosteffectivemeansofpreservingpeace.

GeorgeWashington

Hedoesnotguardhimselfwellwhoisnotalwaysonhisguard.

FrenchProverb

Tomorrow’sbattleiswonduringtoday’spractice.SamuraiMaxim

Eveninthesheaththeknifemustbesharp.FinnishProverb

Chapter18

BenevolenceTheWarrior’sHeart

Benevolence: Showing kindness or goodwill; being charitable;performinggoodorcharitableactswithoutseekingtomakeaprofit.

Manypeople falselyassume that thewarrior is acruel, callous individualwholivestofightandinflictpainonhispoorvictims.Whyelsewouldhetraininmartialartsandlearnallthoseviolentskillsthatcandoseveredamageonthehuman body? People tend to see warriors as the big, dumb brute that is allmuscleandnoheartforotherpeople.Althoughthismaybetrueinthecaseofsomepeoplewhocallthemselveswarriors,itisnotthecaseforthetruewarrior.

The truewarrior isamanofcompassionand loveforhis fellowman.Heneverwantstoinflictpainonsomeoneelseortobeforcedintoasituationthatwillrequirehimtoseverelyinjuresomeone.Theideathathelovesthistypeofconflict is erroneous. He is a man of peace, right down to his core, but heunderstandswhatGeorgeWashingtonstated,“Tobepreparedforwarisoneofthemosteffectivemeansofpreservingpeace.”

He doesn’t go out hoping to find some poor sap in which to prove hisprowess in the martial arts. He is not a sadistically violent man who enjoysdominatingpeoplewhoarelessskilledorlesstrainedthanheis.Heisnotjustitchingfora fightandhopingsome thugcrosseshispathandsaysordoes thewrongthingsohecanjustifygivinghimagood,welldeservedbeating.Thetruewarriorisnoneofthesethings.

The truth is that the truewarrior isamanofpeace, loveandcharity.Thefather of Shotokan karate,GichinFunakoshi, taught, “Make benevolence yourlifelongduty.”MasterFunakoshididn’tsaytrytobenicetopeopleeveryonceandawhile.Hedidn’tsaybekindtopeoplewhenyouareinagoodmood.Hedidn’tsaybebenevolenttothosewhotreatyouright.Whathesaid,verymatter-

of-factly,wasthatbenevolenceisthelifelongdutyofthetruewarrior.Itisyourduty!

Ihavealreadydiscussedtheimportanceofdutyinpreviouschapters.Whenyou develop your code of honor, spend some serious time in meditation andreflection,decidingwhatisimportantinyourlife–whatyourprinciplesareandwhat your duties to those around you are. Benevolence should be integratedthroughoutyourcodeofhonor;itshouldbeoneofthecornerstonesofyourwayoflife.So,whatexactlyisbenevolence?

Benevolenceisshowingkindnessorgoodwilltowardsyourfellowmen.Itishavingcompassion for thesufferingsor troublesofothers,and thedesire tohelpthem.Itishavingakindheartandfeelingsympathyforotherpeople,andbeingwillingtodowhatyoucantohelpotherswiththeirlives.Nowyoumaybethinking,Iwantedtoreadaboutthequalitiesofthewarrior,notthepriest,andthat is exactlywhatyouaredoing.Benevolence is avery importantqualityofthewarrior.

Let’slookatthisinalittlemoredetail.Thewarriorhasspentmanyhourstraining inmartial arts.Heknowshow to fight,both toprotecthimself and toprotectothers.Now,here’s thequestion.Whywouldanyone inhis rightmindput his life in jeopardy to protect someone else if he did not have a heart ofcompassion and kindness towards other people? Sure, there are those machoguysouttherewhojustliketofight,butwearetalkingabouttruewarriorshere,thosewhoarededicatedtothewarriorlifestyle,notmerelytrainedruffians.

True warriors feel a duty to keep those around them safe and protected.They feel empathy for thoseweaker than themselvesand feel a strongurge tohelpthemasmuchastheycan.Thisispartofthecodethattheyliveby,anditispartoflivingthewarriorlifestyle.ArnoldSchopenhauerstated,“Compassionisthebasisofmorality.”Thisiswhythewarrioriswillingtoputhislifeonthelinetohelporprotectothers.Itisthissenseofdutyandhonorwhichcausessomeoneto get involved in certain risky situations instead of turning a blind eye andmerelywalking away, justifying his actions by thinking that the situationwas“noneofhisbusiness.”

The warrior doesn’t think like that. If he is able to help, and he seessomeone who is in desperate need of assistance, he considers it his business.Thisisdefinitelynotmeanttosaythatyoushouldgoaroundstickingyournoseineveryone’sbusiness.ThatisnotwhatIamsayingatall.Ofcourseyoushouldmind your own business.But if you arewalking down the street and you seesomeonebeingmuggedorwhohasjustbeenmugged,honordemandsthatyoustopandhelp.

WilliamPennwrote,“Iexpect topass through lifebutonce. If, therefore,

there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do formy fellowbeing,letmedoitnow…asIshallnotpassthiswayagain.”Benevolenceisnotsimply putting your life on the line to help others; it is an internal attitudetowards other people. It does not always require that you take some physicalaction.Kindwords,anicenote,andevensomethingassimpleasasmileorapaton the back canmeanmore than youknow to someonewho is having a hardtime.

WilliamMakepeace Thackeray stated, “Never lose a chance of saying akindword.” There is a Japanese proverbwhich echoes this sentiment stating,“One kind word warms three winter months.” Sai Baba taught, “To a personstruggling in the seaof life a fewupliftingwordsmaybeofgreathelp.”Yousimply never know howmuch a very small gesture of kindnesswillmean toanotherperson.Itcouldbelife-changingforhimandyoumostlikelywillneverknowhowmuchthatoneeffortlesscommentchangedhislife.

Everyonehashisownsetofproblemsinlife.Youneverreallyknowwhatkindofstrugglessomeoneelseisdealingwith,andyoudon’twanttoaddtohisproblems.Ofcoursemanypeoplebring theirproblemson themselves,but thatdoesn’tmakethemanylesspainful,andthatfactisreallynoneofyourbusiness.Remember,youareresponsibleforyourownactions,nottheactionsofothers.Judgingwhetherornotsomeoneisworthyofyourkindnessorcompassionisnotyourduty;yourdutyismakingsurethatyouactwiththeheartofthewarrior.

While it is true that many people cause their own heartaches, that factdoesn’texemptyoufromyourdutyofactingwithabenevolentheartandtryingtohelpthemwhenyoucan.ScottAdamssaid,“Rememberthere’snosuchthingasasmallactofkindness.Everyactcreatesaripplewithnologicalend.”Youjustplaindon’tknowhowmuchthatsmallactofkindnessorcompassionmaychangesomeone’slife.Andtheeffectsofitmaynotonlychangethatperson’slife,butcouldchange the livesofotherpeople through thatperson.Therippleeffectcouldgoonandon.

Thisbringsmetothequestionofhowdoyoudevelopbenevolenceinyourheart if it does not come naturally to you. The answer is that you must putyourself in the other person’s place. How would you feel if you were in hisshoes?Woulditmatterifyoucausedyourownproblemsorif theycamefromsome outside source? Would the source of your problems matter as far asmakingthemanyeasiertolivewith?Howwouldyouwantotherstotreatyouifyouwerehurtingorinneed?

If you put yourself in the other person’s place and try to think from hispointofview,youwillfindthatyouwon’thaveaproblemhavingcompassionforthisperson.MaxwellMaltzwrote,“Takethetroubletostopandthinkofthe

other person’s feelings, his viewpoints, his desires and needs. Think more ofwhattheotherfellowwants,andhowhemustfeel.”

Itouchedonthefactthatyoumaythinkthatsomeonedoesn’tdeserveyourkindnessorcompassionbecauseofhowtheyactorwhattheyhavedone,butthisis the wrong attitude to have. Again, you are not responsible for how otherpeople act. You are responsible for your actions and for living up to thestandards that you have set for yourself.Yes, other peoplewill act like jerks.Theywillbeungraciousandrude.Theywillbeanddomanythingsthatyouwillfind offensive, but this doesn’t excuse you from living by your own highstandards.

Therewill bedayswhenyoudon’twant tobenice tootherpeople, dayswhenyouhavehadsomuchgarbagedumpedonyourdoorstepthatyoujustfeelthatyouhavenothinglefttogivetoanyone.Whenyoustarttofeelthisway,youknowthatyourlifehasbecomeoutofbalanceandyoushouldstopandtaketimefor yourself.Meditate and get rebalanced. Everyone has stress and problems,includingyou.Don’tgetintothehabitofputtingeveryoneelsefirstandignoringyourownneeds.

As with everything on this earth, you can go overboard in this area byconstantlyputtingothersfirstandnottakingcareofyourownneeds.SirFrancisOsbornewarned,“Inseekingtosaveanother,bewareofdrowningyourself.”Ifyoudon’ttakecareofyourownneeds,spiritually,mentally,andphysically,youwillneverhaveenoughtogivetoothers.Ifyourteapotisbonedry,howcanyoushareteawithanyoneelse?Makesureyoudon’tforgettohavecompassionforyourselftoo.

Everyoneonthisplanetmakesmistakesandmanytimestheconsequencesof thosemistakescanbeheartbreaking.Consider thiswhendealingwithotherpeople and observing their lives. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Thelittle Ihaveseenof thisworld teachesme to lookupon theerrorsofothers insorrow,notinanger.”Everyoneisfightingsomekindofbattleinhisorherlife,remember thisandmakeabenevolentattitudepartofwhoyou trulyareandapartofyourstandardofliving.

MeditationsonBenevolence

Onekindwordwarmsthreewintermonths.JapaneseProverb

Neverloseachanceofsayingakindword.WilliamMakepeaceThackeray

Weshouldgiveaswewouldreceive,cheerfully,quickly,andwithouthesitation;

forthereisnograceinabenefitthatstickstothefingers.Seneca

Ifyouhavemuchgiveofyourwealth,ifyouhavelittlegiveofyourheart.

ArabProverb

Toapersonstrugglingintheseaoflifeafewupliftingwordsmaybeofgreathelp.

SaiBaba

Iexpecttopassthroughlifebutonce.If,therefore,therebeanykindnessIcanshow,oranygoodthingIcandoformyfellowbeing,

letmedoitnow…asIshallnotpassthiswayagain.WilliamPenn

Havebenevolencetowardsalllivingthings.TheTattvarthaSutra

Compassionisthebasisofmorality.ArnoldSchopenhauer

Takethetroubletostopandthinkoftheotherperson’sfeelings,hisviewpoints,hisdesiresandneeds.Thinkmoreofwhattheotherfellowwants,andhowhemustfeel.

MaxwellMaltz

Donotlettheingratitudeofmanymendeteryoufromdoinggoodtoothers.Todogoodwithoutulteriormotiveis

agenerousandalmostdivinethinginitself.FrancescoGuicciardini

ThelittleIhaveseenofthisworldteachesmetolookupontheerrorsofothersinsorrow,notinanger.

HenryWadsworthLongfellow

Youcannotdoakindnesstoosoon,foryouneverknowhowsoonwillbetoolate.

Emerson

Rememberthere’snosuchthingasasmallactofkindness.Everyactcreatesaripplewithnologicalend.

ScottAdams

Chapter19

CourtesyTheArtofCivility

Courtesy: Polite or considerate behavior; consideration for otherpeople or good manners; something done out of politeness orconsiderationforanotherperson.

Epictetuswrote that you should, “Lay down for yourself, at the outset, acertain stamp and type of character for yourself, which you are to maintainwhether you are by yourself or are meeting with people.” This is very goodadvice. Part of this “stamp” should be that you always treat people withcourtesy,especiallyifyouareatruewarrior.Thisisanotheroneofthosetraitsthatyoudevelop,notbecauseotherpeopledeserve it, butbecause it is in linewiththepersonyouhavedecidedtobe.

Goethestated that,“Aman’smannersareamirror inwhichheshowshisportrait.”Thepersonwhohas decided to live thewarrior lifestyle hasmade aconsciousdecisionconcerningthekindofpersonhewantstobe.Hehasdecidedto live his life according to a specific code and specific principles, and heunderstandsthatitishisactionswhichultimatelydefinehim.Hehasdecidedtolivebyhigherstandardsthantheaverageperson,andbeingconsiderateofothersisapartofthosestandards.

Good manners say more about you than about the person you areconversing with at the time. You don’t have to treat people politely or beconsiderateof their feelings.There isno lawwhich states thatyouhave tobecourteoustoothers.Beingcourteousissimplyawayofbothshowingrespectforthosearoundyouandholdingyourselftoastandardofexcellenceinyourownpersonalbehavior.

Courtesy ismerely being polite to other people and being considerate of

their feelings. Although there may be times when you don’t feel like beingcourteous,doyourbest togetpast the strongurge tobecurt to someoneelse,evenifheactuallydeservesit.Remember,mannerssaymoreaboutyouthantheother person, and courtesy simply boils down to good manners. Just becausesomeone else is acting like a jerk, that is no excuse for you to do the same.Gracianwrote,“Themanofprincipleneverforgetswhatheis,becauseofwhatothersare.”

This is a quote that everywarrior should think about daily. You are notresponsibleforhowotherpeopleact;youareonlyresponsibleforhowyouact.If someone is acting crude and inconsiderate, that tells those around himsomethingabouthischaracter.Butifyouallowhisactionstoinfluencehowyouact, then you are lowering yourself to his level. This is not the way of thewarrior.Warriorsdonotlowerthemselvestothestandardsofotherpeople;theyliveindependently,accordingtotheirownstandardsandcodeofhonor.

Ifyouallowtheactionsofotherstoinfluenceyouractions,asfarasthingssuchascourtesy,considerationofothers,orkindnessgo,youhaveveeredoffthepathof thewarrior.This ishowtheaveragepersonbehaves.The truewarrior,whotakesthewarriorlifestyleseriously,doesnotusethebehaviorofothersasanexcusetoactinappropriately.Let’slookatanexampleofwhatIamtryingtoexplaintoyou.

Let’s sayyou are shopping at your local grocery store filledwith severalelderly people, and some punk is walking down the aisle loudly spoutingprofanity,offendingtheseelderlyladies.Ifyouapproachhiminapolitewayandshow him the error of hisways, there is nothingwrongwith that. But if youapproachhim,loudlyriphim,withsomefourletterwordsofyourown,andputhiminhisplace,youhavebeenjustasdiscourteoustothoseinthestoreashewas.

Youlethisactionsupsetyouandyoulostyourtemper,wheninfact,youcould have accomplished the same goal without lowering yourself to hisstandard of behavior.You do not have to be rude or discourteous to get yourpointacross.PhilipDormerStanhopewrote,“Anablemanshowshisspiritbygentle words and resolute actions; he is neither hot nor timid.” You can beforcefulandresolutewithoutbeing loudandrude.AsSirJohnVanbrughsaid,“Goodmannersandsoftwordshavebroughtmanyadifficultthingtopass.”

JustaboutnowIcanhearyouthinking,“Yeah,butthisjerkdidn’tdeservetobetreatedwithrespect.Hedeservedtobefirmlyputinhisplace!”Andyouwouldbecompletelyright.Theguyinmyexamplecertainlywouldnotdeservetobetreatedinacourteousmanner.Hewasactinglikeajerkandwoulddeservetobeputinhisplace,butremember,thereisalwaysabestwaytodoeverything.

AsClintEastwoodsaidinUnforgiven,“Deserve’sgotnothingtodowithit.”Icannotemphasizethispointstronglyenough–deservehasnothingtodo

with you being courteous. You use goodmanners because that is the kind ofpersonyouhavedecidedtobe,notbecausesomeoneelsedeservestobetreatedpolitely. You behave in a courteous manner because you have decided toconductyour life in thatmanner–youwant tobeasuperiorman.There isanancient Chinese proverb which states, “Courtesy is the mark of a civilizedperson.” You shouldn’t expect everyone to be courteous, they aren’t. At thesametime,howtheyactshouldnotcauseyoutobecomeuncivilized.

Theodore Roosevelt stated that, “Courtesy is as much a mark of agentleman as courage.” And Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, “Manners are notidle, but the fruit of loyal nature and of noble mind.” The true warrior doesindeed have a noble mind, which is the root of courtesy. Hopefully you arebeginningtoseethatbehavinginacertainmanner,consistentwithwhoyouareas a warrior, is independent of the actions of others, no matter how rude orthreateningtheyareacting.

WinstonChurchillputitaboutasplainlyaspossiblewhenhestated,“Evenwhenyouhavetokillaman,itcostsnothingtobepolite.”Thisisaprettystrongstatementconcerningyouractions.Ifyoushouldbepolite,evenifyouhavetoend someone’s life, howmuchmore so shouldyoube courteous andpolite innormal, everyday interactions? Simply put, be polite and courteous nomatterwhatthecircumstances.

Makingcourtesyaregularpartofyournormalbehaviorisasignofanoblemanwho has refined his actions and brought them in linewith his own highexpectations. Matsura Seizen stated, “Noblemen discipline themselves to bedignified at all times…Sharpen your mind and show your dignity.” This isexactly what you are doing when you continuously behave in a courteousmanner. By acting this way consistently, people will start to recognize yourquality.

Thereismuchmoretogoodmannersthansimplyhowyouspeaktootherpeople.Courtesy is taught inmostmartial artsdojos,but as Idiscussed in thechapteronrespect,itisnotgivenseriousconsiderationinmostdojos;itisonlydiscussed on a superficial level. Studentsmay bow to their instructors beforeentering the training area, but merely going through the motions is not trulymeaningful.Formannerstobetrulymeaningful,theyhavetobecomeapartofwhoyoutrulyaredeepinside,otherwisetheyaresimplyafaçade.

Howmanypeoplehaveyouseenreceiveafavorand thenrespondwithahalf-hearted“thankyou?”Thisismorelikeanautomaticreflexresponsethanatruly,heart-feltemotion.Inshort,itisaninsincereresponse,onlyonestepabove

sayingnothingatall.Truecourtesyoriginatesfromtheheartandthespirit.Itisanessentialpartofwhoyouareanditcomesoutwhenyouinteractwithothers.Itistheartofcivilitycombinedwiththeheartofsincerity.

Courtesy includes things such as gratitude, politeness, civility, andpunctuality.Yes,punctuality!Itseemsthatnotmanypeopleseepunctualityasapart of being courteous in today’s society, but it is. This should be commonsense,butcommonsenseisalsobecomingararitytoday.Thinkaboutit.Isn’titimpolite and rude to cause other people to waste their time because of yourtardiness?Yes,itcertainlyis.

Everyonehas the sameamountof time to spendeachday,and ifyouarewasting someone else’s time because of your own actions, that is bothinconsiderate and rude. Of course there are times when problems occur withcircumstancesbeyondyourcontrol,butasarule,youshouldalwaysbeontime.Remember,oneofthedefinitionsofcourtesyisconsiderationforotherpeople.Ifyou are constantly late and inconsiderate of someone’s time, you are beingdiscourteous.

It is thesmall things suchasbeingon time thatdefineyourmanners,notjustsayingthankyouorbehavinginspecificwaysaccordingtothecustomsoftheday.Goodmannersencompassallofyouractionswithothers,andattheendof theday, theyplay abig role indefiningwhoyou truly are as aperson.ToquoteTennysonagain,“Thegreaterpersonisoneofcourtesy.”

EmilyPostdefinedmannersasfollows,“Mannersareasensitiveawarenessof the feelings of others.”While this is true,manners gomuchdeeper for thetruewarrior.Courtesyisnotonlyanawarenessofthefeelingsofothers,butitisalsoanawarenessofwhoyouareasasuperiorman.WhenIrefertothesuperiorman, Iamnotsaying thatyouaresuperior toothersandshould lookdownonthem.ThisisnotwhatImeanatall.

The superior man is one who demands excellence from himself eventhoughitisnotrequiredofhimbyanyoneoranythingelse.Heisasuperiormanbecausehepusheshimselfbeyond theordinary lifeof theaverageperson,anddevelops his life into a life of excellence. Seek to live a noble life andmakecourtesyapartofwhoyouare,notjustawindowdressing.Takepainstoactinawaythatisconsistentwithwhoyouwanttobe,evenwhenpeoplearepushingyour buttons. Always remember, your behavior tells others who you are, soneverexcusebadbehaviorbecauseofhowsomeoneelseisbehaving.

MeditationsonCourtesy

Lifeisnotsoshortbutthatthereisalwaystimeforcourtesy.RalphWaldoEmerson

Mannersarenotidle,butthefruitofloyalnatureandofnoblemind.

Alfred,LordTennyson

Intelligenceandcourtesynotalwaysarecombined;ofteninawoodenhouse,agoldenroomwefind.

HenryWadsworthLongfellow

Gratitudeisthemostexquisiteformofcourtesy.JacquesMaritain

Thesmallcourtesiessweetenlife;thegreaterennobleit.ChristianNevellBovee

Thegreaterpersonisoneofcourtesy.Alfred,LordTennyson

Promptitudeisnotonlyaduty,butisalsoapartofgoodmanners;itisfavorabletofortune,reputation,

influence,andusefulness.CharlesSimmons

Courtesyisasmuchamarkofagentlemanascourage.TheodoreRoosevelt

Clothesandmannersdonotmaketheman;but,whenheismade,theygreatlyimprovehisappearance.

HenryWardBeecher

Courtesyisasilverliningaroundthedarkclouds

ofcivilization;itisthebestpartofrefinementandinmanyways,anartofheroicbeautyinthevastgalleryofman’scrueltyandbaseness.

BryantH.McGill

Courtesyisthemarkofacivilizedperson.ChineseProverb

Aman’smannersareamirrorinwhichheshowshisportrait.

Goethe

Nooneismoreinsufferablethanhewholacksbasiccourtesy.

BryantH.McGill

Goodmannersandsoftwordshavebroughtmanyadifficultthingtopass.

SirJohnVanbrugh

Thetestofgoodmannersistobeabletoputuppleasantlywithbadones.

WendellL.Willkie

Mannersareasensitiveawarenessofthefeelingsofothers.

