Τρίτη 11 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Warriors of the heart


by Steven Pressfield
The hardest thing in the world is to be ourselves.
Who we are?Our family tells us, society tells us, laws and customs tell us. But what do we say? How do we get to that place of self-knowledge and conviction where we are able to state without doubt, fear or anger, "This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is how I intent to live my life"?
How do we find our true calling, our soul companions, our destiny?
In this task, our mightiest ally is the Warrior Ethos.
Directed inward, the Warrior Ethos grounds us, fortifies us and focuses our resolve.
As soldiers, we have been taught discipline. Now we teach ourselves self-discipline.
As fighting men and women, we have been motivated, commanded and validated by others. Now we school ourselves in self-motivation, self-command, self-validation.
The Warrior Archetype is not the be-all and end-all of life. It is only one identity, one stage on the path to maturity. But it is the greatest stage - and the most powerful. It is the foundation upon which all succeeding stages are laid.
Let us be, then, warriors of the heart, and enlist in our inner cause the virtues we have acquired through blood and sweat in the sphere of conflict - courage, patience, selfessness, loyalty, self-command, respect for elders, love of our comrades (and of the enemy), preserverance, cheerfulness in adversity and a sense of humor, however terse or dark.



Source: Steven Pressfield, Warrior Ethos