few years ago when i was quite lost trying to find my identity and my way in this new land someone asked me to describe myself and what i do in one minute.
i surprised myself by saying, 'i am a warrior and like any warrior i live my life preparing for peace in war times and for war in peace times.' it just spilled out and i was shocked. did i read that somewhere? is that how warriors/samurai lived their lives? and what did it really mean for me to say that about myself?
that statement describes the image of a samurai sitting peacefully at the end of a day of battle brushing calligraphy on rice paper, stilling her mind and keeping culture and art alive within herself. It evokes a samurai practising her war skills everyday in times of peace - even when she knows that there are no more battles left to fight.
but, its not the samurai warrior i identify with, for samurai fought battles for their overlords. yes, to maintain stability and peace but they also kept oppressive hierarchies in place and helped expand the vast territories of their overlords.
the essence of being a warrior for me is being a protector of the marginalised and of peace itself.
peace though is a hard word to define. it includes equality, freedom, social justice besides a lack of physical violence. through history warriors fought battles and killed for peace. at one time i thought that this was the way of the warrior. at one time i thought that the ends justified the means and that 'just' wars were needed. but as i delved more into conflict and peace the idea of violence to achieve peace no longer made sense. the way is the goal and to achieve peace the way also needs to be non-violent. soldiers, not warriors, kill for peace.
peace though is a hard word to define. it includes equality, freedom, social justice besides a lack of physical violence. through history warriors fought battles and killed for peace. at one time i thought that this was the way of the warrior. at one time i thought that the ends justified the means and that 'just' wars were needed. but as i delved more into conflict and peace the idea of violence to achieve peace no longer made sense. the way is the goal and to achieve peace the way also needs to be non-violent. soldiers, not warriors, kill for peace.
warriors meditate, mediate, do inner work, dance with their opponents and create harmony.
later the meaning of a warrior expanded from simply being a peace maker or even peace keeper to being a peace builder. learning and practicing conflict facilitation and the art of relationship internally and externally was my way of being a peace builder, a warrior. in india i had ample opportunities, within myself and with socio-political processes, to practice these everyday.
but coming to singapore threw off my balance. i had no battles to fight and found myself in a time of relative peace. i lost my warrior edge then and sadly i did not train everyday in my arts of war - conflict clarification and relationship building skills.
and when i was suddenly faced with a conflict i resorted to using the force of authority rather than the art of relationship. the conflict intensified. it became a time of 'war' and luckily my long practice kicked in. and eventually it was the art of relationship and not force that resolved the issue.
the arts of war and the arts of peace are perhaps the same for a warrior?
and when i was suddenly faced with a conflict i resorted to using the force of authority rather than the art of relationship. the conflict intensified. it became a time of 'war' and luckily my long practice kicked in. and eventually it was the art of relationship and not force that resolved the issue.
the arts of war and the arts of peace are perhaps the same for a warrior?
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