Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 5 of total 5 in this topic |
MikeL
climber
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 9, 2009 - 12:30pm PT
|
After the thread "A Letter About the War," I found myself remembering how great it was for me to be a warrior in the service. I loved it. I loved having a purpose that was bigger than I was, serving others, training, studying, trying to stay ready for battle, the comraderie, and wondering if I would measure up. How would I act if faced with death, what would an active combat zone be like to be in, and would I have the character to make good decisions under pressure (especially since I would be in a leadership position)?
Years afterwards I came to believe that the toughest and most worthwhile wars to be fought or the greatest territories to conquer were not the ones "out there." Joseph Campbell writes about it in a book called, "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" (and Castenada, Trungpa, Ilgner). What begins as individual acts of honor and duty begins a hero’s journey that diminishes the little self (the ego) to suggest a far greater self. The great quest for or against something "out there" can ironically kill off the simple personality / identity and lead to an inward journey of discovery and to something far greater than individual personality. It's a process of transformation, sacrifice, extraordinary goals, virtues, danger, violence, risk, genius, artistry, self-denial, self-restraint, charisma, grace, excellence, and virtuosity--everything that postmodern life is not. In its highest form, it is a process to be honored and encouraged.
Being a warrior is not what it initially appears to be to people on the inside and on the outside.
It also looks like climbing for those who get a little tired of ratings and grades.
|
|
WBraun
climber
|
|
Yes, The great true "ksatriya" warrior class is so rare today ......
For a ksatriya to be in the battlefield and to become nonviolent is the philosophy of fools.
The ksatriya's duty is to protect the citizens from all kinds of difficulties, and for that reason he has to apply violence in suitable cases for law and order.
|
|
Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
|
|
There's warriors and then there are warriors; I don't think every warrior is on the Hero's journey. Though it can be a catalyst for those who go there.
|
|
RDB
Trad climber
Iss WA
|
|
Hero? How about the guy soloing 5.12s or an alpine wall? Or the one pulling his buddies out of the line of fire at his own peril? Or the Mom or Dad who gets up at 5:30 every morning and goes to work five days a week for say...oh, 30 years? Or the one living with terminal illness and not a whimper?
Some heroics are more difficult than they might first appear. Warriors take on many forms. More often they are unrewarded and unrecognised. He or she might well be the one now crouched along the wall sobbing.
|
|
MikeL
climber
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2009 - 02:35pm PT
|
Yes, yes, and yes. It was written that there exists a duty to protect the citizens from all kinds of difficulties, and for that reason to apply violence in suitable cases for law and order. But isn't that where it starts, with the idea that people and things and maybe even ideas have to be protected by force, and that people who can't or won't use force are fools?
I was only remembering the feeling of being a warrior long ago and relating from others who say that a true hero's journey is an internal psychic struggle that can build character and expose a deeply interconnected world with others, where others become more important than self. I didn't write it very well. Others say it better than I.
When you're finally up on the moon, looking back at the earth, all these differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend and you're gong to get a concept that maybe this is really one world and why the helll can't we learn to live togehter like decent people? (Frank Borman)
A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "universe," a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate fro the rest, a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons near to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of friends of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Albert Einstein)
Stange is our situation here on earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet something seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men. (Albert Einstein)
We who lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. (Victor Frankl)
Compassion is not religious business, it is human business; it is not a luxury, it is essential for our peace and mental stability. It is essential for human survival. (His Holiness the Dalai Lama)
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. (HHDL)
People often ask me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimetation, I have to say the best answer is--just be a little kinder. (Aldous Huxley)
|
|
| Messages 1 - 5 of total 5 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!