EmilyPost

Chapter20

SpiritualityTheWarrior’sPeace

Spirituality:Thequalityorconditionofbeingspiritual.

The warrior’s spiritual beliefs are where his peace comes from. Thedefinition of spirituality is basically being spiritual, and the definition of thewordspiritualis,relatingtothespiritorshowinggreatrefinementandconcernwith the higher things in life.Basically, spirituality has to dowith someone’sdeeply held beliefs concerning things which are beyond this material world,whether it is God, the soul, life after death, etc., but at the same time, areintegratedintolifeinthephysicalrealm.

Warriorshavetocometopeacewiththefact that theywilldiesomeday,justlikeeveryoneelse.Ihavealreadydiscussedthefactthatthewarriorshouldspend time inmeditationand reflection inorder to trulyunderstandhisbeliefsabouthisprinciples andhowhewants to livehis life.His spiritualbeliefs areincludedonthelistofthingswhichheshouldspendtimecontemplating.Peacecomes from knowing what you believe and why, and having the utmostconfidencethatyourbeliefsaretrue.

This certainly holds true for the warrior’s spiritual beliefs. The warriorunderstands,more than theaverageperson, that life isagift and thatheneverknowswhendeathwillcome.Warriorsthroughouttheageshaveunderstoodthisfact,havemeditatedconcerningtheirspiritualbeliefs,andhavemadetheirpeacewithGod.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatallwarriorssharethesamereligiousbeliefs,infact,quitetheoppositeistrue.Emersonputitthisway,“Godentersbyaprivatedoorintoeveryindividual.”

Thereisadifferenceinbeingspiritualandbeingreligious.BeingspiritualcanbeseenastakingyourbeliefsinGodandthespiritualworldseriously,andmakingitapartofyourlife.Beingreligious,ontheotherhand,hasmoretodo

with someone’s adherence to some organized religion which tells someoneexactlywhattobelieve.Thetwocananddooverlap,buttheyarenotexactlythesamething.

This is a subject that stirs upmuch debate, arguments, and hard feelingsthroughouttheworld.Thissubjectcouldfillupmanybooksallbyitself.Iwillonly touch on it here because it is important to thewarrior to understand hisbeliefs concerning the spiritual world and God. Aesop put it nicely when hewrote,“Inquarrelingabouttheshadow,weoftenlosethesubstance.”Thereareway toomany people out therewho love to argue over people’s spiritual andreligious beliefs, but never spend the time to truly think for themselves aboutwhytheybelievewhattheybelieve.Inessence,theyarejustfollowingwhatevercrowdtheyhavefalleninwithatthetime.Thisisbeingasheep,notawarrior.

Lao Tzu explained it this way, “Most of theworld’s peopleworship theoffspring,while onewho is spirituallymature embraces the Source and neverbecomestheslaveofanysocialorreligiousmovement.”Youhavetothinkforyourself and spend quiet time in deep thought to determine what you reallybelieve.Don’ttakesomeoneelse’swordforit;youtakethetimetogodirectlytotheSourceyourselfandlistentoyourspiritconcerningwhatistrue.

Most of the sages throughout the ages have believed that human beingshaveasouloraspirit,andthat thisspirit is the trueyouandwill liveonevenafter the body dies. Socrates taught, “It is perfectly certain that the soul isimmortalandimperishable,andoursoulswillactuallyexist inanotherworld.”This belief is almost universal around the world, as are many of the basicreligiousbeliefs.

Ifyoustudythebeliefsoftheworld’smajorreligions,youwillbeshockedat howmuch they agreeon, andhow fewpoints they truly find themselves atoddswith in theirdoctrines.But those fewpoints inwhich theydisagreehavecausedmajor problems in the world, and heartbreak for thousands of people.Ramakrishna stated that, “Truth is one; only It is called by different names.”You could add to that statement that, It is called by different names, arguedaboutandfoughtover.

Onehastoonlylookatthemanyatrocitiescommittedbyreligiouspeopleovertheyearstounderstandthatarguingoverreligioniscounterproductiveandis not something that the truly spiritual personwants to concern himselfwith.Thewarriorshouldconcernhimselfmorewithtruespiritualityandbeingtruetohisbeliefs,insteadofarguingandtryingtoconvinceotherstobelieveashedoes.Takecareofyourownspirituallifeandallowotherstobelieveastheywill.

LynnAndreswrote,“Wemustwalkinbalanceontheearth–afootinspiritandafootinthephysical.”Balanceisimportantineverythingyoudo.Youmust

balanceyourlife–spiritually,mentally,andphysically.Ifyouleaveoutanyonepart, or you allow one part of your life to receive the vast majority of yourattention,youwillfindthatyourlifebecomesunbalancedandisnotworkingasitshould.Thecorrectbalanceisvital.

Thekeytothisbalanceistomakesurethatallofthepartsofyourlifeareconnected.Spiritualityisn’tacompletelyseparatepart,oratleastitshouldn’tbe,although formany people it is because they keep their spirituality completelysegregated.Bydoingthis, theymaketheirspiritualitysomethingseparatefromthemselves;almostlikeitissomethingmysticalthattheydoonedayaweekoratacertaintimeeachday.Thisisnotthewayitshouldbe.

As with everything else in his life, the true warrior takes his spiritualityseriously. It is not something that he focuses on for 30 minutes during hismeditationorforanhourduringsomechurchservice–itisavitalpartofwhohe is, just like the other traits of the warrior lifestyle. The warrior doesn’tcompartmentalizethepartsofhislifeintoseparatelockboxeswhichhepullsoutwhenhewantstousethem.Heliveshislifesincerely.Hisspiritualityisasmucha part of who he is as his martial arts or his code of honor. The warrior’sspiritualityisapartofwhohetrulyisasaperson.

Thewarriorshouldbeclearconcerninghisbeliefsaboutspirituality.Ihavealreadydiscussedhowheshouldstrive to livehis life to thebestofhisabilityevery day, as well as being prepared for whatever unexpected challenges lifemayhaveforhim.Integratingyourspiritualityintoeverythingyoudoisactuallya part of living a life of excellence. It is a part of thewarrior lifestyle, and itshouldn’tbeaseparatepart,butratherapartofthewhole.

Don’tcompartmentalize thedifferentpartsofyour life.Bewhoyou trulyare andmake everything, fromyour code of honor to your spirituality,mergeintoyouronetrueself.Youcanthinkofthisprocesskindoflikearecipe.Ifyouare making a special sauce for your dinner, it will have several differentingredients in it. These ingredients start off as separate, individual parts, butonceyoucombine them together in the rightbalance and spend timecooking,stirring,andpreparingthesauce,theindividualpartsnolongerexist.Whatexistsisthesingle,uniquesaucethatismuchbetterthananyofthesingleingredientswouldbealone.

This iswhat happens in the life of the truewarrior.He combines all theindividual parts, (spirit, mind, body) into one complete, balanced man. Theindividualpartsnolongerexist;allthatexistsisthesuperiorman.Andjustlikethe sauce, once these individual parts are correctly combined to create thisspecial,superiorman,theynolongerexistindividually,butratheraresimplyapart of thewhole.The sumhas become something greater than the individual

parts.When you begin to integrate spiritual practices and beliefs into your

journey as awarrior, youwill start to see things in a different light.Youwillstart tounderstandsomeof the teachingsof themasters thatdidn’tquitemakesense to you before. The importance of de-escalation will take on a differentmeaning toyouasyou see it frombotha spiritualpointofview, aswell as apracticalpointofview.Youwillindeednotwanttobeforcedtouseyourdeadlyskillsonanyone,andwillneverevenconsiderdoingso,exceptasalastresort.

Integrating spirituality into your journey, on the path of thewarrior,willopen yourmind tomany new ideas, andwill enlighten you concerning sometopicswhichyouhaveheardaboutbutneverquitegrasped,suchastheideaofenergy. The concept of energy, (chi or ki) is intertwined inmanymartial artsstyles.Someofwhatispassedonconcerningenergyissuperstitionandsomeisnot.

Therearemanyaspectsofspiritualitytoexploreandmuchtolearnandtoconsider. Don’t be afraid to read the many writings concerning differentreligions and beliefs. Reading and exploring different forms of spiritualitydoesn’tmeanyouacceptwhatyoureadorthatyouarebeingunfaithfultoyourreligion, if you are already religious. It is simply part of your quest forknowledge. Never be afraid of gaining knowledge; what you should fear isremaining ignorant. The more you know, the more you understand about theworkingsofourworld.

Thewarrior’s spiritualitygoeshand inhandwithhisquest todevelophischaracterandhishonor.Takeyourspiritualbeliefsseriously.Allofthetraitsofthewarriorlifestyleareimportant.Tocontinuewithmyrecipeanalogy,youcanlookateachofthetraitsofthewarriorlifestyleasoneoftheingredientsoftherecipeforthetruewarrior.Ifyouleaveoutoneormoreoftheingredients, thefinalcreationwillbejustalittleoff.

Thepurposeofthischapterisnottotellyouwhattobelieveortopersuadeyou to believe as I do, but to get the point across to you that spirituality is afundamentalpartofthewarriorlifestyle.Studythemanyancienttexts,usewhatyoufinduseful,anddiscardwhatdoesn’tresonatewithyourspirit.Taketimetoexploreyourspirituality.

MeditationsonSpirituality

Wemustwalkinbalanceontheearth–afootinspiritandafootinthephysical.

LynnAndrews

Donotbecomeattachedtothistemporaryphysicalbody;usethebodyasatool.Consideryourselfasseparatefromthisdestructivebody,whichhasbeencreated

outoftheblendingofthefiveelements.SaiBaba

Itisperfectlycertainthatthesoulisimmortalandimperishable,

andoursoulswillactuallyexistinanotherworld.Socrates

Truthisone;onlyItiscalledbydifferentnames.Ramakrishna

Godentersbyaprivatedoorintoeveryindividual.Emerson

ApprehendGodinallthings,forGodisinallthings.MeisterEckhart

ThereisonlyoneUniversalWay,butfromdifferentperspectivesitisgivendifferentnames.

LaoTzu

Allthingssharethesametruenature.Bodhidharma

WhentheOneGreatScorercomestowriteagainstyourname,Hemarks,notthatyouwonorlost,buthowyouplayedthegame.

GrantlandRice

KnowthatyouarealwaysinGod’sPresence.TheKabbalah

WeareallchildrenoftheoneGod.Godislisteningtome.

Thesun,thedarkness,thewinds,arealllisteningtowhatwenowsay.

Geronimo

TheGreatSpiritseesandhearseverything,andHeneverforgets.

In-Mut-Too-Yah-Lat-Lat

ForthekingdomofGodiswithinyou.Jesus

TaoistheBeingthatresidesinallbeings.TaiGongDiao

Manseesonlywhatisvisible,buttheLordseesintotheheart.

TheBookofProverbs

Chapter21

MeditationTheInnerSecret

Meditation:Theemptyingorconcentrationofmind: theemptyingofthemindofthoughts,ortheconcentrationofthemindononething,inorder to aid mental or spiritual development, contemplation, orrelaxation; pondering of something: the act of thinking aboutsomethingcarefully,calmly,seriously,andforsometime.

Meditationcarriestwomeaningsforthewarriorandbothareimportantinhisquesttolivethewarriorlifestyle.Themostcommondefinitionofmeditationis thatof sittingquietlyandemptying themindofoutside thoughts.Theotherdefinition is contemplating or carefully considering something. This iscommonly what people mean when they say that they will meditate on aquestion or a problem. The true warrior should integrate both forms ofmeditationintohislife.Let’slookattheseconddefinitionfirst.

Therearemanythingswhichthewarriormustgivesomeseriousthoughttoconcerning the warrior lifestyle. From seriously thinking about what he trulybelieves to pondering why he holds certain principles to be important, thewarrior spends more time meditating on what is important to him than theaverage person. The average, everyday guy mostly goes through life withoutgiving these things much thought, doing whatever gives him pleasure orwhateverhefindshimselfinthemoodforatthemoment.

As I have said before, thewarrior takes the things in his life a bitmoreseriously than the average guy.He knows the importance of spending qualitytimemeditatingonhisprinciplesanddevelopinghisownpersonalcodes–hiscode of honor and his code of ethics. This takes time spent alone with histhoughts,inquietcontemplation.Hehastoshutoutalloftheoutsidedistractions

and focus his mind seriously on the topic at hand. With all of the outsidedistractionswhichweallhaveatourfingertips, this issomething that iseasiersaidthandone.

Imust alsomake an important distinction concerningmeditating on yourproblemsorobjectives.Givingseriousthoughttoanissueisnotthesamethingasconstantlyworryingaboutit.Worryingaboutaproblemisneverconstructiveorhelpful.Actually,worryingaboutaproblemonlycausesyoumorestressandprevents you from being able to develop a rational strategy to improve yoursituation. This is notwhat Imeanwhen I say that you should seriously thinkaboutaproblemorsolution.

Ifyouwillnotice,thelastdefinitionofmeditation,atthetopofthepreviouspage,istheactofthinkingaboutsomethingcarefully,calmly,seriously,andforsometime.Thisisvastlydifferentfromworryingaboutit,whichismorealongthe lines of thinking about something in a semi-panicked state and replayingeverything that could happen, over and over again in your mind. See thedifference? Meditating on something is done in a careful, purposeful way,calmly, seriously, and rationally. Worrying doesn’t include any of thosecharacteristics.

Yes,thiscanbehardtodo,especiallywhenthechallengeyouarefacingisseriousandcarrieswithitsomeseriousconsequences,butitisalsoimportanttodevelop this ability.Which bringsme to the question of how do you learn todevelopthisability?Howisoneabletocontrolhisthoughtsandhismind?Theanswer ismeditation. I know, this sounds a bit like aZen koan.Howdo youlearn to control your mind and meditate on a specific topic? You learn tosuccessfullymeditateonsomethingbylearningtheartofmeditation.

Inthiscase,Iamreferringtothefirstdefinitionofmeditation–theartofemptyingthemind.Therearemanyadvantagestomeditation.Meditationlowersyourstresslevel,decreasesanxiety(worry),decreasesdepression,irritabilityandmoodiness, improvesmemoryand learningability, improvescreativity, aids infocusing the mind, increases emotional stability, and has many other healthbenefitswhichIwon’tlisthere.

Asyoucanclearlysee,traditionalmeditationcanindeedhelpyoulearntocontrolyourmindand focusmore successfullyonwhatever issueyouneed tofocusontofindtheanswersyouseek.Thus,youlearntosuccessfullymeditate(contemplate) on somethingby learning the art ofmeditation.There aremanybooks,CD’sandDVD’son themarketwhich teachyouhow tomeditate, andtherearemanydifferentmeditationtechniquesthatyoumaywanttolearn.

Theeasiestwaytostartmeditatingistostartslow,withveryshortsessions,5-10 minutes at a time. Just sit in a comfortable position, with your spine

straight,andclearyourmindofallthoughts.Whilethismaysoundeasy,itcanbeachallenge.Thoughtswillcontinuallyenteryourmind.Justletthemgo.Thetrickistoacknowledgethembutrefusetothinkaboutthem.Whenyounoticeathoughthasenteredyourmind,refusetodwellonit–justletitfadeaway.Soonyouwill find that thisprocessgetseasierandeasier,andyoucanmeditate forlongerperiodsoftime.

Therearealsootherkindsofmeditations.Youcansuccessfullyemptyyourmindbyfocusingonasinglepointsuchasacandleflameoramandala.Thesekindsofmeditations involve staring at a specificpoint andconcentratingyourfocusonthatonepoint,clearingyourmindofeverythingbuttheobject,andjustletting your mind go blank. Another meditation to help you control yourthoughtsistofocusonyourbreathingandcountyourbreathsastheyslowlygoinandout.

Therearetoomanytechniquestolearnformetocoverthemallinthisshortchapter, but I do want to mention one other one before I move on – guidedmeditations.There isacompanycalledBrainSyncwhichproducesmeditationCD’swhicharerecordedatspecificfrequencies to inducespecificbrainwaves.TheseCD’shavebothaguidedtrackandatrackwithonlymusicorsounds,andareexcellentforboththenoviceandthemoreexperiencedpractitioner.

This ismerely a very quick overview ofmeditation techniques andwhatmeditation is. I suggest you do some research on the art of meditation andexperimentwithdifferent techniquesuntilyoufind the technique that fitsyourstyleandthatyouarecomfortableusingonaregularbasis.Andyes,youshouldgetinthehabitofmeditatingonaregularbasis,dailyisbest.Onceyougettheartofmeditationdown,Irecommendmeditatingonceinthemorningandonceatnight.

While meditation tends to be a part of the warrior lifestyle that manywarriorsneglect,itshouldn’tbe.Theywronglylookatmediationassome“newagemumbo-jumbo”andthinkthatitisawasteoftimethattheycouldbeusingin their martial arts training or some other physical activity. This is wrongthinking. I listed only a few of the benefits that meditation provides for thewarrior;therearemanymore.

Meditationhelps thewarrior to control his thoughts andhismind, and toremain calmduring stressful situations.Themore that youmeditate, themoreyouwillfindthatyouareabletothinkrationally,nomatterwhatishappeningaroundyou.AsSaiBabastated,“Withoutmediation,itisnotpossibletocontroland master the mind.” Controlling your thoughts and your mind is vitallyimportanttothewarrior,asIdiscussedinthechapteronrationalthought.

Ifyourmindisinturmoil,youcan’tthinkrationallyanditwillbehardto

makegood,cleardecisions.Meditationisthesolutiontothisproblem.Margolisstated, “Only in quiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in aquietmindisadequateperceptionoftheworld.”LaoTzuechoedthisphilosophyteaching,“Muddywater,letstand,becomesclear.”

Whenyouhaveaproblemtosolveandneedtofiguresomethingout,sitinmeditationandletthewatersofyourmindclear.Continuallytryingtosolvetheproblembygoingoverandoveritinyourmindisliketryingtoclarifymuddywaterbycontinuingtosplasharoundinit;itdoesn’twork.Toclearthemuddywater,youmustletitsitquietlyforawhileanditwillclearuponitsown.Thesameprincipleapplies toyourmind.Whenyouhaveaproblemthatyoucan’tfigureout,youneedtostepawayfromitforawhile,quietyourmind,meditate,andlettheanswercometoyou.

Iwanttotouchononemoremediationtechniquecalledvisualization.Mostmartialartistsdon’tevenrealizethatvisualizationisaformofmeditation,butitis.Visualizationisseeingaspecificimageinyourmind.Itcanbeasingleimageofsomethingorwatchingasequenceofactions,kindoflikeplayingamovieinyourmindwhereyouarethedirector,andmostlikelythehero.

Thepracticeofvisualizationisaformofmentalpracticeforthewarrior.Itisawaytoputyourselfindifferentscenariosandseeyourselfusingyourmartialartsskillsorperfectingtheartofde-escalation.Tousevisualizationtechniquesyousimplyplaythesceneoverandoverinyourmind.

Themoreyoupracticemeditation,themorebenefitsyouwillseefromyourendeavors.Youwillfindthatyourwholedemeanoriscalmerandyouarebetterable to handle stressful situations. Things that used to stress you out will nolongerbotheryouasmuch.Youwillbeabletothinkmoreclearly.Yourtemperwill become less of a problem. This list could go on and on. The point is,meditationisavitalpracticeforthetruewarrior.

Hopefullyyouhavegraspedtheimportanceofmeditationinyourlifeandwillput it togooduse.As theDhammapadastates,“Whoevergivesoneself todistractionsanddoesnotgiveoneselftomediation,forgettingtruepurposeandgraspingatpleasure,willeventuallyenvytheonewhopracticesmediation.”

MeditationsonMeditation

Taoisonlyknownthroughsilentcontemplation.Totrulyunderstandthisisthebeginningofenlightenment.

LaoTzu

Ifduringthedayonefeelsworkbecomingannoying,oneshouldsitinmeditation.

Confucius

Onlyinquietwatersthingsmirrorthemselvesundistorted.Onlyinaquietmindisadequateperceptionoftheworld.

Margolis

Realactionisinsilentmoments.Emerson

Askquestionsfromyourheart,andyouwillreceiveanswersfromyourheart.

OmahaMaxim

Quietenyourbody.Quietenyourmind.Buddha

WhoevergivesoneselftodistractionsAnddoesnotgiveoneselftomeditation,

forgettingtruepurposeandgraspingatpleasure,willeventuallyenvytheonewhopracticesmeditation.

TheDhammapada

Muddywater,letstand,becomesclear.LaoTzu

Withoutmeditationitisnotpossibletocontrolandmasterthemind.

SaiBaba

Delvewithin;withinisthefoundationofgood,anditisalwaysreadytobubbleup,ifyoualwaysdelve.

MarcusAurelius

Slowlybutsurely,reapthefruitsofyourmeditation.SwamiMuktananda

Readingmakesafullman–Meditationaprofoundman.Franklin

Throughmeditation…Thefireofanxietywillconsumeyounolonger,

andyouwillattainundyingpeace.SwamiMuktananda

Ininnerquietliesthesalvationofthespirit.BaltasarGracian

Withoutdiscipline,hehasnounderstandingorinnerpower;withoutinnerpower,hehasnopeace;

andwithoutpeacewhereisjoy?TheBhagavadGita

Chapter22

InsightTheArtofDiscernment

Insight: Perceptiveness, clear perception, the ability to see clearlyand intuitively into the nature of a complex person, situation, orsubject.

OliverWendellHomes, Jr. stated that, “Amoment’s insight is sometimesworth a life’s experience.” Insight is basically the warrior’s sense ofdiscernment.Itishisperceptionconcerningwhatistrulyhappeninginanygivensituation,whether it isdealingwithaspecificperson,situation,or topic.Clearinsight is vital to thewarrior becausewithout it, thewarriorwill not have theperceptionorinformationthatheneedstomakewell-informeddecisions.

In today’s world it seems that everyone has their own point of viewconcerningprettymucheverything. Itdoesn’t seem tomatterwhetherornotaperson is informed on the topic in question or whether he actually knowsanythingatallaboutwhatheisreferringtointheconversation;peoplestillfeelthe need to express their point of view. Themajority of the time, people aremerely repeating what they have heard someone else say, as this is an easysubstituteforthinkingforthemselves.

