Being A Warrior

In the tactical community, many people talk about being a warrior, or having a warrior mindset, but do they really understand what that means?

A lot of people in the preparedness community calls themselves warriors as well, but it’s not really required to be a warrior and that’s OK.

Here, we’re going to give a historical perspective on it, and consult the Ultimate Tactical Handbook, the Bible, for a few references.

We are referring to someone who considers themselves a righteous protector, not just a warrior.  Throughout history, there were also evil warriors; so in here we’re dealing only with those who consider doing good (or at least not evil) as their goal.

In the middle ages, men were generally either serfs or warriors. In other words, you were either a poor person who served someone else and lived at their pleasure, or you were a fighter for someone else.   The only way to not be a serf (read: slave) was to become a warrior.

The time is coming when this will be true again.  The tools and modes of travel will be different, but the concept will be exactly the same.  You will either be able to fight for your independence and the well-being of others, or you will serve someone.  Those are the only two choices.

At the outset of the article, I began with the Knight’s Oath from The Kingdom of Heaven (highly recommended film).  While it’s not exactly what every order used, it captures the essence of the medieval knight:

1. Be fearless
2. Be brave & upright
3. Speak the truth
4. Safeguard the helpless 

The Code of Bushido had similar requirements:

1. Honor
2. Respect
3. Integrity
4. Heroic Courage
5. Honesty & Sincerity
6. Duty & Loyalty
7. Compassion

I find it fascinating that warrior cultures thousands of miles apart who had no contact with each other had similar ideas and almost an identical code of what a righteous defender was.

May be that’s because they had a divine inspiration & foundation.  Let’s look at what the Ultimate Tactical Handbook has to say about Warriors and the Warrior Ethos:

Rescue those being led away to death;

Hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

Proverbs 24:11

That seems pretty similar to safeguarding the helpless and having compassion, as exemplified by the Knight’s Oath and Bushido.

We should all strive to defend those who cannot defend themselves and help those who cannot help themselves.  In a without-rule-of-law scenario, it will be equally vital, particularly if the police cannot or will not respond to help.

…But if you do wrong, be afraid; 

For he does not bear the sword in vain…

Romans 13:4

This relates directly to serving justice, honor, integrity, and duty.  The wrong-doer should fear good warriors.  A true warrior is a righter-of-wrongs.  Not for the sake of desiring to punish others, but for the sake of justice itself.  Side note for the social justice warriors who will read this…Justice has nothing whatsoever to do with FAIRNESS.  Life isn’t fair.

Have you ever noticed that the current mob violence never targets true warriors, unless they vastly outnumber them?  That’s because a TRUE warrior gives off a vibe that bad actors can sense.  

Watch a true warrior walk into a crowd…the crowd parts for him, not the other way around.  They don’t do this out of fear or out of his menacing; quite the opposite.  They do it because a true warrior just appears to be someone to be respected, and so they move out of his way.  (Or her way…don’t send angry emails).

Be watchful, stand firm,

Be like men, be strong.

1 Cornithians 16:13

Everyone should be watchful, but a true warrior, like the Knight’s Oath and Code of Bushido explain, will stand firm, brave, and courageous in the face of whatever comes their way.  Adversity is a fact of life.  A warrior faces it and deals with it.  

Being fearless doesn’t mean that we have NO fear, it means that we put those fears in their proper place and don’t let them control us.  We are the masters of our domain.

We certainly don’t cower in fear in own homes, just because our government tells us to (I’m looking at you, Governor Whitmer).

Together they will be like warriors in battle,

Trampling their enemy into the mud of the streets.

Zechariah 10:5

Admit it, like my friend BullRush admitted, you had no idea such cool things were in the Bible, did you?  Wait until next week, when I introduce you all to one of God’s secret agents and expert prepper Elijah.

Warriors have restraint, but once they take action, they fight together with a determination to win.  Mindset is the most important part of fighting. 

Warriors know that the Lone Ranger is a children’s story, and that true warriors need a band, a tribe, a clan.  It takes a team to accomplish anything worthwhile, so warriors find like-minded people and train to work together towards a common goal (like trampling your enemies in the mud).

I am the Good Shepherd;

The Good Shepherd lies down His life for the sheep

John 10:11

A warrior is willing to lay down his life in the defense of his family & friends, those who cannot defend themselves, and his cause.  But, most importantly, he is willing to lay down his life for his PRINCIPLES.

Complying and giving up principles for the sake of getting along is called SERFDOM.  

At some point, everyone who considers themselves to be a warrior must decide which principles they are willing to sacrifice their lives or freedom for.  If you feel that there is no principle in which you are willing to either die for or be imprisoned over, you aren’t a warrior; you’re a serf.

I hope these points provoke some thoughts and soul searching.  

I’ve already made my decisions.