Warrior of the Light
Page 8
A Warrior of the Light is in the world in order to help his fellow man, not to condemn his neighbor.
A Warrior of the Light is never cowardly.
Flight might be an excellent form of defence, but it cannot be used when one is very afraid. When in doubt, the Warrior prefers to face defeat and then lick his wounds, because he knows that if he flees he gives the aggressor greater power than he deserves.
In difficult and painful times, the Warrior faces overwhelming odds with heroism, resignation, and courage.
A Warrior of the Light is never in a hurry.
Time works in his favor; he learns to master his impatience and avoids acting without thinking.
By walking slowly, he becomes aware of the firmness of his step. He knows that he is taking part in a decisive moment in the history of humanity and that he needs to change himself before he can transform the world. That is why he remembers the words of Lanza del Vasto: "A revolution takes time to settle in."
A Warrior never picks fruit while it is still green.
A Warrior of the Light needs both patience and speed.
The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip. To avoid this, the Warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae, recipes, or other people's opinions.
The caliph Moauiyat asked Omr Ben Al-Aas the secret of his great political skills: "I never get involved in something without having first worked out my retreat. Then again, I have never gone into a situation and immediately wanted to run straight out again."
A Warrior of the Light often loses heart.
He believes that nothing can stir in him the emotion he desires. He is forced to spend many nights feeling that he is one of the vanquished, and nothing seems able to restore his enthusiasm.
His friends say: "Perhaps his fight is over."
The Warrior feels pain and confusion when he hears such remarks because he knows that he has not yet reached the place he wante
d to reach. But he is stubborn and refuses to relinquish his aims.
Then, when he least expects it, a new door opens.
A Warrior of the Light always keeps his heart free of any feelings of hatred.
When he goes into battle he remembers what Christ said: "Love your enemies." And he obeys.
But he knows that the act of forgiveness does not mean that he must accept everything; a Warrior cannot bow his head, for if he did he would lose sight of the horizon of his dreams.
He accepts that his opponents are there to test his valor, his persistence, and his ability to make decisions. They force him to fight for his dreams.
It is the experience of battle that strengthens the Warrior of the Light.
The Warrior remembers the past.
He knows about man's Spiritual Quest and that this Quest has been responsible for some of history's finest pages.
But also some of history's worst chapters: massacres, sacrifices, and obscurantism. It was used for personal ends and has seen its ideas used to defend the most terrible of intentions.
The Warrior has heard people ask: "How am I to know that the path I am on is the right one?" And he has seen many people abandon their quest because they could not answer that question.
The Warrior has no doubts because he follows one infallible saying:
"By their fruits ye shall know them," said Jesus. Following this rule, he never goes wrong.
The Warrior of the Light knows the importance of intuition.
In the midst of battle, he does not have time to think about the enemy's blows, so he uses his instinct and obeys his angel.