Peace Through Justice

 

The Way of the Warrior

“The way of the warrior has been misunderstood as a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek competition are making a grave mistake. To smash, injure or destroy is the worst sin a human being can commit. The true way of the warrior is to prevent slaughter—it is the power of peace, the power of love.”

Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) Japan

          “The way of the warrior is peace.” I just finished watching season one of The Empress on Netflix. In that series, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary is a young man who wants to use the resources of his country to build a railroad, and to help the people who are living in squalor. But his closest advisors want him to go to war with Russia—to declare a side in the Crimean war, but he wants to establish peace. His solution is to send his troops to the Russian border but not attack. Just a show of force. It worked. The Russian army retreated without bloodshed.

          There have been several books published on The Way of the Warrior, by different authors. The most recent one (2019) is by Erwin Raphael McManus, subtitled “An Ancient Path to Inner Peace.” In it, he writes about the Old Testament God who was often depicted as a god of war, a take-no-prisoners kind of guy. McManus writes, “This is not the history of God. This is the history of us.” I agree. God does not smite, destroy, or punish. But we do.

McManus also writes about the role of the warrior, saying: “Warrior is a call to decisiveness, self-examination and the pursuit of spiritual wholeness.” And as regards our perception of our warriors being made for battle only, he says, “The warrior is not ready for battle until they have come to know peace. [Peace] is the way of the warrior.”

I remember in my anatomy classes learning that the center of gravity, the center of balance, is different for men and women. For a woman, that balance point is in the pelvic bowl. The second chakra; relationship, communion, connection. And the balance point for men is at the chest—the heart chakra. It is all about courage, love, empathy, and action. We see warrior behaviors sometimes on the football field—our modern-day, sanctioned, field of combat. A huge man, decked out in protective armor and helmet, slams into an opponent, crushing him, and then turns around and helps him up.

          I guess all this is to say, that we need warriors like McManus describes, whose job it is to protect and defend, but in the training of those individuals, the goal must be peace within. A true warrior, whether man or woman, respects and honors their opponent. That requires courage as well as brawn. Empathy as well as physical competence. The true way of the warrior is the pursuit of peace through justice and courage.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane