Definition of a "Warrior"??

[humble monk]

Excellent topic. I think the term has been misused to the point of lunacy. I saw a tennis match where the participants were referred to as "tennis warriors". I think a warrior spirit is one that seeks to conquer fear, to do what is necessary in spite of it, and to simply strive. Conquering the challenges of everyday life may not make you a warrior, but may display "warrior spirit".

[ps1]

Do you still carry the warrior mind set with you, ps1? Or do you leave it behind? Or is it really something that you can leave behind, once it is in you? Reading your statement above, do you feel that being a warrior has more to do with the situation that you are in as opposed to the mindset?

1. The "warrior mindset" is one of little or no thought. That is, you react as you are trained, no different. You layer your weapons defenses: Rifle, Side arm, bayonette, stick/blunt instrument, hands. You know your job. You take aim and fire at the enemy without even thinking that it's another human your bullet is flying toward. Things just happen. Everything you do has an absolute purpose.

Do I still carry that! Not all of it, no. When I realized I no longer wanted to live like that, I decided I should no longer be a soldier. I still have some leftovers of that mindset. My martial arts skill will always be more combat focused versus sport focused. I still train to disarm an opponent. I stay in good physical condition. However, I also like to do things that serve no purpose but my own pleasure. These are things the warrior does not have time for. Amature magic tricks for example (http://www.youtube.com/user/thecardmonkey) i like to just sit around sometimes. Those things are without purpose and are not like a warrior at all.

2. Situation vs. mindset! Chicken or the egg? One begets the other. You can't ever truly have that mindset if the situation is not likely to arise. Conversely, you may never get in that situation if you don't have that type of mindset. I personally believe some people are just born to be warriors and others are not. I, in my opinion, was not. That's why I stopped.

You must have both the deadly situations and the mindset in order to be a warrior.