Are we Warriors or Cowards?

[dippedappe]

SevenStar and ovine king. you must have missed my last two posts.

 

I have told you that this isnt about being a warrior at war. This is about if we should or should not act nobel if we can make a difference as martial artists. Where the line between chivalry and stupidity(if those two words arent the same) crosses. And maybe how we should act. As I said. Every question this topic holds.

 

What if you dont have the means to move to another country. Would you still testify against the mafia member?

[Guitar_lover]

i see it more as the warrior within. Not afraid of who i am, changeing the parts i dislike. To be a warrior you do not need to fight physicaly.

[SevenStar]

SevenStar and ovine king. you must have missed my last two posts.

 

I have told you that this isnt about being a warrior at war. This is about if we should or should not act nobel if we can make a difference as martial artists. Where the line between chivalry and stupidity(if those two words arent the same) crosses. And maybe how we should act. As I said. Every question this topic holds.

 

I didn't miss that - I addressed that in my very first post. My most recent reply was not directed at you, but at people using the term "warrior" as though it is still applicable to us.

[ovine king]

SevenStar and ovine king. you must have missed my last two posts.

 

nope.

 

i was and always have been pointing out the irelevance of the term warrior in this, and most other uses. this is especially true when warriors/heroes are only generally known after ONE heroic deed. all other cases of treachery or otherwise underhand deeds seem to be swept under the carpet. best example when a warrior like deed would be to murder/assasinate someone who didn't get on with your boss.

 

a warrior, but not truely 'noble'. they are warrors by virue of them actually fighting for a living but they are far from the perfect characters that the modern world seems to portray them as.

 

if you wnted good discussion about the actual topic, you would've been better off keeping the initial post purely objective, somewhere along the lines of:

 

"how far would you go to defend what you believe is right?"

 

or

 

"does knowing martial arts really give you an extra responsibility over those who do not?"

 

 

No, They may not be used for war but some MA were designed for war and some places still teach these unchanged MA, even though they may never be used.

 

my first response when someone says this is:

 

"name martial arts that were designed specifically for war".

[vertigo]

No, They may not be used for war but some MA were designed for war and some places still teach these unchanged MA, even though they may never be used.

 

my first response when someone says this is:

 

"name martial arts that were designed specifically for war".

 

No offense, taku, but I have to agree with this. (as far as I know): Ever since martial arts have been practiced, there have still been far far more effective ways of killing people and waging war. Spears, swords, knives, guns, tanks, bombs, the list goes on.

 

Going way back to the original question (since I haven't spouted off on this one yet): Once again, everything is relative. What do you define a warrior as? (From what I've seen, there is no single definition.. can't quite say I'm shocked )

 

I'd have to say thinking about what/who a warrior is in this day and age, the first thing that comes to my mind is intelligence. A warrior must be of high intelligence and character, able to make a smart decision on a moments notice, and (as we train in MA) able to back up a decision involving a physical altercation (fight, etc.) with that knowledge we have acquired throughout the years (for most of you... I'm not there yet )

 

I just use the MA example because I felt like answering it towards martial artists.. There are plenty of warriors out there who have never trained a day in martial arts: by standing up for what is right. That's another key to being a "warrior" (in my definition: and knowing what to stand up for traces back to the intelligence I talked about in the previous paragraph).

 

May we continue to do try to do right and have courage!

[dippedappe]

Okay, then apologize to both of you.

if you wnted good discussion about the actual topic, you would've been better off keeping the initial post purely objective, somewhere along the lines of:

 

"how far would you go to defend what you believe is right?"

 

or

 

"does knowing martial arts really give you an extra responsibility over those who do not?"

Il keep that in mind.

my first response when someone says this is:

 

"name martial arts that were designed specifically for war".

I believe Tai Kwon Do was developed to help soldiers. Aikido was developed by the Samurai. European Fencing. Russian MA. However Im not entirely sure about either of them.

[MASIsshinryu]

The vast majority of what is now often termed "Martial Arts" do not, in fact, have their origins stemming from battlefield application. Odd, then, that we would even use such a term ("Martial" literally meaning "of, related to, or suited for war"), in it's current context.

 

That said, arts such as Kenjutsu, Aikijujutsu, Kyujutsu... etc were developed for the Samurai, for use in warfare, and have a right to claim that heritage and title as Martial Arts. Although I am not as familiar with the origins of military arts of other cultures, I would say that most documentation suggests that most other arts were designed for self defense, rather than full-scale combat.

 

Now... the dictionary definition of a "Warrior," on the other hand, includes "A person involved in some struggle or conflict." Given this definition, one can easily make the arguement that living and training with a "Warrior Mindset," is still applicable to what most of us do.

[AnonymousOne]

If you call me a coward, I am outta here!!

[dippedappe]

If you call me a coward, I am outta here!!

I wonder what your point was with this reply. If you meant this as a joke, then please use a smiley. If it was serious, then take the time to read what has been posted here. You may find that you made the wrong conclusion.

[MASIsshinryu]

To go back to the base post:

A Warrior must have the courage to stand up for his believes. To fight for his believes, and even die for what he believes is right. Who dares to risk his life for another, with honour as price.

 

A Coward is one without courage and sense of justice. One without honour and selfrespect. Who seeks the easy way, with his worth as toll.

 

What are we? We train to go the Warrior way, but do we have the courage? Do we dare to stand up to the dangers for what we believe is righteous? For what is justice and honourable? Or do we seek cover like a Coward?

 

From the book Living the Martial Way: The poet Berryman noted that '... the trouble with this country is that a man can live his entire life without knowing whether or not he is a coward.'"

 

Many will never know, until they face a "defining moment" in thier life, and come to realize their own limitations through experience.