Thiskindofsheepmentality,wherepeoplejustfollowalongwiththepointofviewthatsomeoneelsehas,withouttakingthetimetothinkforthemselves,isthe same kind ofmentalitywhich has led to historic tragedies over the years.Events such as the Holocaust, the Inquisition, and countless wars, can beattributedtouninformedpeoplesimplygoingalongwithsomeoneelse’spointofview.AsMarshallMcLuhansaid,“Apointofviewcanbeadangerousluxurywhensubstitutedforinsightandunderstanding.”

Itshouldalreadybeevidenttoyouthatthetruewarriorisnotonetofollow

theherd,whetherinactionorthought.Thewarriorthinksforhimselfandleavesotherstodothesame.Butsimplythinkingforyourselfisnotgoodenough;youhave to develop the ability to be perceptive and to clearly understandwhat ishappening. Developing insight is learning to read people and to comprehendtheirobjectivesandmotivations.Thisisanintuitiveabilitythatanyonecanlearnwithpracticeandawareness.

When I refer to insight being an intuitive ability, I am not referring toanything mystical or magical. What I am talking about has more to do withbeing aware and reading between the lines in order to perceivewhat is reallygoingon inanygiven situationorcircumstance.Thisclearperception isvital,especially knowing how insincere and dishonest people can be. If youmerelytrustwhatpeoplesay,orthefacadethattheypresenttothepublic,youwillfindthatmanytimesyouarebeingdeceived.

Inhis famous letters tohis son,LordChesterfieldwrote,“Mind,notonlywhatpeople say,buthow theysay it.”This ispartofdeveloping insight.Youhave to look at the small signswhich give you clues and insight into the truemeaningbehindwhatpeoplesayandwhattheydo.Thisissomethingthatmanypeople have a problem doing, as it is much easier to simply believe whatsomeone says instead of digging deeper and really understanding someone’smeaning.

Lord Chesterfield goes on to say, “The knowledge ofmankind is a veryuseful knowledge for everybody…You will have to do with all sorts ofcharacters;youshouldthereforeknowthemthoroughly,inordertomanagethemably.” To do this you have to go beyond mere surface information. BaltasarGracianurgedusto,“Lookbeneath.Forordinarythingsarefarotherthantheyseem…Thefalse isever the lead ineverything,continuallydraggingalong thefools:thetruthbringsuptherear,islate,andlimpsalonguponthearmoftime.”

Insightistheabilitytolookbeyondthesurfaceofthingsandtogettothetruth. It is being able to see the true nature of things,whether it is a person’scharacterorhistrueobjectives.Thisisnotamysticalprocess,butratheranart–the art of discernment. It is being able toperceive anddeduce someone’s trueintentions.When I teach reading strategies to students, one of the strategies Iteachishowtoreachalogicalconclusionfromwhattheauthorwrites.

An author doesn’t spell out every single thing for you in a novel. Heexpects thereadertobeabletoinfercertaininformationandcometoa logicalconclusionwithoutitbeingcompletelyexplainedorwrittenoutwordforword.Thisispartofrationalreasoning,andisbasicallywhatinsightis.Peopledonotmake everything perfectly clear to those around them, especially if they aretryingtohidetheirtruegoalsormotivations.Thewisemanhastoreadbetween

thelines,usinglogicandrationalthought,tofigureoutothers’trueintentions.This may sound a bit paranoid, but it is very important. If you take

everythingatfacevalue,youwillfindthatyouarebeingdeceivedoverandoveragain.Theartofdiscernmentiscrucialforthewarrior.Thisiseventruerwhenitcomestolife-or-deathsituations.Ifyouaretargetedbyapredator,youhavetobeabletodiscernhistrueintentions,howdangerousheis,whathereallywants,ifheismentallystable,etc.inordertoknowhowtorespondtode-escalatethesituation.Withoutinsightintotheotherperson,youaremerelytakingachancewithwhateverresponseyoutake.

Itisinsightandbeingabletoreadapersonthatgivesyoutheadvantage.Icall thisanartbecause that isexactlywhat it is.Therearemanybookson themarket which teach how to read people’s expressions, body language, speechpatterns,eyes,etc.Lawenforcementofficersaretrainedtodiscerncertainthingsinpeople that tip themoffas towhetherornot someone is telling the truthorlying.Ihighlyrecommendthatyoudoalittleresearchonthissubject.

Although, as I said, this is not any kind of mystical, psychic skill,developing accurate insight into a person’s mind, a specific situation, or aspecific subject, is not always a rational skill.You have to learn to trust yourinstinctandyourintuition.Yourintuitioncanbelikenedtoyourgutfeeling.Ifyouhaveabadfeelingaboutsomething,alwaystakethatfeelingseriously,evenifthereisnorationalexplanationforit.

Blaise Pascal wrote that, “The heart has reasons which reason cannotunderstand.” This is very true. Your intuition comes from your spirit, whichmanypeoplebelieve isdirectlyconnected toGod.Clearperceptionessentiallycomesfromtwosources:yourrationalabilitytoreadbetweenthelinesandyourintuition. These two sources can work together or they can be completelyindependent of each other, but they are both important in developing clearinsight.

Thesagesthroughouttheageshavealwaystaughtthatweshouldlistentoourintuition.Sometimesthisisreferredtoaslisteningtoyourheartorlisteningtoyourspirit.Itdoesn’tmatterwhatlabelyouputonit,youshouldalwayslistentothestill,quietvoiceinsideyourmind.Gracianstated,“Trustyourheart…forit is never untrue to itself.” Emerson echoed this sentiment saying, “Trust theinstincttotheend,thoughyoucanrendernoreason.”AntoinedeSaint-Exuperyagreedstating,“Itisonlywiththeheartthatonecanseerightly;whatisessentialisinvisibletotheeye.”

Listening to your intuition and acting according to what your spirit tellsyou,isnotanaturalthingformostpeople.Thisisespeciallytrueforthewarrior,whocanbemorecomfortablefiguringthingsoutrationallythangoingwithhis

feelings. It isaprocess that takespracticeandfaith.Youhave to learn to trustyour intuition just like you learn to trust in any of your other skills. Aswithlisteningtoanotherperson,listeningtoyourintuitionrequiresthatyouactuallylisten.Yourintuitionisnotgoingtoforceyoutolisten.Youhavetoslowdown,quietyourmind,andpurposelylistentowhatyourspiritistellingyou.

Asyouhaveprobablyfiguredoutbynow,thetraitsofthewarriorlifestyleareallconnectedinonewayoranother.Developinginsightandlisteningtoyourintuitionisgreatlyaidedbymeditation.ToonceagainquoteMargolis,“Onlyinquiet waters things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind isadequate perception of theworld.”When you can’t quite figure things out inyour mind, get quiet and meditate on the situation and allow your spirit toprovideyouwiththeinsightthatyouneed.

ThereisanOmahaMaximwhichstates,“Askquestionsofyourheart,andyou will receive answers from your heart.” If indeed your spirit is directlyconnectedtoGod,asmanyreligionsandsageshavetaughtthroughouttheages,thenyourspiritcontainsall theinformationthatyouneedforclearinsightintoanysituation,anditisuptoyoutobequietandlistenfortheanswersyouseek.TheSufimystic,Rumi,wrote,“Moonlightfloodsthewholeskyfromhorizontohorizon;howmuchitcanfillyourroomdependsonyourwindows.”

Theability todevelop insightdependsonyou.TheZenBuddhist teacher,Dogen, taught,“Don’t followtheadviceofothers; rather, learn to listen to thevoicewithinyourself.”Noticehesaidthatyouhavetolearntolisten.Thisisaskillandyouhavetopracticeitinordertoperfectit.Developingthisskillwillproveextremelyvaluabletothewarriorinmanyways.Itisnotsimplyausefulself-defenseskill,butisaskillthatyoucanuseineverypartofyourlife,onceyoudevelopit,learntolisten,andtrustwhatyouhear.

IwillendthischapterwithaquotebyLaRochefoucauld,“Countlessactsthatseemridiculoushavehiddenreasonsthatareexceedinglywiseandsound.”It is insightwhichprovidesyouwith thesehiddenreasonswhicharewiseandsound. Develop the art of discernment and see for yourself the value of thisinternalskill.

MeditationsonInsight

Itisonlywiththeheartthatonecanseerightly;whatisessentialisinvisibletotheeye.

AntoinedeSaint-Exupery

Trusttoyourheart…foritisneveruntruetoitself.BaltasarGracian

Don’tfollowtheadviceofothers;rather,learntolistentothevoicewithinyourself.

Dogen

Theworstpainamancansuffer:tohaveinsightintomuchandpowerovernothing.

Herodotus

Trusttheinstincttotheend,thoughyoucanrendernoreason.

Emerson

Hewhousesonlythesightofhiseyeisactedonbywhathesees;itistheintuitionofthespiritthatgivestheassuranceofcertainty.Thatthesightoftheeyesisnotequaltotheintuitionofthespiritisathinglongacknowledged.

Andyetstupidpeoplerelyonwhattheysee.ChuangTzu

Thehearthasreasonswhichreasoncannotunderstand.BlaisePascal

Countlessactsthatseemridiculoushavehiddenreasonsthatareexceedinglywiseandsound.

LaRochefoucauld

Mind,notonlywhatpeoplesay,buthowtheysayit.LordChesterfield

Seebutdonotappeartosee;listenbutdonotappeartolisten;knowbutdonotletitbeknownthatyouknow.

HanFeiTzu

Donotbethevictimoffirstimpressions.BaltasarGracian

Hewholacksforesightandunderestimateshisenemywillsurelybecapturedbyhim.

SunTzu

Itisnotdifficulttoknowathing;whatisdifficultistoknowhowtousewhatyouknow.

HanFeiTzu

Apointofviewcanbeadangerousluxurywhensubstitutedforinsightandunderstanding.

MarshallMcLuhan

Insight:whatmakestheunseenseen,andtheunspokenheard.

BohdiSanders

Chapter23

Self-RelianceTheWarrior’sIndependentSpirit

Self-Reliance: reliance on one’s own capabilities, judgment, orresources;independence.

Beingself-reliantintoday’sworldisatallorder.Isanyonetrulyself-reliantwithoutowningtheirownfarmorranch,andbeingindependentlywealthy?Andevenifyoudohavethefinancestobeindependentlywealthy,youwillstillneedto depend on others to some extent for your medical needs, supplies, etc.Tiruvalluvar put it clearly, saying, “Those who live by the plow live in self-sufficiency.Allothersleanonthemtosimplysubsist.”Inshort,very,veryfewpeopleonthiseartharecompletelyself-reliant.

Nonetheless,itisimportantforthewarriortobeasself-reliantaspossible.Thewarriorhasanindependentspirit.Withoutanindependentspirit,itwouldbeimpossibletolivethewarriorlifestyle.Justlookathowmanyofthetraitsofthewarrior lifestylegoagainst the flowandarecompletelydifferent than thoseoftheaverageperson.Onlysomeonewithcourageandanindependentmindcouldpossiblybesuccessfullivinglifeinawaythatsomanycan’tcomprehend.

Self-reliance is basically relying on yourself for your needs instead ofrelying on other people.While it is true that everyone in today’sworld needsmoney to survive,or at leastneedsmoney to survive in comfort, youcan stillstrivetobeas independentaspossible.Mostpeopledependonothersfor theirincome; they have a job and work for someone else. While there is nothingwrongwiththat,itcertainlyputsyouinapositionwhereyouaredependentonsomeoneelse,atleastwhereyourfinancesareconcerned.

Although, as I said, there is nothing inherently wrong with working forsomeoneelse, itcanplaceyou inadifficultpositionat times.Let’s lookatanexample. Say that your boss is not aman of character and he asks you to do

somethingforhisbusinessthatisnotethical.Thatputsyouinadifficultmoralposition.Ononehand,youneed themoney tosupportyourfamily,buton theotherhand,youwanttostaytruetoyourcodeofhonor.Refusingtodoasyourbosswants could cost you your job, but complyingwill go against your ownpersonalbeliefs.

Thisisjustoneexample,butI’msureyoucanthinkofdozensmore.Therewill always be these kinds of conflicts when you depend on someone elseinsteadofbeing totallyself-reliant.Thesekindsofconflictscanputyouin thedifficult position of having to choose between making the money that yourfamilyneedstosurviveandlivinguptoyourownprinciples.

Whenyouworkforsomeoneelse,theotherpersonhasacertainamountofcontroloveryourlife.Inaninstant,hecanfireyou,disruptyourmoneysupply,andchangeyourlife.Thiscanbeverystressfulandmakeitmuchhardertostaytrue to the warrior lifestyle. The stress of such an event, or even the realpossibilityofsuchanevent,canbeenormousandcandisruptmanypartsofyourlifesuchasyourmeditation,yourtraining,andyourhealth.

Thisisjustsomethingthatthemajorityofushavetolearntolivewithandtowork around.Unlessyouownyourowncompanyor business, youhave towork for someone else to earn a living and to take care of your duties andresponsibilities.Youmaybethinkingthattheanswerissimple–juststartyourownbusiness.Andthisisaviableoption,butitisnotassimpleasitsounds.

Startingyour ownbusiness is definitely easy;making a good living fromyourbusinessisawholeothermatter.Therearethousandsofpeoplewhoowntheirownbusinessandwhoarenotbeholdingtosomeoneelsefortheirincome,orarethey?Evenifyouhaveyourownbusiness,youarestillrelyingonotherpeopletoeitherpurchaseyourproductsoryourservices.Inessence,youarestillrelyingonothersforyourincome;theonlydifferenceisthatyouareincontrolofhowyoudoitandtheethicalpracticesofyourbusiness.

Forexample,anauthor is in thebusinessofwritingbooksorarticles.Hecandecidewhatsubjecthewillwriteonandcanwritewhateverhewants.Hehasalotoffreedom,especiallyifhepublisheshisworkhimself.Youmaythinkthatheistotallyself-reliantforhisliving,butyouwouldbewrong.Evenifhepublisheshisownwork,hewillnotmakeapennyifreadersdon’tbuyhisbooks.Heisstilldependentonotherpeopleforhisincome.Areyoustartingtogetthepoint?Itisnoteasytobetotallyself-reliant.

Therefore, self-reliance for the warrior becomes less of an absolute termandmoreofarelativeterm.Youwillmostlikelyneverbetotallyself-reliant,butyoushouldstrivetobeasself-reliantaspossible.Beingself-reliantisnotanall-or-nothingproposition.Youcanworktobeasindependentaspossible,although

youmaynotbetotallyself-reliant.Afterall,isn’tthisoneofthereasonsthatyouare practicing martial arts – to become self-reliant where your safety isconcerned?

Whatyouwanttodoistobecomeasindependentaspossible,inasmanyareasasyoucan.Thisdoesn’tjustapplytothephysicalpartsoflife,butalsotoyourmindandspirit.Themoreyou takecontroloveryourown life, themoreindependentyoubecome.Forexample,youmayhavetoworkforacompanytomakemoney,butyoucanuse thatmoneywiselybysavingand investing,andthemorethatyousave,themorefinanciallyindependentyoubecome.

This principleworks in every area of your lifewhether it has to dowithyour health, your home, or other areas. If you want to be more independentwhere your health is concerned, start to learn how to eat healthy, learn aboutholistichealthcuresinsteadofrunningtothedoctorforeverylittlething.Ifyouwanttobemoreindependentwithyourhome,learntodohomerepairsinsteadofhavingtoalwayscallarepairmantodotheworkforyou.Therearehundredsofexamplesconcerningbecomingmoreindependent.Yougetthepoint.

AsIstatedabove,becomingself-reliantdoesn’tjustrelatetofinancesorthephysical aspects of your life; being self-reliant concerns every single area ofyourlife–physical,mentalandspiritual.Actually,becomingindependentinthementalandspiritualareasofyourlifeismucheasierandcanbewrappedupinasimplestatement:Thinkforyourself!

Ifyouwanttobeindependent,itisvitalthatyouthinkforyourselfandnotlet anyone else do your thinking for you. Don’t let others tell you what youshouldthink,howtothink,orwhattobelieve.Therearemanyphysicalaspectsofself-reliancethatyouhaveverylittlecontrolover,butyouhavetotalcontroloveryourmindandyourspiritual life.Theonlypersonthatcanstopyoufrombeingindependent,wherethesetwoareasareconcerned,isyourself.

Don’t be lazy. Think for yourself at all times. Do your homework onwhatevertopicyoumaybemullingover,andthinkrationally.Yourmindisyourown,don’t give anyoneelse controloverwhatyou thinkorhowyou think. Itdoesn’t matter whether or not anyone else actually likes what you think, oragreeswithwhatyouthink;itisnoneoftheirbusiness.Takingcontroloveryourmind is actually the first step in becoming self-reliant. If you can disciplineyourself tobecomementally independentofothers, itwillbeeasier foryou tobecomeindependentintheotherareasofyourlife.

Max Stimer stated that, “Individually free is hewho is responsible to noman.” You are not responsible to anyman, as far as your thoughts and yourspirituallifego.LaoTzustatedthat,“Eachindividualisresponsibleforhisownevolution.” Your self-reliance is up to you, starting with becoming mentally

independent.Start bymakingyourmind independent, and thenmoveon to asmanyareasasyoupossiblycan.

Becoming mentally independent doesn’t mean that you never listen toanyoneelse.Therearealotofwisemenonthisearth.Youshouldlistentotheirwisdomandlearnfromthem,butatthesametime,youshouldthinkaboutwhattheysay,not just take theirwordsasgospel.Tolstoystated,“Oneshouldseekthe truthhimselfwhileprofitingby thedirectionswhichhave reachedus fromancientsagesandsaints.”ThisisanexcellentwaytoexplainwhatIamtryingtosay.Usewhatthewisemensay,butalwaysthinkaboutwhatisbeingsaidandseekthetruthforyourself.

Why should the warrior seek to be self-reliant? The answer lies in twowords–freedomandsafety.Beingself-reliantgivesyoumorepersonalfreedomtolivethewaythatyouwanttolive.Epicuruswrote,“Thegreatestfruitofself-sufficiencyisfreedom.”Themoreself-sufficientyoubecome,themorefreedomyouhavefromotherpeoplehavingcontroloveryourlife.

It is also a vital part of your overall self-defense. The less self-sufficientyou are, themore you are leaving your life to chance. FrancescoGuicciardiniwrote, “Remember this: whoever lives a life of chance will in the end findhimselfavictimofchance.Therightwayistothink,toexamine,andtoconsidereverydetailcarefully,eventhemostminute.”Youdon’twanttoleaveyourlifeuptochanceanymorethanyouabsolutelyhaveto.

Think about ways to make your life more self-sufficient. How can youprepareforachangeinyourfinancialsituation?Whatwouldyoudoifyoucouldno longer simply go to the grocery store to get your food, or if somethinghappenedtoyourwatersupply?Thesearethingsthateveryoneshouldgivesomethought to inorder tobeprepared for theunexpected.Makea listof thewaysthat you need to be more self-reliant, and then take steps to increase yourindependence.

Aesop,“Itisthriftytopreparetodayforthewantsoftomorrow.”Thereisno guarantee that lifewill always be easy; become as self-sufficient and self-reliant as possible. I will end this chapter with a wise thought from AgnesMacphail, “Do not rely completely on any other human being…We meet alllife’sgreatesttestsalone.”

MeditationsonSelf-Reliance

Individuallyfreeishewhoisresponsibletonoman.MaxStirner

Thosewholivebytheplowliveinself-sufficiency.Allothersleanonthemtosimplysubsist.

Tiruvalluvar

Itisthriftytopreparetodayforthewantsoftomorrow.Aesop

Oneshouldseekthetruthhimselfwhileprofitingbythedirectionswhichhave

reachedusfromancientsagesandsaints.Tolstoy

Thegreatestfruitofself-sufficiencyisfreedom.Epicurus

Rememberthis:whoeverlivesalifeofchancewillintheendfindhimselfavictimofchance.Therightwayistothink,toexamine,andto

considereverydetailcarefully,eventhemostminute.FrancescoGuicciardini

Itneverceasestoamazeme:weallloveourselvesmorethanotherpeople,

butcaremoreabouttheiropinionsthanourown.MarcusAurelius

TrustGod,buttieupyourcamel.Hadith

Youmayalwaysbevictoriousifyouwillneverenterintoanycontestwheretheissuedoesnotwhollydependuponyourself.

Epitetus

Recognizethatifit’shumanlypossible,youcandoittoo.MarcusAurelius

Donotrelycompletelyonanyotherhumanbeing,howeverdear.Wemeetalllife’sgreatesttestsalone.

AgnesMacphail

Moresatisfyingfar,thatmanydependuponyou,thanthatyoudependuponanybody.

BaltasarGracian

Dependonothersandyouwillgohungry.NepaleseProverb

Prepareyourselfforyoumusttravelalone.BookoftheGoldenPrecepts

Eachindividualisresponsibleforhisownevolution.LaoTzu

Dowenotrealizethatselfrespectcomeswithselfreliance?AbdulKalam

Chapter24

FriendshipTheSacredBrotherhood

Friendship: The mutual feelings of trust and affection, and thebehaviorthattypifyrelationshipsbetweenfriends.

In the Phaedrus, written by Plato, Phaedrus stated, “The word friend iscommon,thefactisrare.”AlthoughthiswascomposedbyPlatoaround370BC,itstillholdstruetoday.Peoplethrowtheword“friend”aroundveryloosely,butthefactis,truefriendsareveryrareandthemajorityofpeopleareveryluckyiftheyhaveevenonefriendthattheycancountoningoodtimesandinbadtimes.Thomas Fuller pointed out, “If you have one true friend, you havemore thanyoursharecomesto.”

Whenmost people say someone is their friend, itmeans littlemore thantheyhavemetthatpersonorthattheyknowthatperson’sname.Truefriendshipmeans much more than that to the warrior. Even the above definition offriendshipdoesnot do justice towhat itmeans to have awarrior as your truefriend.Friendship in thewarrior lifestyle ismoreakin toa sacredbrotherhoodthanacasualacquaintance.

