The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

From Medicine Way, by Kenneth Meadows

Contrary to popular belief, the American Indian warrior was not essentially a warring man at all. He fought and killed only when he saw no alternative. His primary function was a spiritual one. There is a clear difference between the concept of a warrior and that of a soldier.

A soldier is a fighting man who acts under orders and looks to others to tell him what to do and where to go. A soldier needs to have clear and precise directions. A soldier takes no personal responsibility for his actions, whether in victory or defeat, since whatever he does is under the orders of another.

A warrior, on the other hand, has no such limitations or constraints. A warrior is an individual unit - his own 'general,' taking full responsibility for his actions. The devotion of the American Indian warrior to his tribe was of such high quality that it could not be contained within the limitations of human law. If a battle was lost, the warrior never gave up, but merged into the countryside to survive and fight another day...

The 'soldier' trains to overcome, and to win victory is his most important aim. The 'warrior' trains to be proficient at achieving mastery, not over others but over himself and the circumstances of his life. For him taking part matters most. Opposition is there to teach him. The 'soldier' learns how to subdue. The 'warrior' learns how to cooperate...

...The 'warrior's' enemies are unseen. They are the 'tyrants' that seek to enslave the mind and the spirit....

A warrior is one who walks 'his talk along the Path with Heart. By so doing he touches his own life and the lives of others - and even the Earth itself- with beauty.