The Warrior

When we think of warriors, images spring to our minds, of men and women in ages gone past and present, with swords and shields, guns and grenades in hand, twisting and turning to the deathly music of steel and screams. They are proud and brave, are allowed no ties and carry no burdens. They are trained to fight and to kill.

Somehow the idea of a Ninja, sneaking in on noiseless feet, slitting a throat for servitude or revenge, does not invoke a warrior’s image. A warrior fights to the face, takes on endless enemies, and is not afraid of death. He fights for the fight, for the glory, sometimes, for the money. A warrior does not care if his side is right or wrong. He is loyal to his side, always, anyways, in every way. A warrior does not fight to win. He fights to kill…or die…

They are called the peace keepers of a land. There are times in a world when a warrior is needed, when any group of any land gains too much power. The “good” group or the “evil” group or even the “deadbeat” group.

When the peaceful are powerless against a force that has grown beyond its harness. Any force. Be it a political, economic, social or cultural force. The warrior steps in to restore the precarious balance of peace.

We fill the place of the warrior with men and women of superlative physical fitness and the alertest minds. The warrior does not need to be young, or fit or inordinately bright. He needs to be the most effective counter for the force that is gaining ground. A social menace must be fought with a healing warrior. A cultural menace with a scientific warrior. A scientific menace with a spiritual warrior. A political menace with a mental warrior. An economic menace with an emotional warrior. A physical menace with a physical warrior…

And yet as a civilization, we train our warriors with sub-machine ultimatums and stun guns to raze the populace to the ground as a solution for all evils.