Whenitcomesrightdowntoit,onlythesuperiormantrulyhasrealfriends.Voltaire stated this very clearly saying, “The wicked have only accomplices;voluptuarieshavecompanionsindebauch,self-seekershavepartners,politiciansattract partisans; the generality of idle men have attachments; princes havecourtiers, and virtuous men alone have friends.” Gracian shared this point ofview writing, “There is no true friendship among thieves.” Socrates alsobelieved this stating, “Friendship exists only between goodmen, whereas thebadmanneverachievestruefriendshipwitheitheragoodorabadman.”

La Rochefoucauld stated, “What men have called friendship is merelyassociation, respect foreachother’s interests,andexchangeofgoodoffices, in

factnothingmore thanabusinessarrangement fromwhich self-love is alwaysouttodrawsomeprofit…Rarethoughtruelovemaybe,truefriendshipisrarerstill.”Noteveryonethatthinkstheyhavefriendstrulyhaverealfriends.Thisisan important point to remember. Benjamin Franklin stated, “There are threefaithfulfriends–anoldwife,anolddog,andreadymoney.”

It is only thosewho understand the ideals of true friendship, andwhat ittakestobeatruefriend,whichactuallyhavefriendswhocantrulybedefinedasrealfriends.Allotherpeoplemerelyhavesomeformofacquaintancesthatcomeand go throughout their lifetime.While there is certainly nothingwrongwithhavingmanyacquaintances, theyarenot the sameas true friends.You shouldhavemanyacquaintances;thatispartoflivinglifeanddoingbusinesswithotherpeople, butmake sure you understand the difference between an acquaintanceandatruefriend.

The ancient Chinese proverb, “Your acquaintances must fill the empire;your close friends must be few,” is definitely true. The dictionary defines afriend as, “A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personalregard;apersonwhogivesassistance;asupporter.”Thisdefinitionismoreofawaytodistinguishbetweensomeonewhoismerely“friendly”andsomeonewhoisyourenemy.Thetruewarriorlooksatfriendshipabitdifferently.

Thesuperiormantakestheconceptoftruefriendshipmuchmoreseriously.Tohim,atruefriendissomeonewhowillstandbyyouthroughthickandthin.Whenthechipsaredown,yourfriendwillbetherewithyou.Whenthewolfisatyourdoor,yourfriendwillbestandingthere,rightbesideyou,readytoputhislifeontheline,sidebysidewithyou.Atruefriendissomeoneyoucancountonnomatterwhat.Heisnottheremerelyforthegoodtimes,butratherisalwaystherewhenyouneedhim.Thisisthekindoffriendthetruewarrioris,andthisishowheseestruefriendshipinothers.

Youmay be thinking that this is a tall order, and youwould be right. Ittakes dedication and effort to be a true friend to someone. Friendship issomething that you have to work at; it is not something that just causallyhappensovernight.Thereisanoldsayingthatgoessomethinglikethis,youareborn with your family, but you choose your friends. Who you decide to befriendswithisentirelyuptoyou,andyoushouldtakecareregardingwithwhomyouchoosetoassociate.

Pythagorastaught,“Makehimyourfriendwhodistinguisheshimselfbyhisvirtue, and take example from his virtuous and useful actions.” Confuciusagreed,stating“Makefriendsonlywiththosegentlemenwhoaresuperiormen.”Who you decide to be close friends with matters, and that decision willdeterminewhetheryouaremakingatruefriendormerelyanacquaintance.You

should always judge someone’s character before you decide to embark on afriendship.

Yourchoiceoffriendssaysa lotaboutyou.Graciantellsus that,“Oneisknownbythefriendshekeeps.”JohnCasparLavatergoesintoevenmoredetailstating, “He is a good man whose intimate friends are all good, and whoseenemiesaredecidedlybad.”Choosingtoassociatewithpeopleoflowcharacterisawaytoguaranteethatyouwillnotbedevelopingatruefriendship,atleastnotwiththosepeople.Someonehastohavecharacterandhonortostandbyhisfriendsinthebadtimes,andpeopleoflowcharacterdonothavewhatittakestobetrustedtodothis.

Ittakestimetodevelopatruefriendshipandtoknowforsurethatyoucantrustsomeone.Evenafteryearsofcompanionship,youhavetobecarefulaboutbeingtootrusting.Trusthastobeearnedandfriendshiphastobeproven.Untilyouknowforcertainthatsomeoneisyourtriedandtruefriend,youshouldbecarefulhowmuchtrustyouplaceinhim.

Too many people are fickle and dishonest, this may sound cold anddistrustful,butitisalsoverytrue.Don’tbetooquicktoconsidersomeoneyourfriend.Atthesametime,onceyouhavegivenyourfriendshiptosomeone,youhave given your bond to them.AsTheHavamal says, “Be your friend’s truefriend.”For this reason, you shouldbe careful and slowabout extendingyourhandintruefriendship.Socratesputitperfectly,“Beslowtofallintofriendship,butwhenyouarein,continuefirmandconstant.”

Once you have given your hand in friendship, you still have to work tomake the friendship strong and to keep it strong. Like all other parts of thewarriorlifestyle,friendshiptakeseffortandwork.Youcouldlookatfriendshiplikeplantingagarden.Ifyoutakecareofitanddoyourpart, itwillgrowandflourish;ifyouneglectit,weedswillappearandchokewhatyouworkedhardtogrow.Plantingtheseedoffriendshipismerelythefirststep,youhavetonurturewhatyouhaveplantedinorderforittofullymatureintoarealfriendship.

Becoming friends with someone is only the first step. You have tocontinually strengthen the friendship or it will begin to fade away. Emersonwrote,“Gooftentothehouseofthyfriend,forweedschoketheunusedpath.”Itisalsoimportanttorememberthatsimplybecausesomeoneisyourfriend,thatdoesn’tmean that you neglect yourmanners and treat him anyway youwant.Friendshipsaremucheasiertodestroythantheyaretobuild.

If anything, you should treat your true friends better than you do youracquaintances.They aremuchmore important people in your life than peoplewhoyoubarelyknowandmerelydobusinesswiththroughoutyourlife.Thereisan English proverb that illustrates this point verywell, “An hourwill destroy

whatittookanagetobuild.”Thisisverytrue.Buildingafriendshiptakesalotoftime,patience,effort,andwork,butendingafriendshiptakesverylittleeffortatall.

Ofcourse,thisshouldn’tbethecaseforthetruewarrior.Whenthewarriorgives his hand in friendship, it basically takes a betrayal for him to end thefriendship. He is a man of honor and takes the sacred bond of friendshipseriously,anditishardforhimtocomprehendthatotherpeopledonothavethesame dedication to friendship that he has. This can lead to the warrior beingblindsided if he is not very careful in his choice of friends.History is full ofexamplesthatshowthetreacheryoffalsefriends.

This is why Baltasar Gracian taught that you should, “Trust in today’sfriendsas if theymightbetomorrow’senemies.”ManyyearsbeforeGracian’stime, theVikingswrote this same admonition, “Amanmust bewatchful andwary aswell, and fearful of trusting a friend.”Not everyone takes the sacredbrotherhood of friendship as serious as the warrior does, so it is wise to becarefulwhenitcomestotrustingothers.

Thewisestpathtotakeistonevertrustsomeonewithenoughinformationtohurtyou.At leastnotunless there isaverygoodreason todoso,youhaveknown them for years, and they have proven to be a true friend through thestormsoflife.Eventhenitiswisetobecarefulconcerningwhatyoushare.Itisalwaysbesttokeepsomethingsprivate.Remember,evenJesuswasbetrayedbysomeonehethoughtwasoneofhisclosestfriends.

Strivetomakesurethatyourtruefriendsaremenofcharacter,honor,andintegrity. It is someone’s character that truly matters when it comes tofriendship.Lookatwhatisinsidesomeonewhenyouarethinkingofbefriendinghim.LiehTzuputitwonderfullysaying,“Ordinarypeoplearefriendlytothosewho are outwardly similar to them.Thewise are friendlywith thosewho areinwardlysimilartothem.”Thinkaboutthis.

IwillendthischapterwithanotherquotefromLaRochefoucauld,“Atruefriendisthemostpreciousofallpossessionsandtheonewetakeleastthoughtaboutacquiring.”Takethesacredbrotherhoodoffriendshipseriouslyandstrivetomakefriendsofthehighestquality.

MeditationsonFriendship

Makehimyourfriendwhodistinguisheshimselfbyhisvirtue,andtakeexamplefromhisvirtuousandusefulactions.

Pythagoras

Gooftentothehouseofthyfriend,forweedschoketheunusedpath.

Emerson

Heisagoodmanwhoseintimatefriendsareallgood,andwhoseenemiesaredecidedlybad.

JohnCasparLavater

Oneisknownbythefriendshekeeps.BaltasarGracian

Beneverthefirsttobreakwithyourfriendthebondthatholdsyouboth.

TheHavamal

Beslowtofallintofriendship,butwhenyouarein,continuefirmandconstant.

Socrates

Youdonotreallyknowyourfriendsfromyourenemiesuntiltheicebreaks.

IcelandicProverb

Reproveyourfriendsinsecret,praisethemopenly.Syrus

Thewickedhaveonlyaccomplices;voluptuarieshavecompanionsindebauch,self-seekershavepartners,politiciansattractpartisans;thegeneralityofidlemen

haveattachments;princeshavecourtiers,

andvirtuousmenalonehavefriends.Voltaire

Trustintoday’sfriendsasiftheymightbetomorrow’senemies.

BaltasarGracian

Avoidfriendswhoaredetrimentaltoyourpeaceofmind.GongsandDrumsofGampopaPrecepts

Manykissthehandtheywishcutoff.GeorgeHerbert

Thereisnotruefriendshipamongthieves.BaltasarGracian

Bewareofbefriendinganenemy’sfriend.TheHavamal

Ifyouhaveonetruefriendyouhavemorethanyoursharecomesto.

ThomasFuller

Makefriendsonlywiththosegentlemenwhoaresuperiormen.

Confucius

Chapter25

Filial&FamilyDutyTheWarrior’sUltimateResponsibility

Filial Duty: duty relating or appropriate to a child’s relationshipwith,orfeelingstoward,hisorherparents.

Family:twoormorepeoplewhosharegoalsandvalues,havelong-termcommitmentstooneanother;allthemembersofahousehold.

Theyoungrelyontheirfathers,theoldontheirchildren.ThewordsfromthisVietnameseproverbformthecornerstoneoffilialandfamilyduty.Asamanofhonor,youhaveadutytoprovideforbothyourimmediatefamilyandyourparents. This is your ultimate responsibility on this earth and one which youshould take seriously. Taking care of your family is not something that youshould thinkabout inyourspare time,whenyouaren’t trainingorworkingonothertraitsofthewarriorlifestyle,itshouldcomefirst.

TheApostlePaulwrote,“Ifanyonedoesnotprovideforhisrelatives,andespeciallyforhisimmediatefamily,hehasdeniedthefaithandisworsethananunbeliever.”Duty toyour familyhasbeen taught throughout theages.TakuanSoho stated, “Youmust apply yourself to yourwork, serve your parentswithfilialpiety,behavewithproprietytowardsyourwife…Furthermore,asaparent,youshouldconductyourselfwithdignityandinaccordancewithwhatisright.”

Itisyourresponsibilityasatruewarriortobetheheadofyourfamilyandto do your best to ensure that each person in your family is provided foraccording to theirneeds.Youshouldalsodoyourbest tomakesure thatyourfamilyisatpeaceandlivesinharmonywitheachother.Thiscansometimesbehardtodo,butitisveryimportantnonetheless.Tiruvalluvartaught,“Asironisworn awayby frequent filing, a family’s strength is erodedby incessant inner

frictions.”Maintainingharmonyinthefamilyisabalancingact,especiallyintoday’s

world with so many different challenges that have to be addressed in everyfamily.Yourdutytoyourfamilyisyourforemostdutyandcanbebrokendownintothreecategories:yourparents,yourspouse,andyourchildren.Ofcoursenotevery family will have all three of these categories. There are manynontraditionalfamilies,butforourpurposes,Iwilladdressthetraditionalfamily.

Let’s startwith your filial duty, your duty to your parents. Thewarrior’sdutytohisparentswastakenveryseriouslyinthepracticeofBushido.ThereisaJapanese proverbwhich states, “Duty to parents is higher than themountains,deeperthanthesea.”Thisisaprettystrongstatement,andshowshowseriouslyfilialdutywastakeninJapan.Thisresponsibilityhasbeentaughtthroughouttheworld,butseemstobetakenmuchlessseriouslyintoday’ssociety.

Manypeopletodaydonotwanttobebotheredwithanyoneelse,includingtheirownparentsandfamily.Oursocietyhasbecomeaselfishsociety, fullofpeople who only want to focus on themselves. Now retirement homes areflourishinginalmosteverytown.Itdidn’tusedtobethatway.Notthatlongago,people took care of their own families. Theymade sure that their parents hadwhattheyneededandcouldliveincomfort.

Thefactisthatpeopleintoday’ssociety,becauseofjobsandotherfactors,donot remain inoneplace for theirwhole life.Families no longer live in thesametownorinmanycases,eveninthesamepartofthecountry.Thismakesithardertocareforelderlyparents,butthisdoesnotexcuseyoufromyourfilialduty.

Yourparentsraisedyouandprovidedforyourneedswhenyouwereyoung.They most likely helped you get on your feet, even after you were legallyconsidered an adult. That is what good parents do. Sure, you could probablymakea listof things thatyoufeel thatyourparentsdidn’tdoagoodjobwith;everyone couldmake such a list.But thevastmajorityof parentsdid thebestthattheyknewhowtodoinraisingandprovidingfortheirchildren,anditisthechildren’sresponsibilitytotakecareoftheirparentsintheiroldage.

Sai Baba stated, “Show parents respect with love and devotion. It is atributeyoushouldoffer themfor thegreatchance theygaveyou tocome intothisworld.”Youdooweyourparentsthisduty,whetheryouthinkyoudoornot.It isapartofbeingamanofhonor,andagoodsonordaughter.Thequestionthenishowdoyoufulfillthisduty?Isitmerelyenoughtomakesurethatyourparentshavearoofovertheirheadandfoodtoeat?

ThereisaNativeAmericansayingthatifyoumerelyprovidefood,water,andshelterforyourparents,youaredoingnomorethanyouwoulddoforyour

dog.Ifyouthinkaboutitthisisverytrue.Mostpetownersprovidetheirpetwithfood,water, and shelter from theelements. If this is all thatyouaredoing foryour elderlyparents, areyou truly fulfillingyour filial duty?Not according tomostcultures,butthatseemstobetheattitudeinmanymoderncultures.

Isocratesgaveusaverygoodguideastohowtofulfillyourfilialduty.Hestated,“Conductyourselftowardyourparentsasyouwouldhaveyourchildrenconduct themselves towardyou.”Basically, this is theGoldenRule applied tofilialduty.Thinkabouthowyouhopetobetreatedbyyourownchildrenwhenyouareolder,andmaketheefforttotreatyourparentsthatway.EverythingonthisearthwouldbebetterifpeoplesimplyappliedtheGoldenRuletoalloftheirendeavors.

You owe your parents much more than merely providing for their basicsurvivalneeds.Youowethemyourrespectandtime.Ifyouaren’tgoingtotakecareoftheirneeds,whowill?Thinkaboutthis,planahead,anddoyourbesttoprovideforallofyourparents’needsintheirlatteryears.Thisisnotonlyyourduty, but the right thing to do, even for those who aren’t living the warriorlifestyle.

The second category is your duty to your spouse. There is a Spanishproverbwhichstates,“Hewhodoesnothonorhiswifedishonorshimself.”Youchose your spouse andmade a vow to honor and protect her.You gave yourword, in front of your family andGod, to love and cherish her, to honor andprotecther,tilldeathdoyoupart.Doesanyofthissoundfamiliartoyou?

Youhaveasacreddutytohonorandprotectyourwife,andtocareofherneeds.This is evenahigherduty thanyour filial duty, although they arebothextremelyimportant.Yourspouseshouldbethemostimportantpersoninyourlife,yourbestfriendandlover.Shecountsonyoutoprotectherandprovideforher.Thismaysoundabitsexist,butifyouweretodoanopinionpollofacross-sectionofwomen,Ithinkthatyouwouldfindthatthevastmajorityofwomenwould love to find someone that they could count on to see that they areprotectedandwell-providedforthroughouttheirlife.

Suretherewillbethosewhomakecommentssuchas,“Idon’tneedamanto provide for me,” and that is true, a woman definitely can make as muchmoneyasaman in today’s society.Womenarecertainlyas intelligentasmenand can take care of their own needs, both financially and otherwise. Butscientificpollinghasshownthatwhatattractsmostwomentoamanishisabilitytoprovideforthem.Thisisevenabiggerattractionthantheman’slooksorbodytype.

Thisisnottosaythatwomenmarryformoney;thatisnotwhatIamsayingat all. I ammerely repeatingwhat the science of human attraction has proven

through many different testing methods. Although women are attracted topowerfulmen,whocanprovideforthem,mostendupmarryingforloveratherthan for financial security,but they still place theirhopes anddreamson theirspouseforsupport,protection,andfinancialsecurity.Andyouoweyourwifeallofthosethings.

Inoneoftheworld’soldesttexts,Ptah-Hotepwrote,“Ifyouwouldbewise,provideforyourhouse,andloveyourwifeinyourarms.Fillherstomach,clotheherback;oilistheremedyforherlimbs.Gladdenherheartduringyourlifetime,forsheisanestateprofitabletohislord.Donotbeharsh,forgentlenessmastershermore than strength. Give to her that for which she sighs and that towardwhichhereyelooks.”Thisisaprettygoodsummaryofprovidingforyourwife.

Ifyouwillnotice,Ptah-Hotepdidn’t leavemuchout.Notonlydidhesaythatthewisemanwillprovideforhiswife’sbasicneeds,butthathemakesherhappy,heisgentlewithherandgivesherthenicethingswhichshedesires.Heeven suggests special pampering such as oil massages. In short, he isrecommendingthatyoutreatyourwife likeaqueen,whichofcourse,hiswifewas–thequeenofEgypt.

WhileyoumaynotberichorbetheKingofEgypt,youcanandshouldstilltreatyourwifelikeyourqueen.ThereisaNorwegianproverbwhichstates,“Ineverywomanthereisaqueen.Speaktothequeen,andthequeenwillanswer.”Essentially,ifyoutreatyourwifelikesheisspecial,shewillfeelspecialandinturnwilltreatyouinthesameway.Thisisthewaythattheworldworks.Youreapwhatyousow.Treatyourwifespecialandshewill treatyouspecial,andthiscyclewillcontinuethroughoutyourlifetogether.

Thethirdcategoryofyourfamilydutyisthatofyourdutytoyourchildren.Montaignesaid,“Afathershouldmakehimselfworthyofrespectbyhisvirtueand abilities, and worthy of love by his kindness and gentle manners.” AndRobertBurtonwrote,“Diogenesstruckthefatherwhenthesonswore.”Makingsurethatyourchildrenareraisedcorrectlyandaregiventhebestchancepossibletobecomemenandwomenofcharacter,isadutythatyoushouldtakeextremelyseriously.Thisisalsoanareawheremanypeoplearefailingintoday’ssociety.Asateacher,Iseethisfailurefirsthand.

Therearebasicallythreeareasthatshouldbeaddressedwithyourchildren,andtheyshouldbeaddressedasearlyaspossibleinyourchild’slife.Thesethreeareas are: education, self-esteem, and character training. Of course it goeswithoutsayingthatyouareexpectedtoprovideforyourchildren’sbasicneedsofclothing,nutrition,shelter,andlove.Bringinganotherlifeintothisworldisamuchmoreseriousdecisionthanmostpeoplethink.Asstrangeasitsounds,youneedalicensetoraiseanimalsinmanystates,butanymoronisallowedtohave

ababyandthentobasicallydoashewill,asfarasraisinghischild.There needs to be much more education about the correct way to raise

childrenwhowill grow up to bementally balanced, productive, andmen andwomenofcharacter.Ancientnoblementookthisdutymuchmoreseriouslythanmostpeopledotoday.Forexample,whenAlexander theGreatwasachild,hewastutoredbyAristotle.Hewastaughtmilitarystrategiesandmartialarts.Hiseducationwasconsideredofupmostimportance.

WhileitistruethatAlexander’sfatherwastheking,andthatnoteveryonecanafford tohire thegreatestmindsof the timeto tutor theirchildren,wecantake this attitude towards education as an example of how important a goodeducationactuallyshouldbetoyou.Ourcurrenteducationalsystemispathetic,and that isputting it lightly. Inorder to ensure thatyour childrenhavea trulygoodeducation,youhavetodomorethansimplygetthemupintimetocatchtheschoolbus.

Take your children’s education seriously. It should not be just aboutmemorizing a few facts and figures, but rather really understanding theprinciples behind the subjects that they are learning. Iwill not get into all thewaysofensuringthatthishappens,butyou,asaparent,shouldmakesurethatyour children understand how important a good education is. Take whateverstepsyouhavetotaketoguaranteeyourchildrenvalueatrueeducation.

Moreover, you should consider educating your students inmore than thenormal academic subjects. I highly recommend teaching your childrenmartialarts,survivaltechniques,gardening,andothertopicswhichwillenablethemtobecomemoreself-sufficientadults.Ifoneofyourchildrenshowsaninterestorspecialtalentinacertainarea,fosterthatinthatchild.RememberthatGodgavethesechildrentoyoutoraise,nottothegovernment.Youareinchargeoftheireducation.

In making sure that your children truly value education for the sake ofbecomingeducated,andnotmerelybecausetheyhavetogotoschool,youwillalsobebuilding their self-esteem.LordChesterfieldwarnedhis son, “Nothingsinks a youngman into low company, both of women andmen, so surely astimidity, and diffidence of himself.” A child’s self-esteem is of utmostimportance.

