Inside the heart of every man lives a warrior waiting to be unleashed. Unfortunately, this fierceness, for the majority of men, lies dormant and untested. But, I assure you, it is there.
As boys we pretended to be superheroes, Jedi knights, or ninja warriors.
We ran wild, climbed trees, built forts, engaged in mock sword battles, and real fist fights as boys – not to test our mettle, but really just as an open and honest expression of our warrior nature.
As we grew up though, things changed. We grew tame. The wildness was repressed and replaced under the well-meaning familial and societal pressure of becoming a responsible adult. We went to school, got a job working for the man, and become domesticated.
Shed our capes in favor of business suits.
Took off our Lone Ranger masks and put on listless, polite faces.
Put down our pretend weapons and picked up pocket protectors.
We suppressed the wildness and ferocity of the warrior in our hearts and tried to follow the expected path – college, corporate job, marriage, family, retirement, death. One more masculine casualty – a would be warrior turned tame and toothless, a tiger no more, really just an aging house cat.
But is that really all there is?
Doesn’t the wildness remain?
Yes. I assure you it most certainly does. For as I stated earlier, inside the heart of a man – every man, no matter who you are – lies a warrior.
Being a warrior is not confined to myths and legends or historical anachronisms. Nor is it merely the province of those in uniform who stand on the front lines and protect us with their own (though they truly embody the warrior spirit).
No, it is the birthright of every man. For all of us are made with a warrior’s heart, strong and dangerous.
Yes, dangerous. The most dangerous men I have ever met have also been among the kindest and friendliest. Is this a contradiction? No, not at all. Only the truly powerful can choose to be truly gentle. Those who lack strength and courage have no choice.
Willing to struggle and suffer to rise higher is the path of strength. But to have no accountability for it, to have no responsibility, in essence having no honor reduces the best of soldiers, warriors and heroes to mere thugs and bullies.
A warrior must have the strength, skill, and ability to wield violence.
Notice that I did not say, “be a violent man”. There is a vast difference. The warrior’s capacity for violence is tempered by discipline, a sense of justice, and a strong moral code.
Moreover, the warrior’s role in society is that of a protector and defender of life. His strength must never be used to intimidate, but only to motivate, to inspire, and to protect.
Méthode Naturelle creator Georges Hébert wrote at the beginning of the 20th century, “Être fort pour être utile” – Be strong to be useful
Those of us who walk this path of strength have a duty to use our strength to help others and to defend and protect those who are not as strong.
Willing to struggle and suffer to rise higher is the path of strength. But to have no accountability for it, to have no responsibility, in essence having no honor reduces the best of soldiers, warriors and heroes to mere thugs and bullies.
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