Is it so?

[tallgeese]

I kind of agree, however, if one doesn't live as one then you won't be one when the need arises. It needs to permeate you. Whether you call it "warrior" or "fighter" or "guy ready to do anything up to and kill another human being should the need arise", doesn't matter.

Times are different now than when the term was coined. Usage will evolve as well. Forrest Morgan makes a comment in his book, Living the Martial Way, that true warriors can be hard to find even among soldiers and sworn law enforcement. It's mindset that defines the term to him.

I tend to ascribe to this train of thought. However, unless one is realistically addressing training all the mindset in the world will come to naught. It takes both.

Again, I don't get to caught up in the term. Just the idea behind it.

[bushido_man96]

Good point. Living that mindset, and thinking like one is important, and it is also important that your training fit accordingly.

I think that it there is also a misconception of what the warrior is. I think I heard once that the average lifespan of a front line Marine in combat was somewhere around 4 seconds (this is during combat, though). That's something to think about.

That one warrior moment may pop up in your life, and it might last 10 seconds, and it could include the fact that you step in front of a gunman to get killed by psychopath trying to kill another. And then that's it. Warrior career over. I think that a lot of people, especially Martial Artist training everyday, get caught up in an idea that they may end up "saving the day" and getting patted on the back, chest bumps, and get to swap warrior stories in the coffee shop on Sundays when they get older. Sure, there are some people out there who get to do that. But then, there are other warriors who get killed, just that quick. And that is the reality of it.

Just some thoughts to add to the discussion here.

[RichardZ]

Some grand posts here, and really informative without getting into hard core semantics.

Could the term be misused out of context to a point to fuel a ego or position?

Edited November 20, 2009 by RichardZ

[cryingdady]

I think so!

[RichardZ]

Therefore, can the "modern" martial artist ever obtain "warrior" status?

[tallgeese]

Of course. Often, they are designed with that in mind.

[RichardZ]

Of course. Often, they are designed with that in mind.

By what definition of its terms, can the modern martial artists ever be a "warrior"?

[Shotokan-kez]

"Warrior"...It needs defining. It's a very traditional and old term, a term that is not used very often in modern day. For me i am a martial artist, and in my view a very good one, but i dont class myself as a warrior. I class myself as a karateka that enjoys what i do, in teaching and training alike.

If i was put in a situation ouside the dojo where i needed to use my skills, would i call myself a warrior? No i wouldn't, i would just be doing what i know best to defend myself and those around me.

[RichardZ]

Another grand post, Shotokan-kez. Very few martial artists approach this term in this way.

[tallgeese]

Again, Richard, it's a matter of the connotations of the word. If a modern art is designed around combative principles for the purpose of harming another individual in actual physical confrontations then it's close enough for me if that's the word you want to describe it. If you'd like to use another word, this is also fine with me.

Personally, and that's all it is, I do view training in the martial arts as warrior preparation. It's convenient to describe the mindset training and the reason I do it. For me, ma's has little to do with self improvement, cultural understanding or esoteric knowledge. It's about fighting.

Given the evolution of the word and it's connotative meanings, it seems to sum it up. But it's a convenient classification, nothing more.