Iamnotreferringtothefalse,politicallycorrectideaofself-esteemwhereour society has decided that it is bad for any kid to lose, so they play sportswithoutkeeping score,etc.This isnot fostering self-esteem,but rathermerelyteachingkidstolietothemselves.WhatIamreferringtoistrueself-esteem–asenseofself-worthandself-respect.Thisisvitalinkeepingyourchildrenfromfallingpreytothevicesoftheirpeersandotherkidswhohavenotbeenbrought

upastheyshouldhavebeenorwhohavetakenthewrongroadforonereasonoranother.

You should take steps to ensure that your children realize their value. Iwouldevengoasfarastosaythatyoushouldraiseyourchildrenliketheyareprincesandprincesses,butwithoutallowingthemtobecomespoiledbrats.Raisethem to think that they are special, because indeed they truly are. Part of thisprocessisteachingthemthesamecharactertraitsthatarediscussedinModernBushido.

I havealreadydiscussed the importanceofdevelopinga strongcharacter,anditisimportantforyoutostartdevelopingcharacterinyourchildrenasearlyaspossible.LeonBattistaAlbertiwrote,“Theheadofthefamilymustfirstofallbe on the watch for the first sparks of vice to appear among his children’sappetitesandmustputthemoutimmediatelyifhedoesnotwishtobecompelledlater toextinguishtheflamesofcorruptdesireatgreatercost,withsorrowandtears.”

Teachyourchildrengoodcharactertraitsfromtheirearliestyears!ModernBushido is a good start, but it only scratches the surface as far as getting intodetailsconcerningspecificcharacter traits.Educateyourselfon thesecharactertraits, incorporate theminyour life,and then teach themtoyourchildrenas iftheirlivesdependonthem.

Thetruewarriorshoulddohisbesttoprotectallofthoseforwhichitisinhis power to protect, but his first duty is to his family. Your family shouldalwayscomefirst!Alsoapartofthisdutyistakingcareofyourself,forhowcanyoupossiblytakecareofanyoneelseifyoudonottakecareofyourself?Don’ttakeunnecessaryrisksorputyourlifeonthelinewhenyoudon’thavetodoso.Whowilltakecareofyourfamilyifyoudon’t?

Takuan Soho taught, “You must apply yourself seriously to your work,serveyourparentswith filial piety, behavewithpropriety towardyourwife…Furthermore, as a parent you should conduct yourself with dignity and inaccordancewithwhatisright.”Thisisagoodsummaryofthischapter.

MeditationsonFilialDuty

Theyoungrelyontheirfathers,theoldontheirchildren.VietnameseProverb

Youmustnotexpectoldheadsuponyoungshoulders.EnglishProverb

Whenyouhaveyourownchildrenyouwillunderstandyourobligationtoyourparents.

JapaneseProverb

Hewhodoesnothonorhiswifedishonorshimself.SpanishProverb

Showparentsrespectwithloveanddevotion.Itisatributeyoushouldofferthemforthegreatchancetheygaveyoutocomeintothisworld…

SaiBaba

Dutytoparentsishigherthanthemountains,deeperthanthesea.

JapaneseProverb

Conductyourselftowardyourparentsasyouwouldhaveyourchildrenconductthemselvestowardyou.

Isocrates

He(Cato)neversaidanythingobsceneinfrontofhisson,nomorethanifhehadbeeninthepresence

oftheholyVestalVirgins.Plutarch

Youmustapplyyourselfseriouslytoyourwork,serveyourparentswithfilialpiety,behavewithproprietytowardsyourwife…Furthermore,asaparentyoushouldconductyourselfwith

dignityandinaccordancewithwhatisright.TakuanSoho

Afather…Heshouldmakehimselfworthyofrespectbyhisvirtueandabilities,andworthyoflovebyhiskindnessandgentlemanners.

Montaigne

Diogenesstruckthefatherwhenthesonswore.RobertBurton

Atornjacketissoonmended;buthardwordsbruisetheheartofachild.

HenryWadsworthLongfellow

Hepreacheswellthatliveswell.Cervantes

Asironiswornawaybyfrequentfiling,afamily’sstrengthiserodedbyincessantinnerfrictions.

Tiruvalluvar

Chapter26

BalanceTheArtofHarmony

Balance:Astateofemotionalandmentalstabilityinwhichsomebodyiscalmandabletomakerationaldecisionsandjudgments;astateinwhich various parts form a satisfying and harmonious whole andnothing isoutofproportionorundulyemphasizedat theexpenseoftherest.

Balanceisveryimportant,bothtothewarriorandtothewarriorlifestyle.Itisextremelyeasytogetcaughtupinwhateverendeavoryourmindiscurrentlyfocusedon,andtoletotherimportantthingsslide.Ifthishappensconsistently,your life can quickly become unbalanced and out of harmony. The key tomaintaining a state of emotional andmental stability is preserving balance inyourlife.

Forthewarrior,balancereferstokeepingthethreemainpartsofyourlifebalancedandinharmony–spirit,mindandbody.Youcanthinkofthesethreepartsofyourlifeasanequilateraltriangle.Eachsideofthistrianglerepresentsoneofthesepartsofyourlifeandwhenyourlifeisinbalance,eachlineofthistriangleshouldbethesamelength.Whenonelinebecomeslongerbecauseyouarespendingtoomuchtimeonthatpartofyourlifeorshorterbecauseyouareneglectingapartofyourlife,thetriangle(yourlife)isnolongerbalanced.

Itisaconstantbalancingacttokeepthesethreepartsofyourlifebalancedandinharmony.Asthedefinitionabovestates,youhavetoworktoensurethatnothing is out of proportion or overly emphasized at the expense of the otherparts.Yourlifecaneasilygetoutofbalancewhenyoustartsomethingnewandareveryexcitedaboutyournewinterest.

Forexample,maybeyouhavebeenamartialartistformanyyears,buthave

never addressed the spiritual sideofyour life.Youbegin to readand study todevelop your spiritual side, and find it extremely interesting, then you realizethat you have basically put your martial arts training on a shelf and you arespending all of your time reading andmeditating to develop your new foundinterest.Yourspirituallineisgettingtoolongandyourphysicallineissufferingbecauseofitandyourlifeisbeginningtobecomeunbalanced.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with studying and developing yourspiritual side, in fact, you should be doing this as it is part of the warriorlifestyle.Butyoushouldn’tspendallofyourtimeonthisonearea.Anytimeyouspendanexcessiveamountof timeconcentratingononearea, itwillbeat theexpense of some other part of your life. The key is not to go overboardwithanythingthatyouaredoing.Thewarriorlifestylehasmanyareaswhichmustbeaddressed,andyoushouldn’tsacrificeoneareainordertofocusonanother.

Thisiswhatbalanceisallabout–organizingyourlifeinsuchawayastobeabletodevelopeverypartofyourlifetothefullest.Therearenounimportanttraits of thewarrior lifestyle.Hazrat InayatKhan stated, “The secret of life isbalance, and the absence of balance is life’s destruction.” You must learn tobalanceall thepartsofyourlife,andwhilethissoundsrelativelyeasy, it takesquiteabitofdiscipline.

TheTalmud teachesus to,“Bemoderate inall things.”Moderation is thekeytobalance.Epictetustaught,“Ifoneoverstepstheboundsofmoderation,thegreatestpleasuresceasetoplease.”Everythinginlifecanbetakentoextremes.There is basically no interest, hobby, or skill on this earth, which someone,somewheredoesn’ttaketotheextreme.Whileitisnotwrongtospendtimeandeffort perfecting whatever you do, you must be careful not to do so at theexpenseofotherimportantpartsofyourlife.

Takingthingstotheextremeisthecauseofmanyheartachesandregretsinthis life. A good example of this would be the man who spends all his timefocusedonhiswork,attheexpenseofhisfamilylife.Whilehemaybecomeagiganticsuccessatwork,hisfamilylifesuffersforitandhemayinfactfindthathehassacrificedhismarriageandhisrelationshipwithhischildreninordertospendsomuchtimebecomingasuccessathisjob.Inessence,hislifeisoutofbalance,andeventuallyhisunbalancedlifewillcosthimdearly.

Epicurus taught us to, “Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life inabundance.”Moderationmeans thatyou intentionally limityourself,youdon’tgotoextremes.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyounevergoalloutandputyourentiresoul into something at times, but rather that you make sure that you balancethese times inyour life.W.SomersetMaughamwrote,“Excessonoccasion isexhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a

habit.”Don’tgetintoarutinlivingyourlife.Living your life in the same monotonous way, day after day is not

necessarilylivingabalancedlife.Infact,thisisdullandboring,anddefinitelynot living life to the fullest.Youhave tobalanceyourdaily routinewithdaysthatyoubreakfromroutineandenjoynewthings.AlbertEinsteinstated,“Lifeislike riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” A dull,repetitivelifeisasoutofbalanceasalifethatiscontinuallyoveractive.Thesearemerelytwoextremesoflivinglife.

Theman,wholiveshislifeatthespeedoflight,neverslowingdownandtaking time to develop his mind or his spirit, is obviously out of balance.Likewise,themanwholiveshislifeinahabitualrut,neverexperiencinganyofthethingsthatthisworldhastooffer,isequallyoutofbalance.Thesecretofabalanced life lies somewhere in between these two extremes. It is not hyper-activeanditisnotsemi-comatose.

Themanwholiveshislifeinhyper-overdriveissacrificingspendingquiettimealonewithhisfeelingsandmeditating.Hislifeisconstantlygoinghereandthere,almostas ifhedoesnotunderstandhowtoslowdownor isafraid tobealonewithhisthoughtsandfeelings.Hepurposelyignoresthequietsideofhislifeandalwaysneedsoutsidestimulationtokeephismindoccupied.

Ontheotherhand,themanwhonevergoesout,whowantstolivelifemorelike a Buddhist monk, hidden away in a cave, is sacrificing the fun andexcitementof life.Hespends toomuch timeon thequiet, spiritualandmentalside of his life at the expense of experiencing all that life has to offer. Thisbecomesahabitanditcangettothepointthatheisalmostanti-socialanddoesnotwanttobearoundotherpeople.Heisintenseabouthismeditationtimeandreading,buthasletotherpartsofhislifefallbythewayside.

The famous author, Zig Ziglar, wrote, “I believe that being successfulmeans having a balance of success stories across themany areas of your life.Youcan’ttrulybeconsideredsuccessfulinyourbusinesslifeifyourhomelifeisinshambles.”Ifyoufindthatyouarefailinginoneareaofyourlife,whileotherareas are very successful, the causemaybe that your triangle of life is out ofbalance.GoingbacktotheexamplethatIgaveyoubefore,canamanwhoisagreatsuccessinhisbusiness,butatotalfailureinhishomelife,trulybecalledasuccessfulman?

Atrulysuccessfulmanisamanwhoiswiseenoughtobalanceallof theaspects of his life.He doesn’t allow any one area of his life to atrophywhileanother explodes. Instead he works to balance spirit, mind and body. Youperformat your bestwhenyour thoughts, feelings, and emotions are balancedwithyourobjectivesandyourprinciples.Thisdoesn’thappenautomatically;you

havetoworkatit.It is so easy to get excited about one area of your life, for example your

martialarts training,and letanotherslip.Youmaybe trainingsohard inyourmartialartsthatyouneglectyourmeditationtime,becauseyouareexcitedtogetto your training. It takes discipline to refrain from doingwhat you are in themoodtodo,inordertodowhatyouknowneedstobedone.Thisiswhereyourlifebecomesabalancingact.

It takes time to develop each part of your life, just as it takes time todevelop the traits of the warrior lifestyle. Neglecting one part of your life inordertospendmoretimeonanotherpart,issimplyshortsighted.Justasyourcarwill not feel quite right going down the road if you have a tire that is out ofbalance,yourlifewillnotfeelquiterightifapartofitisoutofbalance.Foryourcar to ride smoothly, youmust take time to examine each tire and keep theminflatedandbalanced.Thesameprincipleappliestoyourlife.Youmustspendtimedevelopingeachfacetofyourlifeandkeepthemallbalanced.

Thomas Merton wrote, “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but ofbalanceandorderandrhythmandharmony.”Itishardtotrulybehappywhenyourlifeisnotinbalance.Youwillfeelanaggingfeelinginsidethatsomethingisjustnotright,andthatfeelingwillcontinueuntilyouslowdownandtakethetime to put your life back into balance. While there is nothing wrong withpracticing martial arts, meditating, reading and studying, or even eating pie,excessinanyoftheseareaswillcauseaprobleminanotherarea.

ThelastpointthatIwanttomakeaboutlivingabalancedlifeisthatIamnotsayingthatyoushouldn’tspendtimeperfectingcertainskillsinyourlife.Itisjustafactoflifethatifyouwanttoperfectaskill,ittakesalotoftime.Thesecretisbeingdisciplinedenoughtospendalotoftimeperfectingyourinterest,whileatthesametimenotneglectingtheotherpartsofyourlife.

This iswheremostpeoplehaveaproblem.Theywillendupspendingsomuchtimeperfectingonearea,thattheyneglectalltheotherareasoftheirlife.Bethebestthatyoucanbeateverythingyoudo,butdon’tsacrificeotherareasofyourlifetodoso.Learngoodtimemanagement.

MeditationsonBalance

Bemoderateinallthings.TheTalmud

Drinknothingtothedregs,eitherofthebad,orofthegood,fortomoderationineverythinghasonesagereducedallwisdom.

BaltasarGracian

Tisnotdrinkingthatistobeblamed,buttheexcess.JohnSeldon

Tolivelongandwell,employmoderation.ChineseProverb

Thesecretoflifeisbalance,andtheabsenceofbalanceislife’sdestruction.

HazratInayatKhan

Tolearnmoderationistheessenceofsoundsenseandrealwisdom.

JacquesBenigneBossuet

Ibelievethatbeingsuccessfulmeanshavingabalanceofsuccessstoriesacrossthemanyareasofyourlife.Youcan’ttrulybeconsideredsuccessfulinyourbusinesslifeifyourhomelifeisinshambles.

ZigZiglar

Excessonoccasionisexhilarating.Itpreventsmoderationfromacquiring

thedeadeningeffectofahabit.W.SomersetMaugham

Ifoneoverstepstheboundsofmoderation,

thegreatestpleasuresceasetoplease.Epictetus

Happinessisnotamatterofintensitybutofbalance,order,rhythmandharmony.

ThomasMerton

Youperformbetterwhenyourthoughts,feelings,emotions,goals,andvaluesareinbalance.

BrianTracey

Thebestandsafestthingistokeepabalanceinyourlife,acknowledgethegreatpowersaroundusandinus.Ifyoucandothat,andlivethatway,youarereallyawiseman.

Euripides

Thereshouldbebalanceinallouractions;tobeeitherextremeorlukewarmisequallybad.

HazratInayatKhan

Lifeislikeridingabicycle.Tokeepyourbalanceyoumustkeepmoving.

AlbertEinstein

Chapter27

ExcellenceTheSpiritofKaizen

Excellence:Thequalityorstateofbeingoutstandingandsuperior.

Living a life of excellence is essentially what the warrior lifestyle is allabout. The true warrior should seek excellence in everything that he doeswhetheritisgardeningorhismartialarts.AsRalphMarstonwrote,“Excellenceisnota skill. It isanattitude.” It isanattitude,anattitude towardseverythingyoudoinlife,anditisthisattitudewhichmakesthewarriorasuperiorman.

The Japanese have a term called kaizen which means constant, never-endingimprovement.Thisiswhatthewarriorshouldshootforineveryareaofhis life – constant, never-ending improvement. Nomatter howwell you havemasteredanyskill,thereisalwaysroomforatleastalittlemoreimprovement.Booker T. Washington stated, “Excellence is to do a common thing in anuncommonway.”Thisishowthetruewarriordoeseverythinginhislife.

The vastmajority of people in thisworldmerely do theminimum.Theirattitude seems to be that good enough is good enough.Good enough is rarelygood enough for thewarrior; he seeks perfection and excellence.This doesn’tmeanthateverythingthathedoeswillbedonetoperfection,buthewillatleasttryhisbesttodoeverythinghedoestothebestofhisability.Heputshiswholeheartintowhateverhemaybeworkingonatthetime.

Thisissomethingthatherequiresofhimself.Nobodyisgoingtomakeyoulivea lifeofexcellence.Nobodyisgoingtohoundyoutobethebest thatyoucanbeinlife.Thisisachoicethatyouhavetomake.Aristotleevenstatedthissaying, “Excellence, then, is a state concernedwith choice.”As the definitionstates, excellence is the state of being outstanding and superior. ThroughoutModernBushido,Ihavereferredtothewarriorasthesuperiorman,andthisisthereasonforthat.

Theterm“superiorman”isnotasnobbishtermthatisusedtosignifythatthewarriorconsidershimselfaboveothersandlooksdownonotherpeople.Thisisnotwhatismeantbythattermatall.Itsimplymeansthatthewarriorisamanof excellence that does the best that he can do in every area of his life tointegrate excellence into everything that he does. It is this attitude, combinedwiththecorrectactiontotransformthisattitudeintosomethingtangible,whichmakesthetruewarriorasuperiorman–amanofexcellence.

The famous football coach, Vince Lombardi, stated, “The quality of aperson’slifeisindirectproportiontotheircommitmenttoexcellence,regardlessoftheirchosenfieldofendeavor.”Thisdefinitelyholdstrueforthewarrior.Itishis commitment to excellence that determines the quality of his life.Furthermore,itishiscommitmenttoexcellencethatdetermineswhetherornothe is truly living the warrior lifestyle as he should be living it. The warriorlifestyleisnotalifestyletobelivedhalfway.

Living the warrior lifestyle halfway is merely pretending to live thislifestyle of excellence. John W. Gardener stated that, “Excellence is doingordinarythingsextraordinarilywell.”Thisisexactlywhatthesuperiormantriestodo.Whateverheisdoing,hetriestodoitinanextraordinaryway.Thiscanapply to anything and everything that you do. Gardener went on to say,“WhoeverIam,orwhateverIamdoing,somekindofexcellenceiswithinmyreach.”Thisisthetrueattitudeofthesuperiorman.

Excellenceisawayoflife.IusethisquotebyHenryWardBeecherquiteoften, but it is a perfect motto for the true man of honor, “Hold yourselfresponsibleforahigherstandardthananyoneelseexpectsofyou.Neverexcuseyourself.”Ifyoucontinuallydothis,youwillsoonfindthatyourlifeisfullofexcellence in ways that you may not even realize. Others will see it andrecognizeyouasamanofexcellence,anditwillbecomeapartofyouroverallreputation,whichisagreatreputationtohave.

Holdingyourselftoahigherstandardisagreatwaytostartbeingamanofexcellence.Like I stated, livinga lifeofexcellence isachoice,nobodyelse isgoingtoholdyoutothisstandard;itistotallyuptoyou.Youhavetobetheonethatholdsyourselftothishigherstandard,andthisgoesforallofthetraitsthatIhave discussed inModern Bushido. Nobody is going to force you to live thewarrior lifestyle. Other people don’t really care how you live as long as youaren’tdisruptingtheirlivesinsomeway.Theyreallydon’tcareifyoulivelikeastreetbumoraking.Howyouliveyourlifeistotallyuptoyou.

To quote Aristotle again, “Excellence is an art won by training andhabituation.Wedonotactrightlybecausewehavevirtueorexcellence,butweratherhavethosebecausewehaveactedrightly.Wearewhatwerepeatedlydo.

Excellence,then,isnotanactbutahabit.”Ihavetoagree.Overall,excellencebecomes a habit, just like everything else that you repeatedly do in your life.Each action merely reinforces your dedication to excellence or your lack ofdedication to excellence. As Anne Byrhhe wrote, “Every action we take,everythingwedo,iseitheravictoryordefeatinthestruggletobecomewhatwewanttobe.”

Whenyoudecidetodosomethinghalfway,thatdecisioninandofitselfisakintotakingastepawayfrombeingamanofexcellence.Ontheotherhand,everytimeyouslowdownandmaketheefforttodosomethingthebestyoucan,thenyouare re-enforcingexcellence inyour life.AsAristotle said, excellencebecomesahabit.Habitsareformedbycontinuallybeingconsistentatwhateveryou are doing. The experts tell us that you can form a new habit in about amonth,thatis,ifyouareconsistentwithyouractions.

Allittakesisafirmdecisiontostartdoingeverythingyoudo,thebestthatyoucandoit.ThomasJ.Watsonwrote,“Ifyouwanttoachieveexcellence,youcangettheretoday.Asofthissecond,quitdoingless-than-excellentwork.”Thismakessense.Ifyouquitdoing“less-than-excellentwork”everythingyoudowillbedoneatahighlevel.Essentially,everythingyoudowillbedoneatthelevelofexcellencethatyouareshootingfor.

Confuciusputitthisway,“Thewilltowin,thedesiretosucceed,theurgeto reachyour fullpotential…are thekeys thatwillunlock thedoor topersonalexcellence.”Youhavetochooseexcellenceasanactofyourwill.Livingalifeofexcellenceisprettysimple–youmerelychoosetodoso,andthenyoudoit.Thecatchis,youthenhavetodisciplineyourselftoactuallyfollowthrough.

Everyyear, thousandsofpeoplemakeNewYear’s resolutions,andat thesame time, every year thousands of people fail to follow through with thoseresolutions.You can say that you are going to start living a life of excellenceeverysingleday,but it ismeaningless ifyoudon’tbackup thatdecisionwithyour actions and actually start integrating excellence into your life. Likeeverythingelseinlife,thistakesdisciplineandeffort.

TheGreekpoet,Hesiod,wrote, “Badness you canget easily, in quantity;theroadissmooth,andit liescloseby,butinfrontofexcellencetheimmortalgodshaveputsweat,andlongandsteepisthewaytoit.”Makingadecisiontolivealifeofexcellence,andlivingalifeofexcellencearetwodifferentthings.Just like writing down your New Year’s resolution and actually followingthroughwithit,aretwodifferentthings.LikeHesiodwrote,ittakesalotofworkandefforttobecomeamanofexcellence.

Excellence has to become the prevailing attitude in your life. It actuallydoeshave tobecomeahabit, and, aswith everythingelse in life, youhave to

startfromwhereyouare.Startsmallandcontinuetobuildthisattitudeinyourlife.Youdon’t decide to startmartial arts trainingoneday, and enter the ringwithexperts thenextweek. It takes time, it takesworkand it takes consistenttraining.Thesameprincipleappliestoanythingyoudoinlife.Nobodybecomesanexpertatanythingovernight.

