Warrior

"This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself" Chief Seattle 1854 letter to Washington DC

I have an image of a warrior, given to me by the media, of strong men, some of them super-heroes with super powers.  4% body fat, racing around in either spandex or animal skins carrying huge clubs, guns or swords doing damage to some outer enemy.   I do not discredit all the men and women who have fought brave battles for freedom.  These are heroes.  I am looking at another kind of warrior, one
who does battle with the inner enemies.

Rarely do I see an image of a warrior who chooses the path of the inner battle, the one really fought on the front lines.  The constant struggle with the inner judgements and evaluations and upsets that do no good to anyone, epically oneself, but we all engage in them anyway.  So, Chief Seattles comments that whatever man does to the outer world he does to himself, gains a deeper edge when we consider the judgements we have about those 'other people' or 'politicians' or 'salesmen' and on and on.

I suppose the inner battle seems less exciting, and is harder to perfect a strong image to instill a kind of inspiration to action.  It's much easier to see a picture of the Green Lantern, or Wolverine, or Superman brandishing foes right and left.  Truth be told many of us do this battle inside everyday, we catch ourselves judging, turning away, seeking comfort in an ever changing and uncomfortable world, and still reach out with love and mercy.