The Warrior's Path

This year has been a real test of character, and I have to say, I  passed with probably a B+, or maybe A-.   What makes a warrior different from the ordinary man is not whether he faces obstacles or not. We all face obstacles.  No; what makes a warrior different is how he faces the obstacles. An ordinary man and a warrior will both map out a course to  their objective.

The ordinary man will get distracted along the way.  He might see the trail up the mountain and convince himself he never really wanted to reach his objective. When his arms go numb from shouldering the load, he discards item from his pack he suddenly sees as unnecessary.  He might sprain an ankle, call 911 and decide the course is too dangerous for any sane person to attempt.  So much the better, because now he has plenty of time for other more important things.  Isn't it football season anyway?

The ordinary man makes excuses to stay ordinary.

The warrior notices and appreciates all the beauty along the journey, never getting distracted from his objective.  He see the mountain and smiles at the test that lies ahead of him. He no longer asks "What am I made of?", because he knows.  He knows he is made of that stuff that makes him press forward where others shrink back. He is made of faith. Faith in God and faith in his purpose. Faith that reaching the objective brings God's will more sharply into focus. Faith that every objective reached is one more deathblow to the cancer of "ego". The warrior knows he doesn't matter; not for his own sake.  He matters only in as much as he can do for his family, his friends, his Creator.  His arms have long since gone numb.  He doesn't discard anything he packed - he loop's his thumbs through the shoulder straps to keep his arms from swinging aimlessly.  When he falls, he breaks his ankle.  It doesn't matter.  He sees this as a chance to discover the lesson.  Maybe a lesson in first aid, or patience, or mindfulness.  He'll know by the time he reaches the objective.  Splinted, crutched, rerouted to accommodate the injury, and three days behind the original schedule, he presses on.  His objective, unchanged, remains the guide.

The warrior dies to ego, dies to pain, dies to comfort.  None of it exist in his mind.  Only usefulness and objectives.  Backward is the cowards path.  It leads to something worse than death.  It leads to the fantasy of glory days that never were.  It leads to a twisted reality of mediocrity, rationalization, excuses, and self delusion. For the oridnary man, the path forward leads only to pain, discomfort, and insulted ego.  For the warrior, the path forward is simply The Path.

I don't claim to be this warrior, but it is my ideal.  I strive for it.  Every day I fall short in some fashion, but I wake up, I pray God would use me as his servant and reveal his will for me, and I try again.