ColinPowellstated,“Ifyouaregoingtoachieveexcellenceinbigthings,you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception it is aprevailing attitude.” I discussed earlier that you have to take control of yourthoughts.This isan importantpartofdevelopingexcellence inyour life.Yourthoughtsarethebeginningofyouractions;thereforeitisvitalthatyougetyourmindstraightfirst.Ifyourmindisnotright,youwillneverbeabletobecomeamanofexcellence.

Excellenceisnotsomethingthatyoufakeinordertobuildyourreputation;it is an attitude and a way of life. Chung Yung wrote, “The superior man iswatchful over himself evenwhen alone.” This is the attitude of excellence. Itdoesn’tmatterwhathe isdoingorwho is aroundhimat the time, themanofexcellencewillseektodoeverythingtothebestofhisabilities.HeagreeswiththequotefromEmersonthat,“WhatImustdoisallthatconcernsme,notwhatthepeoplethink.”

Excellence is the way of the warrior. Each of the essential traits of thewarrior lifestyle canbe tracedback to living a life of excellence.Thenormal,everyday,commonlifeisvoidofthemajorityofthesetraits.Thecommonmanlivesmainlyforhisowncomfortandgiveslittleattentiontopushinghimselftogothe“extramile”inordertolivealifeofexcellence.Simplyput,heissatisfiedlivinganaveragelife.

This isnot thewayof thewarrior.Thewarrior isnot satisfied justgoingthroughlife,butrather,hewantstomakehislifethebestitcanbe.Ordinaryissimply not good enough. He wants to be extraordinary and takes the neededstepstodevelophislifeinjustthatway.Thisiswhatmakeshimasuperiorman.Everyman is basically born equal; it is his decisions that set him apart fromothers.

MeditationsonExcellence

Excellenceisanartwonbytrainingandhabituation.Wedonotactrightlybecausewehavevirtueorexcellence,butweratherhavethosebecausewehaveactedrightly.

Wearewhatwerepeatedlydo.Excellence,then,isnotanactbutahabit.

Aristotle

Badnessyoucangeteasily,inquantity;theroadissmooth,anditliescloseby,butinfrontofexcellencetheimmortalgodshaveputsweat,andlongandsteepisthewaytoit.

Hesiod

Excellenceencouragesoneaboutlifegenerally;itshowsthespiritualwealthoftheworld.

GeorgeEliot

Excellenceisabetterteacherthanmediocrity.Thelessonsoftheordinaryareeverywhere.Trulyprofoundandoriginalinsightsaretobefoundonlyinstudyingtheexemplary.

WarrenG.Bennis

Ifyouaregoingtoachieveexcellenceinbigthings,youdevelopthehabitinlittlematters.

Excellenceisnotanexception,itisaprevailingattitude.ColinPowell

WhoeverIam,orwhateverIamdoing,somekindofexcellenceiswithinmyreach.

JohnW.Gardner

Excellenceisdoingordinarythingsextraordinarilywell.JohnW.Gardner

Excellenceisnotaskill.Itisanattitude.

RalphMarston

Excellenceisthegradualresultofalwaysstrivingtodobetter.

PatRiley

Excellenceistodoacommonthinginanuncommonway.BookerT.Washington

Ordinaryissimplynotgoodenough.Beextraordinary!BohdiSanders

Excellence,then,isastateconcernedwithchoice…Aristotle

Ifyouwanttoachieveexcellence,youcangettheretoday.Asofthissecond,quitdoingless-than-excellentwork.

ThomasJ.Watson

Thequalityofaperson’slifeisindirectproportiontotheircommitmenttoexcellence,

regardlessoftheirchosenfieldofendeavor.VinceLombardi

Chapter28

LoyaltyTheWarrior’sDedication

Loyalty:Thefeelingofdevotion,duty,orattachmenttosomebodyorsomething;thequalityorstateofbeingloyal.

Loyalty is a very admirable trait, and one which is very hard to find inpeopletoday.Theaveragepersontodayisself-centeredandselfish.Hetendstofocus on only what he wants or what is best and easiest, for himself in thepresentmoment.The slogan, “Sworn toFun–Loyal toNone,” describes himperfectly. The true warrior looks at things quite a bit differently, especiallywhereloyaltyisconcerned.

Thewarrior is fiercely loyal to hisword, his duty, and tohis friends andfamily.Hehas an unwavering sense of dedication to the important things andpeopleinhislife.Euripidesstatedthat,“Oneloyalfriendisworthtenthousandrelatives.” This is definitely true of the warrior. Once you have gained hisfriendship,hisloyaltyisapartofthepackage,andthefriendshipandloyaltyofatruewarriorispriceless.Hewillnotturnhisbackonyouorforsakeyou.Heisloyaltotheend.

Loyalty has always been an integral part of the warrior’s character. TheSamuraiwere so loyal to theirDaimyo (feudal lord), that theywould actuallycommitseppuku(ritualsuicide)iftheirDaimyocommandedthemtodoso.Thisis total loyalty. In the same way, the medieval knights were expected to becompletelyloyaltotheirlordandtheirreligion.Loyaltyhasalwaysbeenapartof thewarrior’s code of honor. To turn your back on someone that you havegivenyourfriendshipandloyaltyto,isnothingmorethananactofdishonor.

Ofcourse,intoday’ssociety,thewarriorisnotrequiredtobetotallyloyaltosomeDaimyoorlord.Thisisagoodthingsinceitissoraretoactuallyfindleadersofhonorandcharacter.ThisisnottosaythatDaimyosandlordsweren’t

lessthanhonorable-manywere.Thefactthatmanyofthesemenwerelessthanhonorablespeakstohowhighlywarriorsesteemedloyalty.Theyremainedloyaltotheirlord,evenwhenthelorddidnotdeservetheirloyalty.

This fact once again reinforces the warrior’s dedication to his ownstandards.OncethewarriorsworehisloyaltytohisDaimyoorhislord,hekepthisword,nomatterhowtheotherpartybehaved.Hedidnotletthelord’slackofcharactercausehimtobreakhiswordofhonor.Theytooktheiroathseriously.

True warriors today are not bound by an oath to give their loyalty toanyone; it is given as a part of their code of honor. There are no lawswhichrequire you to be loyal to your friends or your family. Ada Velez-Boardleystated,“Loyaltyisthepledgeoftruthtooneselfandothers.”Youandyoualone,makeafirmdecisiontobeloyal.Sometimesitishardtomaintainyourloyaltytothose in your life, especiallywhen they do not deserve your loyalty.But it isexactlyattimeslikethose,whentheydonotdeserveyourfriendship,thatyourloyaltyistested.Itiswhenpeopleareactingliketotaljerksorwhentheymakemistakes,thattheymostneedyourloyalfriendship.

As I mentioned in a previous chapter, the warrior doesn’t change hischaracterbecausesomeonedoesordoesnotdeservehissupport.Heliveshislifebyhisownstandards,despitetheactionsofothers.Beingloyaltosomeonedoesnotmeanthatyoualwaysagreewithhisactionsorthatyouevenlikehimallthetime.Whatitmeansisthatyouhavemadeafirmdecisionandhavegivenhimyourfriendshipandloyalty.Onceyouhavedonethat,youshouldliveuptoyourword.

This in no way means that you can never withdraw your loyalty fromsomeone. You can give your friendship to someone, but if they utterly rejectyour friendship and your attempts to support them, you are not required tocontinuetosupportthem.Thisisnotthesameasbeingdisloyal.Inthiscase,itistheotherperson’sdecisiontoendthefriendship,notyours.Thetruewarrioristhebestfriendthatsomeonecouldpossiblyhave,butifhisfriendshipisrejected,heisreleasedfromanydutythathehadtobealoyalfriend.

Whilethewarriorwouldneverturnhisbackonafriendorbedisloyaltoafriend,heiscertainlynotrequiredtoputupwithbeingtreatedinadisrespectfulmanner or to continue to extend the hand of friendship to someone who hasmade it clear thathedoesn’twanthis friendship.This is totallydifferent fromthewarrior being a disloyal friend. In this case his friendship is being thrownawaybytheotherpersonandhenolongerhasanydutytobeloyalorsupportivetothisperson.

Ontheotherhand,theoppositeofthisscenarioshouldneverhappen.Thesuperiormanwillneverturnhisbackonhisfriendandendthefriendshipoutof

someunwarranted,selfishreasons.Oncethewarriorhasenteredintothesacredbondoftruefriendship,hewillhonorthatfriendship,asfarasitdependsonhim.Itisforthisreasonthatthewarriorshouldbecarefullyselectivewhenitcomestoformingtruefriendships,insteadofmereacquaintances.

Whenyouhavedecidedtogiveyourhandinfriendship,youshouldremainloyaltoyourfriend,evenwhenyourfriendisinthewrong.Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyouhavetojoinhiminhismisguidedactionsorsupporteverythingthathedoes.Neverloweryourstandardsjusttogoalongwithsomethingthatsomeoneelse is doing, whether he is your friend or not. Being supportive and loyaldoesn’tmeanyousupporteverythingthatyourfrienddoes;itsimplymeansthatyousupportyourfriend.Thisisanimportantdistinction.

Let’s look at an example. Say your friend is having a very hard timefinanciallyandhasmade theverybaddecision tosell illegaldrugs inorder togetenoughmoneytopayhisbillsandkeephishouse.Ofcourseyoushouldn’tsupporthisdecision,but thisdoesn’tmean thatyou throw in the towelon thefriendship.Ifthisisatruefriendship,youshouldsupportyourfriendbytryingtocounselhimabouttheerrorofhisways.Youshouldtrytostophimfrommakingapossiblelife-changingmistakebecauseofutterfrustrationoverhisfinances.

Thisisinnowaysupportinghisdecisiontoselldrugs,ratheritisyoubeingagoodfriendandtryingyourbesttosupporthimthroughthebadtimethatheisgoingthrough.Whetherornothelistenstoyouortakesyouradviceisnotuptoyou;whetherornotyouremainaloyal,supportivefriendis.Seethedifference?ToquoteCharlesDickens,“Shewastruesttothemintheseasonoftrial,asallthequietlyloyalandgoodwillalwaysbe.”

Anotheranalogywouldbetolookattheloyaltythatagooddoghastohisowner.Ifyouhaveagooddogandhaveraiseditfromthetimeitwasapuppy,traineditwell,spenttimewithit,lovedit,andmadeitapartofyourlife,itwillcertainlybeloyaltoyou.Yourdevotedfriendwillloveyouandmostlikelyevenputhislifeonthelineforyou,dependingonthebreed.Buteventhemostloyaldogwillnotfollowhisownerincertainactsofdesperation.

Forexample,let’ssaythatforsomereasonyoubecameseverelydepressedanddecided thatyouwouldcommit suicidebyhiking to the topofacliffandjumpingoff.Your loyalcompanionwouldcertainlyhikeupthemountainwithyou,givingyouloveandsupportalltheway,andsensingsomethingiswrong,hewouldprobablygiveyouevenmoreofhisattentionthroughoutthehike.Butwhenitcomesdowntoyouactuallyjumpingoffthecliff,hewillnotfollowyouofftheedge.Hewoulddowhathecouldtoalertsomeonetoyourdeathortogetsomeonetohelp,buthewouldnotjoinyouinyourmisguidedaction.

Thisisthesametypeofloyaltyandsupportthetruewarriorshouldgiveto

those in his life. He doesn’t turn his back on them simply because they arewrongormisguided. Insteadhedoes all that he can to help themand supportthem,but if theypersist indestroying their life, hewill not destroyhis life aswell.

This same principle applies to the first example where your friend hasdecided to sell drugs.You should support him the best you can, and not turnyour back on him, but at the same time, you cannot join him in his desperateactions.Thereisabigdifferencebetweenlovingandsupportingyourfriend,andallowingyourfriendtodragyoudown.IusethisquotebyGracianoften,anditbearsrepeatinghere,“Themanofprincipleneverforgetswhatheis,becauseofwhatothersare.”

There is a quote by Sir Francis Osborne that fits perfectly with thisdiscussion,“Inseekingtosaveanother,bewareofdrowningyourself.”Remainaloyalfriend,butunderstandthatallyoucandoisthebestthatyoucando.Youcontrolyouractions,butyoucan’talwayscontroltheoutcome.Beloyalanddowhatyoucantohelp,butintheendyoumustrealizethateveryonehastomakehisowndecisions.Youcan’tcontroleverything,nomatterhowmuchyouwouldliketo.

Ihaveone last commentonmyexampleabout the friendwhodecides tosell drugs. You may be thinking that anyone who would sell drugs doesn’tdeserve your support and that youwould be justified to immediately end thisfriendship. This is howmost peoplewould view this situation, but aswith somany things, the true warrior looks at things a bit differently. Remember,deservehasnothingtodowithit.

Whenyouhave given your hand in friendship, your duty requires you toexhaust every option before giving up.While othersmay see your friendshipwiththispersonascondoninghisactions,youknowbetter.TakuanSohostated,“Eachactionofthewarriorisperformedfromaplaceoffundamentalwisdom…it iscompletelydifferentfromtheordinarybehaviorofafool.Evenif it looksthesame,itisdifferentontheinside.”

Yourloyaltytofriendsandfamilyshouldhavenolimit,althoughitmaybeexpressedinwaysthatotherscannotunderstand.Don’tworryhowothersviewyou; just act according to what you know is right where your loyalty isconcerned.

MeditationsonLoyalty

Youdon’tearnloyaltyinaday.Youearnloyaltyday-by-day.

JeffreyGitomer

Shewastruesttothemintheseasonoftrial,asallthequietlyloyalandgoodwillalwaysbe.

CharlesDickens.

Thoughbitter,goodmedicinecuresillness.Thoughitmayhurt,loyalcriticism

willhavebeneficialeffects.SimaQian

Oneloyalfriendisworthtenthousandrelatives.Euripides

Withintheheartsofmen,loyaltyandconsiderationareesteemedgreaterthansuccess.

BryantH.McGill

Confidentialityisavirtueoftheloyal,asloyaltyisthevirtueoffaithfulness.

EdwinLouisCole

Ifhavingasoulmeansbeingabletofeelloveandloyaltyandgratitude,

thenanimalsarebetteroffthanalotofhumans.JamesHerriot

You’vegottogiveloyaltydown,ifyouwantloyaltyup.DonaldT.Regan

Loyaltyanddevotionleadtobravery.MoriheiUeshiba

Yourloyaltytofriendsandfamilyshouldhavenolimit,althoughitmaybeexpressedinways

thatotherscannotunderstand.BohdiSanders

Loyaltytothecountryalways.Loyaltytothegovernmentwhenitdeservesit.

MarkTwain

Nomoredutycanbeurgeduponthosewhoareenteringthegreattheateroflife

thansimpleloyaltytotheirbestconvictions.EdwinHubbelChapin

Noonebutyourselfknowswhetheryouarecowardlyandcruel,

orloyalanddevout;othersdonotseeyou;theysurmiseyoubyuncertainconjectures;

theyperceivenotsomuchyournatureasyourart.MicheldeMontaigne

Chapter29

TotalSelf-DefenseTheWarrior’sInvincibility

TotalSelf-Defense:Theuseofreasonable force,mental intelligence,and other means, to defend yourself, your family, or your propertyagainstanytangibleharm,whetherphysical,financial,orotherwise.

There is much more to self-defense than being able to defend yourselfagainstaphysicalassault.Althoughself-defensehasbecomesynonymouswithmartial arts, in reality it encompasses many other aspects besides a physicalattack. The true warrior is concerned with keeping himself and his familycompletelysafeandsecure,notjustperfectinghismartialartsskills.

Asawarrior,youhaveadutytoprotectyourfamily,period.Yourdutyisnotmerely to protect your family from physical attacks, but from any dangerwhichmightthreatenthem.Intoday’sworldthethreatofaphysicalassaultisaveryreal,validthreat,butitisn’ttheonlydangerlurkingintheshadows.Infact,defending yourself from a physical assault, even if you are proficient in yourmartial arts skills, carries with it hidden dangers that you may not haveconsidered.

You have to be very carefulwhen it comes to using yourmartial arts todefend yourself. Don’t get me wrong, when your life is on the line you dowhateverittakestoprotectyourselfandyourfamily.Thatisagiven.Butwhatyoumustkeepinmindisyouroverallobjective,whichistoprotectyourselfandyourfamily.Thereisarightwayandawrongwaytodoeverything,includingdefendingyourself.

We live in a different world than we did 20 or 30 years ago. Today’ssociety isplaguedbypolitical correctnessanda lackof commonsense.Everyprison houses men and women who are there simply because they defended

themselves against a predator’s attack. While they may have successfullydefended themselves against the predator that attacked them, they failed toprotectthemselvesfromourover-reaching,corruptlegalsystem.

Self-defensemeansself-defense,period.It leavesnothingout.Today,younotonlyhave todefendyourself against predators andcriminals, butyoualsohavetodefendyourselfagainstthepolice,thegovernmentandthelegalsystem.In the long run, our inept and corrupt legal system has donemore damage tomany people’s lives than physical assaults, which were short of death, couldhavepossiblydone.Thisfactissadbuttrue.Self-defensetodayismuchtrickierthanatanytimeinthehistoryofourworld.

Thewisewarriorwillunderstand this factand incorporate it intohisself-defense training. Han Fei Tzu wrote, “As circumstances change, the ways ofdealingwith themalter too.”Well, I’vegotnews foryou, incaseyouhaven’tnoticed,circumstanceshavechanged.It’sadifferentworld.Weliveinasocietywhereemployeescanfoilanarmedrobbery,possiblysavingtheirlives,andthelivesofothersaroundthem,andstillbereprimandedandfiredfortheiractions.Weliveinasocietywhereanarmedcriminalcanbreakintoyourhometoroband kill you, and if you shoot him and paralyze him, he can sue you forprotectingyourself.

Thesefactsclearlysignifythatourworldhaschanged.Thementalpatientsarenowinchargeoftheasylum.ThereisanancientIndianproverbwhichstates,“Ifyouliveintheriveryoushouldmakefriendswiththecrocodile.”Youmustunderstandallofthepossibledangersthatyoucouldfaceintoday’sworld,notmerelytheonesthatyoulearnaboutinyourmartialartsclass.

Whenyou trainforself-defense today,youhave toconsiderdangerssuchas corrupt police, court costs, law suits, and even going to jail,. These are allvery real dangers for you and your family. Our legal system is no longer asystemwhichweighswhatisjust.Ithasbecomeamonstrousbureaucracywhichisallaboutmakingmoney.Truejusticeisathingofthepast.Ifyougethauledintocourt,your life isonthelineandit isacrapshoot.Evenifyouarein therightandareacquitted,itwillstillcostyouthousandsofdollarsinlawyerfeestodefendyourself.

Thewisewarriorneedstoconsiderthesethings.Dosomeresearchonhowour system really works. Learn what the police and courts looks for thatindicates that you acted in self-defense and that your actions were justified.Research,notonlyhowcriminalsandpredators think,butalsohow thepolicethinkandhowtheirsystemworks.Whatyoufindwillbescaryandwillmakeyouthinkdifferentlyaboutself-defense.

Thereareseveralenlighteningbooksonthemarketwhichgiveyouinsight

intohowtosuccessfullydealwiththepolice.Icantellyoustraightupthatyoushouldn’ttrustthepolicetoprotectyouoryourrights;don’tplaceyoursafetyorthesafetyofyourfamilyinanyone’shandsbutyourown.Understandthatmostpeopledon’tcareaboutyou.

It isup toyou tomakesure thatyouandyour familyare safe– ineveryway.Thisiswhattotalself-defenseisallabout.Theword“total”leavesnothingout.Self-defenseshouldn’tsimplyfocusonlyononetypeofthreat.Ifthereareseveralkindsofdangerlurkinginyourpathandyouonlytraintoaddressoneofthosekindsofdanger,areyoutrulypreparedtoprotectyourselforyourfamily?Thinkaboutthat.Youhavetoknowyourrightsandhowthesystemworks.

Oursystemofgovernmentiscorruptandithasbeenformany,manyyears,but it is getting worse. It is easy for the warrior to focus on martial arts,meditation,andphysical fitness.Theseare things thathefinds interesting,fun,andexciting topractice andexplore.Butyourduty extendsmuch further thanmartialartstraining.Youhavetoconsidermanyotherfactorswhenitcomestokeepingyourfamilysafe,andsomeofthesewillnotbeasexciting,interestingorfunasstudyingmartialarts.

Politiciansandgovernmentbureaucratscanturnyourlifeintoanightmareandutterlydestroyyouaseasilyassome thug inabackalley.Acriminal isacriminal; they merely differ in their approach. Total self-defense has toincorporateavastarrayofknowledge.Youneedtoeducateyourselfconcerningthefinancialworldaswellasthecriminaljusticesystem.TheIRScanturnyourfamily upside down with a simple audit, even if you have tried your best toconformtotheirlawsandregulations.

By now you should be starting to understand that there is much moreinvolved in keeping your family safe, than simply knowing how to fight anddefendyourselfphysically,andeveninthephysicalarenatherearemanyotheraspects to consider. One important part of total self-defense, as far as yourphysical/mentalskillsareconcerned,islearningde-escalationtechniques.Thisisavitalpartoftotalself-defense,especiallyif therearewitnessesaroundyouatthetimeoftheconflict.Let’slooksatanexample.

Ifyouareinabarandsomeruffiandecidestotargetyou,youshouldn’tjustusehimforapunchingbagtoteachhimalesson.Thiscouldcauseyoualotoftrouble.Whatyouwanttodoistodoeverythinginyourpowertode-escalatethesituation,whilemakingsure that themanywitnesses in thebarcanclearlyseethatyoudon’twanttofight,andaretryingyourbesttosettlethingspeaceably.Youdothiswithyourdialog,yourgestures,thetoneofyourvoice,etc.Andyoushoulddothissincerely;youshouldtrulynotwanttofightifyoucanavoidit.

