Question 056: Warrior spirit

I believe that knowledge is the truest form of power. This belief has driven my achievements since childhood. Becoming a black belt is a strange goal for me. The more I know about the art, the more I have to learn. Yet, the more I learn what it means to be a black belt, the less I know. Does this seem like a strange statement to you? Anyway, visiting your web site answered some questions, collected some thoughts, and settled some anxieties. I appreciate your views of how a “warrior” should be perceived, because it doesn't carry the “brute“ attitude as much as it carries the “duty“ attitude. As a Navy Corpsman, I was considered a “non-combatant”. I was never sent to Desert Shield/Desert Storm, but I served in a hospital that lost over 60% of its manpower. Was I a warrior? For every fight I can remember, there were hundreds that I backed down from. Does that make me less of a warrior? I am a medical professional who has accepted the standard of “first do no harm”. I am not against the warrior attitude because (like Colonel Jessup suggested) I WILL pick up a firearm and stand a post if you push be past my limit. I just may have a different set of values as the “warrior” types I have encountered (most of whom may have been merely “posing”).