Youdothisfortworeasons.First,youdoitbecauseitistherightthingto

do. You never want to hurt someone if you can avoid it. Second, you arecovering your butt. If things do come to blows, youwill have a room full ofwitnesses thatwill testify thatyoudidn’twant to fightand thatyou triedyourbest towalk away peaceably, butwere forced to defend yourself.AsBaltasarGracianstated,“Letcolddeliberationtaketheplaceofsuddenoutburst.”

Of course you don’t always have the chance to de-escalate things. Ifsomeonewalksupandtriestotakeacheapshotatyou,forwhateverreason,youhavetoreactimmediately.Iamnottalkingaboutasituationlikethat.Thatisatotallydifferentkindofsituation.But,ifyouhaveachancetode-escalatethings,do so. Don’t let your pride or emotions cause you more problems. Thinkrationally and remember your objective, which is to keep yourself and yourfamilysafe.

Self-defense is not about prideor provinghow toughyou are. It is aboutonethingandonethingonly,keepingyourselfandyourfamilysafe–ineveryway. Ifyouwant toprovehowtoughyouare,entersomefull-contact fightingcontest.Don’t try toprovehowtoughyouare inasituation thatmaycostyouandyour family financially, emotionally, andphysically.Putting some idiot inhis place may feel good temporarily, but that good feeling will soon turn toregretifitcostsyouthousandsofdollarsandseveralyearsinprison.

I am just skimming the surface, concerning this topic. There are many,manyothertopicswheretheissueoftotalself-defenseshouldbeconsideredbythe wise man. Things such as your choice of friends, drinking too much inpublic,druguse,homeprotection,speakingyourmindintheworkplace,etc.allcanjeopardize,inonewayoranother,theoverallsafetyofyouandyourfamily,andshouldbetakenintoconsiderationaspartofyouroverallself-defense.

Another aspect of total self-defense is that of being prepared foremergencies. You should have emergency plans for your family in case ofnaturaldisasterssuchasfires,floods,tornadoes,etc.Inaddition,youshouldalsobeprepared for theconsequencesofotherkindsofdisasters that coulddisruptyourfoodsupply,youraccesstocleanwater,thepowertoyourhome,orfuelforyourvehicles.Theseareall things thatmostpeople take forgranted,but theseareallveryrealthreats.

Therearemanybooksouttherewhichgiveyoualotofinformationonthemanydifferentaspectsofsurvival,andIhighlyrecommendthatyoufindagoodoneanddosomeresearchonthesubject.Youdon’twaituntilyouareassaultedtostartthinkingaboutyourmartialartsskills,andyoushouldn’twaituntilyourhouseisonfiretothinkaboutwhatstepstotaketogetyourfamilyoutsafely.Take the time toprepare inadvance.Total self-defense incorporatesallof thisplusmartialartstrainingaswell.

Martialarts training isdefinitelyapartof thewarrior lifestyleand, inmyopinion,shouldbeapartofeverybody’slifeintoday’ssociety.Everyoneneedstoknow,atleastsomebasicself-defensestrategiesandtechniques.Therearealotof reallybadpeople in thisworld,and it isapartofpreparedness toknowhowthesepeoplethinkandhowtokeepyourselfsafefromthemanypredatorsthatroamourstreetsandneighborhoods.

Manypeoplewrongfullyseemartialartsas teachingviolenceorallaboutfighting.Thisisnotthecase.Dependingonthestyleandtheinstructor,martialartsteachmuchofwhatIdiscussinModernBushido.But,likeIsaid,itdependsontheinstructorandthestyle.Itcanbedifficulttofindamartialartsdojothatteachesbothcharacter trainingandactual,usefulself-defense techniques in thesameclass,orinsomecases,atall.

Therearemanykindsofmartialartsandeachhave theirown techniques,philosophy,andoverallviewsofwhatmartialartsshouldbe.Somearemerelyinterestedinsportsortournamentapplications,andothersonlyfocusonmixedmartialartscompetitions.Othersaremainlyteachinganancientartform.Whileeachofthesehavetheirplace,andthereisnothinginherentlywrongwithanyofthem,inmyopinion,thetruewarriorshouldfocushisattentiononamartialartwhichteachesreal-lifeapplications–true,usableself-defense.

What I mean by usable self-defense is a martial art that teaches youtechniquesandstrategiesthatwillkeepyousafeonthestreet.Learningamartialart for the sake of learning an art is fine. These martial arts teach the art ofancientweapons, katas, andpre-prescribed techniques.This is very interestingand fun to learn, but a lot ofwhat is taught in these type classes is not reallyusefulonthestreetsforpersonalself-defense.

Forexample,howmanypeoplearegoingtobewalkingthestreetscarryinga sword or a naginata? Learning such things is mainly for entertainment,tournaments,orjustplainfun.Foractualself-defenseapplicationsIbelievethatthetruewarriorneedstoconcentratemoreonrealisticmartialartstraining.Thiskindof training teachesreal-lifeapplicationsandprepares thestudentforwhatheismostlikelytorunintointoday’sworld.

Realistic self-defense classes are more interested in teaching techniqueswhich trulywork, as opposed to teaching traditional techniques.Don’t getmewrong, I am definitely not saying that traditional techniques don’t work. Myblackbelt is inShotokan,a traditionalstyleofkarate.WhatIamsuggestingisthat it is fine to learn traditionalmartialartsstyles,butyouwillwant tospendsometimetraininginsomemodern,realisticmartialartsaswell.

Nomatterwhat style ofmartial arts you decide is best for you, youwillwant tomake sure that it addresses threemajor areas: self-defense techniques,

de-escalationtechniques,andmentalpreparedness.Ofcourseagoodmartialartsinstructor isgoing to teachyoumuchmore than just these three skill sets,butyouwanttomakesurethatyoufindsomeonewhois,ataminimum,anexpertinthesethree.Let’slookateachofthesethreeareasofself-defense.

First,itshouldgowithoutsayingthatanymartialartstrainingshouldteachyougoodself-defensetechniques.Theseincludethingssuchaspunches,kicks,joint locks, pressure points, and using different weapons, just to name a few.Thesetechniquesshouldbeuncomplicatedandeasyto learn.Forrealisticself-defense,youdon’tneedtoknowhowtodosomejumping,spinningroundhousekick.Ifsomeonetriestosellyouonusingsomethinglikethatforself-defense,he does not know what he is talking about and you should find a differentinstructor.

Whenitcomestopersonalself-defense,youwanttolearnsimple,useabletechniques, not fancy Hollywood stunts. Also, learning to use traditionalweapons isof littleuse, as far as self-defense applications are concerned. It ismuchmoreusefulforyoutolearnhowtousemodernweaponssuchasfirearmsandknives.Theoneexceptiontothisruleislearninghowtofightwithastaff.Therearemanytimeswhenyoucouldhaveaccesstoamakeshiftstaffintoday’sworld, so knowing how to use anything from a bo staff to a hanbowould beusefultraining,andclassifiedunder“goodtoknow.”

Inaddition,agoodself-defenseclasswillincludelessonsontheanatomyofthe human body. The more you know about the human body and how it isdesigned,thebetterableyouaretounderstandhowtotakeitapart.Youneedtoknow how the different jointswork,where pressure points are located,whichareas toattackandwhichnot to,andwhichspotsaredangerousandcouldkillsomeone.Thisisallapartoflearningaboutthephysicalaspectofself-defense.

The second area that anygoodmartial arts instructor should teachyou isde-escalation techniques. I touched on de-escalation techniques earlier in thischapter, but it is an important subject, so I will expand on it more here. De-escalationtechniquesbasically teachthestudenthowtoputoutafirebefore itstarts.Theapplicationsof these techniquesaremany,but theyaren’t taught inmanydojostoday.

Too many martial arts instructors only teach students how to kick andpunch,basically,howto fight.This isshortsighted instruction.SunTzuwrote,“Tosubdueanenemywithoutfightingisthegreatestofskills.”Thisiswhatde-escalationtechniquesareallabout–winningwithoutfighting.Ifyourinstructordoes not teach de-escalation techniques, and give you ample time to practicethese techniques in real-life scenario training, you should either find a newinstructororgetsomeindependenttraining.Yes,itisthisimportant!

Avitalpartofde-escalationtrainingisunderstandinghowpredators thinkand how their minds work.My book,WickedWisdom: Explorations into theDarkSide,isagoodsourceforthisinformation.Itdelvesintohowcriminalsandpredators think, and also gives you a lot of information about de-escalationtechniques. If you understand how these people think, it is much easier tounderstand how to deal with them. Like George Washington said, “To bepreparedforwarisoneofthemosteffectivemeansofpreservingpeace.”

The last area of any goodmartial arts instruction ismental preparedness.Thisareaiscloselyrelatedtolearningde-escalationtechniques.Infact,theycanbeseenasoverlapping.Mentalpreparednessisamajorpartofrealisticmartialarts training.Youcanknowevery techniqueperfectly,but ifyourmindpanicswhensomeoneattacksyou,yourtechniquesarealmostworthless.Thisiswheremental preparedness comes into play. You have to learn how to control yourmindinhigh-stress,high-adrenalinesituations.

It is one thing to spar with a friendly partner, in a safe and controlledsetting, but it is another thing altogetherwhenyou are assaultedby amuscle-boundthugwhotrulywantstohurtyou.Youhavetolearnhowtoremaincalmandrationalinthesekindsofsituations.Realisticmartialarttrainingteachesyouthisskill.

Learninghowtosuccessfullydefendyourfamilyshouldnotbeseenasanoptionto thewarrior– it isoneofyourmainduties. It is for thisreasonthatIthinkitismuchmoreimportanttolearnmodern,realisticmartialartstechniques,thantostudytraditionalarts.Ialsothinkthateverywarriorshouldlearntonotonly use modern weapons, but to become proficient in their use during self-defensesituations.

Again, I amnot against learning traditionalmartial arts styles. If you areinterestedintraditionalmartialarts,byallmeanstakeclassesandlearnwhatyouare interestedin learning.AllIamtryingtogetacross toyouis that ifyoudodecidetolearntraditionalmartialarts,youshouldsupplementthattrainingwithsomerealistictrainingaswell.Infact,themoreyoulearn,thebetteroffyouwillbe,as farasyourownpersonalself-defense isconcerned.Youcanneverhavetoomuchknowledge.

There is a Native American saying which states, “The hunter can makemanymistakes,thehunted,onlyone.”Predatorsarethehunters.Theycanmakesmanymistakesandstilllivetotryagain,unlessoneoftheirmistakeslandstheminjailordead.You,ontheotherhand,arethehunted.Youcan’taffordtomakeamistake if you are attacked by one of these predators. Being unprepared oruntrainedcouldmeandeathforyou,ifyourpathcrossespathswithadangerouspredator.

Itisforthisreasonthatyoushouldtakeyourmartialartstrainingandyouroverall total self-defenseskills, seriously.Youshould lookatyourmartialartstrainingasamatteroflifeordeath,notsimplyasanotherfunactivitythatyouparticipateintwoorthreetimesaweek.Youhavetobeaspreparedaspossibleforwhateverthewindsoflifeblowyourway.Good,realistic,martialarttrainingisahugepartofbeingprepared.

This chapter is just a very quick summary on the subject of total self-defense. There are many books dedicated to this subject and I would highlyrecommend that you do some research on each of the various aspects of totalself-defense preparedness. It is always better to be over prepared for theunexpected, thanit is tofindyourself facingabadsituationwhichyouarenotpreparedtohandle.

Totalself-defensemeansthatyouarecapableofdefendingyourselfagainstwhatevermaythreatenyourlife,oryourwayoflife.Thistopicencompassesawidevarietyofsituations,fartoomanytobecoveredinthisshortchapter.Itwillserveyouwell toprepareyourselfaswellasyoupossiblycanfor thepossibledangers that you could face. Remember the ancient saying, “Only a warriorchoosespacifism;othersarecondemnedtoit.”Giveyourselfthechoice.

MeditationsonTotalSelf-Defense

Whatisofsupremeimportanceinwaristoattacktheenemy’sstrategy.

SunTzu

Whatfollyisittoplayagameinwhichyoucanloseincomparablymorethanyoucanwin.

FrancescoGuicciardini

Hewholacksforesightandunderestimateshisenemywillsurelybecapturedbyhim.

SunTzu

Youhaveeverythingtogainfrommanagingyouraffairssecretly.

FrancescoGuicciardini

Letcolddeliberationtaketheplaceofsuddenoutburst.BaltasarGracian

Silenceisthesafestpolicyifyouareunsureofyourself.LaRochefoucauld

Ifabattlecannotbewon,donotfightit.SunTzu

Don’tspitinthewell:you’llbethirstybyandby.RussianProverb

Ascircumstanceschange,thewaysofdealingwiththemaltertoo.

HanFeiTzu

Everymancountsasanenemy,butnoteverymanasafriend.

Veryfewcandousgood,butnearlyall,harm.

BaltasarGracian

Menaresofalse,soinsidious,sodeceitfulandcunningintheirwiles,soavidintheirowninterest,andsooblivioustoother’sinterest,thatyoucannot

gowrongifyoubelievelittleandtrustless.FrancescoGuicciardini

Ifyouliveintheriveryoushouldmakefriendswiththecrocodile.

IndianProverb

Prepareyourselfingoodfortuneforthebad.BaltasarGracian

Itisthefoolishsheepthatmakesthewolfitsconfessor.ItalianProverb

Ifyouhavedoubtsaboutsomeone,yourtrueandbestsecurityconsistsinhavingthings

soarrangedthathecannothurtyouevenifhewantsto.FrancescoGuicciardini

Embracethesnakeanditwillbiteyou.BulgarianProverb

Inseekingtosaveanother,bewareofdrowningyourself.SirFrancisOsborne

Nevergetangryexceptonpurpose.JapaneseMaxim

MoreMeditationsonTotalSelf-Defense

Strengthisdefeatedbystrategy.PhilippineProverb

Tosubdueanenemywithoutfightingisthegreatestofskills.

SunTzu

Youmustbedeadlyseriousintraining.GichinFunakoshi

Avoidingdangerisnotcowardice.PhilippineProverb

Tobepreparedforwarisoneofthemosteffectivemeansofpreservingpeace.

GeorgeWashington

Hedoesnotguardhimselfwellwhoisnotalwaysonhisguard.

FrenchProverb

Thegoodfightersofoldfirstputthemselvesbeyondthepossibilityofdefeat,andthenwaitedforanopportunityofdefeatingtheenemy.

SunTzu

Itisusuallythereplythatcausesthefight.JapaneseProverb

Victoryisnotgainedthroughidleness.GermanProverb

Relynotonthelikelihoodoftheenemy’snotcoming,butonourownreadinesstoreceivehim;

notonthechanceofhisnotattacking,butrather

onthefactthatwehavemadeourpositionunassailable.SunTzu

Makeyourselfasheep,andthewolfisready.RussianProverb

Thehuntercanmakemanymistakes,thehunted,onlyone.

NativeAmericanMaxim

Inpeacedonotforgetwar.JapaneseProverb

Tomorrow’sbattleiswonduringtoday’spractice.SamuraiMaxim

Eveninthesheaththeknifemustbesharp.FinnishProverb

Invincibilitydependsonone’sself;theenemy’svulnerabilityonhim.

SunTzu

Chapter30

AcceptanceLivingintheShadowofDeath

Acceptance: The realization of a fact or truth and the process ofcomingtotermswithit

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “Old and young, we are all on our lastcruise.”Warriorsmustacceptthefactthatatsomepoint,theyaregoingtodie.The Samurai reflected on their death daily. This practice helped keep themfocusedon the things in their lifewhich reallymattered and served to remindthem that every day is a special gift to be lived to the fullest. As DhaggiRamanashi wrote, and was quoted in the great warrior epic, Braveheart,“Everybodywholivesdies.Butnoteverybodywhodieshaslived.”

MarcusAureliusexpressedthissamethoughtstating,“Itisnotdeaththataman should fear, he should fear never beginning to live.” And DagHammarskjoldechoedthissentimentstating,“Donotseekdeath.Deathwillfindyou.But seek the roadwhichmakes death a fulfillment.”This is an excellentquote for the warrior – seek the road which makes death a fulfillment. Thisactually sums up thewarrior lifestyle, for it is the roadwhichmakes death afulfillment.

Everyoneshouldlivelifetothefullestandstrivetogetasmuchoutofeachand every day as humanly possible.Nobody knowswhen deathwill suddenlyappear at his door, so it is short-sided and foolish not to live each day to thefullest.Thisdoesn’tjustmeanbeingasactiveaspossibleinordertogetasmuchdoneasyoupossiblycanbeforeyoudie.AsIsaidbefore,youhavetobalancethethreepartsofyourlife–thespiritual,themental,andthephysical.

Nobodyknowshowmuchtimetheyhavetoliveonthisearth.Evenifyouweren’t trying to live a life of excellence, this fact alone shouldbe enough tocauseyoutokeepyouraffairsinorderandlivelifetothefullest.Thereasonso

manypeopledon’tlivetheirlifethiswayisbecausetheyrefusetothinkabouttheuncertaintyoflife.Formany,itisadepressingthought.Itwouldn’tbethatwayiftheywouldspendsometimereflectingontheirspirituality.

Without being clear about your spiritual beliefs or giving any thought tospiritual things at all, death is definitely a scary, depressing thought.You canonlybeatpeacewiththefactthatyourtimeislimitedifyouspendsometimemeditatingonyourspiritualityandcometopeacewithyourbeliefsconcerningGodandyourrelationshipwithGod.Onceyouhavereachedthispointandknowwhat you believe andwhy, youwill find that you aremore at peacewith thesubjectofdeathandlivingyourlifetothefullesthereandnow.

Warriorsofoldspenttimereflectingontheirspiritualbeliefsbecausetheyneverknewwhendoingtheirdutywouldresultintheirdeath.Modernwarriorsshould follow their leadandmake sure that theyare atpeace in their spirituallife.Partofbeingpreparedisbeingpreparedforthepossibilityofdeath.CharlesSimmons wrote, “Every person ought daily to reflect upon the uncertainty oflife, and the consequences of sudden death.” This is true. The Samurai knewthis,thesagesknewthis,andyoushouldknowthistoo.

Thinking of the consequences of death doesn’t have to be a morbid,depressing process. Rather than thinking about how terrible or sad it will be,think about it from the viewpoint of life is short, so you must make everymomentcount.Use the fact that timegoesby fast andyour timeon thisearthwillbeoverfasterthanyoucanimagine,tomotivateyourselftoliveyourlifetothefullest.Spendtimewithyourfriendsandfamily.Makesureyoukeepyouraffairsinorder.Liveyourlife,don’tjusteat,sleepandwork.

Thesandsinyourhourglasswillflowatthesameratewhetheryoulivelifetothefullestorjustgothroughthemotions.SaiBabaillustratedthisverywellinthefollowinganalogy,“Whenyouareintentuponajourney,afteryoupurchaseyour ticket and board the train – whether you sit quietly, lie down, read ormeditate, the trainwill takeyouto thedestination.So, too,atbirtheachlivingthinghasreceivedatickettotheeventofdeathandisnowonthejourney.”

Thesandinyourhourglassislikethetraininthisanalogy.Itwillcontinuetoflow,atthesamerate,towardsthetimeofyourdeathnomatterwhatyoudoduringthattime.Thesandsoftimearenotaffectedbyhowyouspendyourtime.It doesn’tmatter if you sleep,workout,work to improve yourself, livewith apositiveoutlook,orwasteyourlifeinadruginducedfog,yourtimecontinuestoflow(thatis,unlessyoudosomethinglikethrowyourhourglassoffthetopofabuildingandbringaboutyourowndeath).

Itisuptoyoutodecidehowyouwillliveyourlife.Youdecidehowyourlimited time on this earth will be spent. Don’t fear death or waste your time

putting off living until sometime in the future – live your life now! DistichMoralia stated, “Give up fearing death; it’s at all times foolish to miss life’spleasures for fear of death.” If you are putting off enjoying your life in thepresent,andinsteadyouarethinkingthatyouwillstartenjoyingyourlifeafteryouaccomplishthisorafteryoumakeenoughmoney,etc.,youaremakingabigmistake.

Thiskindofthinkingisatrap.Therewillalwaysbeanotherreasontoputoff livingandenjoyingyour life in thepresent–nomoney,abigproject,etc.Thislistcouldgoonandon.Youmustlivewhileyouareliving.Youcanstilltakecareofallthemenialthingsthatweallhaveinourlives,whileatthesametime, living your life to the fullest. Living is living. You don’t have tocompartmentalizeyourlife.It isokaytoenjoyyourlifeandtaketimetosmelltheroses,evenwhileyouarestrugglingtomakeyourwayinthisworld.

Shinsostated,“NomatterwhatroadItravel,Iamgoinghome.”Don’ttakeeverythingsoseriouslythatitsubtractsfromyourenjoymentoflivingyourlife.Althoughyoucan’tcontrolthesandsoftime,youdocontrolhowyouliveyourlifewhilethosegrainsofsandareflowingthroughthehourglass.Acceptingthefact that the days of your life are numbered shouldn’t take away from yourexcitement or enjoyment of life; this is not why the warriormeditates on hisdeath.

Meditatingondeathismerelyawaytokeepyoufocusedonlivinglifetothe fullest. Ifyou thinkabout the fact thatyoudonothaveall the time in theworldand thatyouaregettingoldereveryday,youwillbemoremotivated toliveyourlifenow,insteadofputtingofflivinguntillater.Iftherearethingsthatyouwant to do during your lifetime, do them now.Don’t put off living untilsometimeinthefuture.

Theotherbenefitisthatwhenyouunderstandthattherearenoguaranteesconcerning how long you have to live on this earth, youwill bemotivated tomakeeverymomentcountwithyourfriendsandfamily.Thisuncertaintyshouldmotivateyoutokeepyouraffairsinordersoyourfamilyisprovidedforintheeventofyourunexpecteddeath.

ThisisexactlywhytheSamuraispenttimedailycontemplatingtheirdeath.They knew that their life was especially uncertain because of the customs oftheirlifestyle.TheycouldbecommandedtocommitsuicideatanytimebytheirLord,andtheywouldobey,noquestionsasked.Inaddition, therewasalsothevery real chance of having to fight to the death for self-defense or in a duel.Theyhadtokeeptheiraffairsinorderandbepreparedfordeathatanymoment.

You, on the other hand, are not beholding to anyonewhomay commandyou to commit suicide, but your life is no more guaranteed than that of the

Samuraiofold.Infact,yourlifeisjustasuncertain.Youneverknowwhenyouwill be in a fatal carwreck, some freak accident, or caught up in someact ofterrorism.It is justasimportantforyoutohaveyouraffairsinorderandtobeprepared tomeet yourMaker as itwas for the Samuraiwarriors. LikeCicerosaid,“Nomancanbeignorantthathemustdie,norbesurethathemaynotthisveryday.”

Evenalonglife,isshort.Beforeyouknowityouwillwakeupandseenewlinesonyourfaceandyourbodywillstarttofeelold,andyouwillthinkthatjustyesterday you were young. The years definitely go by fast. Time is verydeceptiveinthisway.Juvenalstated,“Theshortbloomofourbriefandnarrowlifefliesfastaway.Whilewearecallingforflowersandwineandwomen,oldageisuponus.”Homerechoedthissentimentstating,“Menflourishonlyforamoment.”

However,reflectingonhowshortyourlifemaybeisnoexcuseforlivingrecklesslyorirresponsibly.Thisisamistakethatsomepeoplemakewhentheystart tomeditate on how short life actually is. Theymistake living life to thefullest,forlivinglifeselfishlyandrecklessly.Biastellsusthat,“Weshouldlivelifeasthoughourlifewouldbebothlongandshort.”

You aren’t on this earth to simply exist, but rather to live, and livewell.Afterall,youaren’taliveifyouaren’tliving.Yourlifeisgoingtobewhatyoumakeit.AsChristianFurchtegottGellertwrote,“Liveasyouwillwishtohavelivedwhenyouaredying.”Liveyourlifewithnoregrets.Ofcourseeveryoneisgoingtohavesomeregrets,butyoushoulddoyourbesttolivesothatyoudon’tregrethavingwastedyourallottedtimeduringthislife.

Kok Yim Ci Yuen said, “The greatest gratification is embodied in theknowledgeonone’sdeathbed thatonehasno regrets fromhisorher life, andthatonehasspentone’sdayswithasincereandharmoniousattitude.”Acceptingyourmortalitydoesn’tmeanmopingaroundwaitingfordeathtotakeyouaway;itmeansunderstandingthatlifeisagiftandthatyoumustusethatgiftbeforeitistoolate.IwillendthischapterwithaquotefromCervantes,itisactuallyDonQuixote’sCreed,andagoodphilosophyoflife,“Takeadeepbreathoflifeandconsiderhowitshouldbelived.”

MeditationsonAcceptance

Oldandyoung,weareallonourlastcruise.RobertLouisStevenson

Whenyouareintentuponajourney,afteryoupurchaseyourticketandboardthetrain–whetheryousitquietly,liedown,readormeditate,thetrainwilltakeyoutothedestination.So,too,atbirtheachlivingthinghasreceivedatickettotheeventofdeathandisnowonthejourney.

SaiBaba

Takeadeepbreathoflifeandconsiderhowitshouldbelived.

DonQuixote’sCreed

Nonediesexceptinappearance.Infactwhatiscalledbirthisthepassagefromessencetosubstance,andwhatiscalled

deathisonthecontrarythepassagefromsubstancetoessence.Nothingisbornandnothingdiesinreality,butallfirstappearsandthenbecomesinvisible.

ApolloniusofTyana

Soliveyourlifethatthefearofdeathcanneverenteryourheart.

Tecumseh

Theproperfunctionofmanistolive,nottoexist.Iwillnotwastemydaysintryingtoprolongthem.

JackLondon

Doyounotknowthatdiseaseanddeathmustovertakeus,nomatterwhatwearedoing?…Whatdoyouwishtobe

doingwhenitovertakesyou?…Ifyouhaveanythingbettertobedoingwhenyouaresoovertaken,gettoworkonthat.

Epictetus

Itisnotdeaththatamanshouldfear,heshouldfearneverbeginningtolive.

MarcusAurelius

Liveasyouwillwishtohavelivedwhenyouaredying.ChristianFurchtegottGellert

Weshouldliveasthoughourlifewouldbebothlongandshort.

Bias

Donotseekdeath.Deathwillfindyou.Butseektheroadwhichmakesdeathafulfillment.

DagHammarskjold

Everypersonoughtdailytoreflectupontheuncertaintyoflife,andtheconsequencesofsuddendeath.

CharlesSimmons

Everybodywholivesdies.Butnoteverybodywhodieshaslived.

DhaggiRamanashi

Chapter31

TheFoolTheAntithesisoftheWarrior

Fool: Somebody considered lacking a good sense of judgment; anunintelligentperson;aridiculousperson.

Ihavedevotedquiteabitof timediscussingthe traitsof the truewarrior,butsometimesit ishelpful toourunderstandingtosee theoppositesideof thecoin– the traitsof thefool.Theactionsof thefoolareusually theoppositeofthoseofthetruewarrior.Someonewhoisafoolisconsideredtobesomebodywho lacks good sense or good judgment. He lacks the character traits of thesuperiorman,andheembracesmanytraitswhichthewarriorstrivestoeliminatefromhislife.

The foolishmandoesn’t quite comprehend the lawof karma.The lawofkarmaisthetotaleffectofaperson’sactionsandconductduringhislife.Karmaisbasicallythelawofreciprocity.Thismeansthatwhateveryoudocomesbacktoyouinoneformoranother.Theunwisemandoesn’tunderstandthis,andthuswonderswhyhecontinuallyhasbadluckthroughouthislifetime.

He fosters the internal enemies – feelings of anger, hate, revenge, greed,jealousy,malice,andprejudice,withouteverstoppingtothinkaboutwhetherhiswayoflifeisrightorwrong.Theconceptofrightandwrongcanneverbecomefully established in his life because it is constantly being overshadowed byselfish thoughts of comfort, desires andprofit. Justice takes a back seat to hisowncomfortorselfishdesires.ThebookofProverbsputsitwell,stating,“Likesnowinsummerorraininharvest,honorisnotfittingforafool.”

Although this type ofmandoesn’t deserve true honor, he often plays therole of the charlatan, claiming honors and titles for himself which he doesn’tdeserve.JohnCrownedoesagood jobof tellinguswhy this isso,stating,“Afool,indeed,hasgreatneedofatitle;itteachesmentocallhimcountorduke,

and thus forgethispropernameof fool.”Howoftendowesee this in today’sworld! Just think of the corrupt, unethical politicianwho is always called the“Honorable Mr. Jones.” Honorable indeed! Sakya Pandit taught, “Though awickedman appears good in his conduct, it is but hypocrisy.”Howwell thisappliestomanyofourpoliticiansandleaders!

Every human being feels emotions such as anger or hate at one time oranother, but the foolish man harbors these feelings and nourishes them, untiltheymany timesmanifest in inappropriateand lowactions.Foolsare rashandallowtheiremotionstoguidetheiractions,neverstoppingtoconsiderthattheiremotions are irrational or that their actionswill have lasting consequences forthemdowntheroad.BaltasarGracianwrote,“Foolsalwaysrushin,forallfoolsarerash.”Rashactionsarerarelywise,rationaldecisions.Thefoolishmanneverstops to consider this fact, as rational thought is a foreign concept to him themajorityofthetime.

Although his thoughts and actions aremany times shameful, his pride iswithout limits.AlexanderPopewrote,“Pride is thenever-failingviceof fools,and this point has proven to be true throughout the ages.” No matter howundeserving of honor or honors, the fool’s pride never wavers. He thinks ofhimselfwaymorehighlythanheshould,whileatthesametimelookingatthetruemanofhonorwithcontempt.

Theideaofemulatingthewiseman,orthewarriorlifestyle,nevercrosseshismind,withtheexceptionofdoingsoforsomeulterior,dishonorablepurpose.Heisnotinterestedintrulybeingamanofhonor,butratherinappearingtobeamanof honor in order to increasehis profits or position.Tohim, this iswhatpassesaswisdom.Theconceptofholdinghimselftoahigherstandardbecauseofhisprinciplesissheerlunacyinhiseyes.

Hecannotperceivethebenefitofholdinghimselftoahigherstandardifitdoesn’tincreasehisbottomlineinsomeway.Heseesthetruemanofhonorasthe fool because he simply doesn’t have the capacity to understand the truemeaningofhonor.WilliamBlakewrote, “A fool seesnot the same tree that awisemansees.”Howtruethisis!

ThereisaChineseproverbthatstates,“Summerinsectsarenotequippedtotalkaboutice;afroginawellisnotequippedtodiscusstheocean.”Inthesameway,thefoolcannotcomprehendthewarriorlifestyle.Hehasnoconceptofthemany traits discussed inModernBushido; they are simply foreign concepts tohim.Confuciusmade this point perfectly saying, “The superiorman stands inaweofthewordsofthesages.Theinferiormandoesnotstandinaweofthem;heisdisrespectfultoimportantpeople;hemocksthewordsofthesages.”

Hemockstheveryteachingsthatwouldhelphimtransformhislife.There

is very little wisdom found in him at all, yet he talks as if he is the mostintelligent man on the planet. This inferior man revels in hearing his ownopinionsandalwayshastointerjecthistwocentsworthintoeveryconversation.BenjaminFranklin stated, “Halfwits talkmuchbut say little,” thusdescribingthefoolishmanperfectly.

Plato taughtus that,“Wisemen talkbecause theyhavesomething tosay;foolsbecausetheyhavetosaysomething.”Thesagesthroughouttheageshaveechoedthisverysentimentabouttheinferiorman.ThebookofProverbsstates,“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his ownopinions.”AndChuangTzutaught,“Foolsregardthemselvesasalreadyawake.”Theythinktheyaresmarterthanotherpeople.

Youwill find thatmanyof the fool’sopinionsaregeneralizations,andasWilliamBlakestated,“Togeneralize is tobean idiot.”It isbyhisownwordsthatthefoolrevealshimself.Aesoptaughtusthat,“Clothesmaydisguiseafool,buthiswordswillgivehimaway.”Aesopwentontosay,“Thesmallerthemindthegreater the conceit.”Asyou can clearly see, the inferiormandoesn’t givemuchthoughttohiswords,hemerelyspoutswhateverthoughtscrosshismind,andtheyrevealhimtobewhathereallyis–afool.

TheBhagavadGita teachesus that, “Hypocrisy, arrogance,vanity, anger,harshness, ignorance; these characterize a man with foolish traits.” These areobviouslyalltraitswhicharecompletelyoppositeofthenobletraitsthatthetruewarriorstrivestodevelopinhislife.ThefoolishmanembracesthesetraitswiththesamevigorandpassionasthewarriorembracesthecharactertraitsdiscussedinModernBushido.

TheBuddhistmonkBodhidharmastated,“Goodandbadaredistinct.Causeand effect are clear…But fools do not believe and fall straight into a hell ofendlessdarknesswithoutevenknowing it…Theyare likeblindpeoplewhodonotbelievethereissuchathingaslight.Evenifyouexplainittothem,theystilldonotbelieve,becausetheyareblind.”Itisbasicallyimpossibletoexplainthewarrior lifestyle to the inferior man; he simply can’t understand why anyonewouldliveinsuchaway.

Nagarjunastated,“Counselgiven to foolsexcitesbutdoesnotpacify.Hewhopoursmilkforasnakeisonlyincreasingitsvenom.”Evenifyoudotrytoteachthewayofthewarriortothefool,hewillnotchangehislifestyle.Oh,hemaygetallexcitedaboutwhatyousayandactas ifhe isgoing tochangehislife,butherarelychangeshistruecolors.

ThereisanancientIrishproverbwhichstates,“Don’tgivecherriestoapig;don’t give advice to a fool.” The reason for this is that it is a waste of yourwisdom;foolsrarelywillactongoodadvice,choosinginsteadtogotheirown

way,nomatterhowmisguidedthatmaybe.Itisbesttohopethatthefoollearnsfrom his own mistakes, although this too is rarely the case. As the Dayakproverbstates,“Noamountofrosewatercangiveacrowwhitefeathers.”

Thisoutlooktowardsthefoolisuniversallyfoundthroughouttheworld.InJapan theysay,“There isnomedicine tocurea fool.” InChina, thesaying is,“Rottenwoodcannotbecarved.”Nomatterhowyouputit,themeaningisthesame:foolswillnotlistentosoundadvice.

Dr.FrankCranewrote, “Everygenerationanewcropof fools comeson.Theythinktheycanbeat theorderlyuniverse.Theyconceivethemselves tobeabove the eternal laws. They snatch good fromNature’s store, and run…Andonebyone theyall comeback toNature’s counter, andpay–pay in tears, inagony, in despair; pay as fools before them have paid…Nature keeps bookspitilessly.Yourcreditwithherisgood,butshecollects;thereisnolandyoucanfleetoandescapeherbailiffs…Sheneverforgets;sheseestoitthatyoupayhereverycentyouowe,withinterest.”

Thisisasad,buttruecommentaryonthefoolishman.Hehasallthesamewisdomavailabletohimasothermen,butignoresit,choosinginsteadtogohisownmisguidedway.Heperceiveshimselftobedifferentthanallofthosewhowentbeforehim,andpaysnoheedtothewisdomoftheelders.Thismanisnotcapableoflearningfromthepast,butinsteadonlyhasthecapabilitytolearnbymakinghisownmistakes,manyofwhicharepermanent.

Thesemenarehotheadedandreckless.Toteachthefoolthemartialarts,istocreateadangerousmenacetosociety,asheuseswhatheknowsonlyforhisown personal gain,without regard to anyone else. Themasters knew this factandrefusedtoteachmartialartstomenoflowcharacter,butthingsaredifferentintoday’ssociety.Today,everythingappearstorevolvearoundmoney.

Asyoucanplainlysee,thefoolisindeedtheantithesisofthewarrior.Thewarriorlifestyleissomethingthathecouldneverfullycomprehend.Itisawayof life that he could never live. Strive to live as a wise man and leave thecharacteristicsofthefoolbehindandbeamanoftruehonorandintegrity.

MeditationsontheAntithesisoftheWarrior

Andtheburntfool’sbandagedfingergoeswobblingbacktothefire.

RudyardKipling

Itisthepeculiarqualityofafooltoperceivethefaultsofothersandtoforgethisown.

Cicero

Thesuperiormanstandsinaweofthewordsofthesages.Theinferiormandoesnotstandinaweofthem:

heisdisrespectfultoimportantpeople;hemocksthewordsofthesages.

Confucius

Stupidityalwaysgoestoextremes.BaltasarGracian

Afoolseesnotthesametreethatawisemansees.WilliamBlake

Whateverbenefitonemaygive,thewickedmanisnevergrateful.

Nagarjuna

Foolshavebeenandalwayswillbethemajorityofmankind.DenisDiderot

Anymancanmakemistakes,butonlyanidiotpersistsinhiserror.

Cicero

Wisementalkbecausetheyhavesomethingtosay;foolsbecausetheyhavetosaysomething.

Plato

Thosewhodonotstudyaresimplycattleinclothing.ChineseProverb

Therecipeforperpetualignoranceis:besatisfiedwithyouropinionsandcontentwithyourknowledge.

ElbertHubbard

Togeneralizeistobeanidiot.WilliamBlake

Outsidenoisy,insideempty.ChineseProverb

Thefoolishpersonseekshappinessinthedistance.JamesOppenheim

Afoolwillsoonuseuphismoney.JapaneseProverb

Awisemanguideshisowncourseofaction;thefoolfollowsanother’sdirection.

SakyaPandit

Conclusion

Ihopethatyouhavefoundthisbooktobeausefulaidinyourquesttolivealifeofexcellence.InorderforthecharactertraitsdiscussedinModernBushidotobeusefulinyourlife,youwillhavetomakethemarealpartofyourlife.Itdoesnogood tomerelyreadabout these traits,mentallyagree thatyoushouldintegrate them into your daily life, and then forget about them. You have tointernalizethetraitsforthemtomakeanydifferenceinyourlife.

AstheDhammapadastates,It isyouwhomustmaketheeffort; thesagescanonlyteach.”IamnotsayingthatIamasageinanysenseoftheword,butyouhavebeengivenalotofinformationfrommanydifferentsagesinthisbook.Nowitisuptoyoutodecidewhetherornotyouwanttotaketheteachingsofthesesagesandmakethemapartofyourlifeorwhetheryouwanttocontinuewithyourlifeasis.Onlyyoucanmakethisdecision.Buddhataught,“Nomatterhowmanygoodwordsyoureadandspeakof,whatgoodwilltheydoyouifyoudonotputthemintopracticeandusethem?”Thinkaboutthis.

Puttheinformationthatyouhavereadinthisbooktouseinyourlife.Putitto the test and see if it isn’t a betterway to live.Nobility is an attitude not abirthright. You decide whether or not you will live a noble life. You decidewhether or not youwill live thewarrior lifestyle.You, and you alone, decidewhetherornotyouwilllivealifeofhonorandwillbeatruewarrior.

“Onemustmakethewarriorwalkhiseverydaywalk.”MiyamotoMusashi

LiveWithHonor~

BohdiSanders,PhD

OtherTitlesbyBohdiSanders

Character! Honor! Integrity! Are these traits that guide your life and actions?WarriorWisdom:AgelessWisdomfortheModernWarriorfocusesonhowtoliveyourlifewithcharacter,honorandintegrity.Thisbookishighlyacclaimed,has won multiple awards and is endorsed by some of the biggest names inmartial arts and the world of self-help.Warrior Wisdom is filled with wisequotesandusefulinformationforanyonewhostrivestolivealifeofexcellence.Thisbookwillhelpyouliveyourlifetothefullest!

TheHeart and Soul of Bushido is the second book in theWarriorWisdomSeries.Wisdom, life-changingquotes,andentertaining,practicalcommentariesfilleverypage.Thisserieshasbeenrecognizedbyfourmartialartshalloffameorganizations for its inspirational and motivational qualities. The ancient and

modernwisdominthisbookwilldefinitelyhelpyouimproveyourlifeandbringmeaningtoeachandeveryday.TheUSMAAHallofFameawardedDr.SanderswithInspirationoftheYearforthisseries!

The Warrior Lifestyle is the last installment of the award winningWarriorWisdom Series. Forwarded bymartial arts legend LorenW. Christensen, thisbookhasbeendubbedashighly inspirationalandmotivational. Ifyouwant toliveyourlifetothefullest,youneedtoreadthisone!Don’tsettleforanordinarylife,makeyourlifeextraordinary!Theadviceandwisdomshinesoneverypageof this book, making it a must read for everyone who strives to live anextraordinarylifeofcharacterandhonor!

WisdomoftheEldersisaunique,one-of-a-kindquotebook.Thisbookisfilledwith quotes that focus on living life to the fullest with honor, character, andintegrity. Honored by the USA Book News with a 1st place award for Best

BooksoftheYearin2010,thisbookisaguideforlife.WisdomoftheElderscontainsover4,800quotes,allwhich lead the reader toa lifeofexcellence. Ifyouenjoyquotes,wisdom,andknowledge,youwilllovethisbook.Thisistrulytheultimatequotebookforthosesearchingforwisdom!

TheSecretsofWorldlyWisdomtakesthereaderdeepintothemindsofnineofthe most revered masters of worldly wisdom. It reveals valuable insightsconcerning humannature from someof the greatestminds theworld has everknown,suchasSunTzu,Gracian,Goethe,andothers.WorldlyWisdompresentsinvaluablelessonsforlivingandadviceforavoidingthemanypitfallsofhumanrelationships. This is an invaluable and entertaining guidebook for living asuccessfulandrewardinglife!

Secrets of the Soul is a guide to uncovering your deeply hiden beliefs. Thisdelightful book provides over 1,150 probing questions which guide you to a

thorough understanding of who you are and what you believe. Take thisunbelievably entertaining journey to a much deeper place of self-awareness.Wheredoyourbeliefscomefrom?Doyoureallyknowexactlywhatyoubelieveandwhyyoubelieve it?Youwillafter readingSecretsof theSoul.Thisbookwillhelpyouuncoveryourtruebeliefs!

LookingforMoreWisdom?

Ifyouareinterestedinlivingthewarriorlifestyleorsimplyinlivingalifeof character, integrity andhonor youwill enjoyTheWisdomWarriorwebsiteandnewsletter.TheWisdomWarriorwebsitecontainsdozensofarticles,usefullinks,andnewsforthoseseekingtolivethewarriorlifestyle.

The newsletter is also a valuable resource. Each edition of TheWisdomWarriorNewsletter ispackedwithmotivatingquotes, articles, and informationwhich everyonewill find useful in their journey to perfect their character andlivethelifewhichtheyweremeanttolive.

TheWisdomWarriorNewsletterisanewslettersentdirectlytoyouremailaccount and is absolutely FREE! There is no cost or obligation to youwhatsoever.YouwillalsoreceivethecurrentnewsupdatesandnewarticlesbyDr.Bohdi Sanders as soon as they are available.Your email address is neversharedwithanyoneelse.

All you need to do to start receiving this valuable and informativenewsletteristogototheWisdomWarriorwebsiteandsimplysignup.Itisthatsimple!YouwillfindTheWisdomWarriorwebsiteat:

www.TheWisdomWarrior.com

Also,besuretofindpostsbyDr.SandersonFacebook.Dr.Sanderspostsenlighteningcommentaries,photographs,andquotesthroughouttheweekonhisFacebookpages.Youcanfindthemat:

www.facebook.com/The.Warrior.Lifestyle

www.facebook.com/EldersWisdom

www.facebook.com/bohdi.sanders

Don’tmiss theopportunity toreceivetonsofFREEwisdom,enlighteningposts, interesting articles, and intriguingphotographs onTheWisdomWarriorwebsiteandonDr.Sanders’Facebookpages.

SignUpToday!

MartialArtsHonorsforDr.Sanders’Books

Dr. Sanders’ books have been honored by the follow organizations for theirsignificantcontributionstotheworldofmartialarts: