Warrior of the Light

In times of peace, he deciphers the signs that God sends him.

People say: "He's mad."

Or: "He lives in a fantasy world."

Or even: "How can he possibly believe in such illogical things?"

But the Warrior knows that intuition is God's language and he continues listening to the wind and talking to the stars.

The Warrior of the Light sits around a fire with his companions.

They talk about his conquests, and any strangers who join the group are made welcome because everyone is proud of his life and of his Good Fight. The Warrior speaks enthusiastically about the path, about how he resisted a particular challenge or the solution he found to one especially difficult situation. When he tells stories, he invests his words with passion and romance.

Sometimes, he exaggerates a little. He remembers that at times his ancestors used to exaggerate too.

That is why he does the same thing. But he never confuses pride with vanity, and he never believes his own exaggerations.

The Warrior hears someone say: "I need to understand everything before I can make a decision. I want to have the freedom to change my mind."

The Warrior regards these words suspiciously. He too enjoys that freedom, but this does not prevent him from taking on a commitment, even if he does not know quite why he does so.

A Warrior of the Light makes decisions. His soul is as free as the clouds in the sky, but he is committed to his dream. On his freely chosen path, he often has to get up earlier than he would like, speak to people from whom he learns nothing, make certain sacrifices.

His friends say: "You're not free."

The Warrior is free. But he knows that an open oven bakes no bread.

To engage in any activity the Warrior needs to know what to expect, how to achieve the objective, and whether or not he is capable of carrying out the proposed task.

"Only a person who, suitably equipped, feels no desire for the results of conquest and yet remains absorbed in the struggle can truly say that he has renounced the fruits of victory.

"One can renounce the fruit, but that renunciation does not signal indifference to the results."

The Warrior of the Light listens with respect to Gandhi's strategy and he remains unconvinced by those who, incapable of achieving any result at all, preach renunciation.

The Warrior of the Light pays attention to small things because they can severely hamper him.

A thorn, however tiny, can cause the traveler to halt. A tiny, invisible cell can destroy a healthy organism. The memory of a past moment of fear allows cowardice to be reborn with each new morning. A fraction of a second opens the way for the enemy's fatal blow.

The Warrior is attentive to small things. Sometimes he is hard on himself, but he prefers to act in this way.

"The devil is in the details," says an old proverb.

The Warrior of the Light does not always have faith.

There are moments when he believes in absolutely nothing. And he asks his heart: "Is all this effort really worth it?'

But his heart remains silent. And the Warrior has to decide for himself.

He looks for an example and remembers that Jesus went through something similar in order to inhabit fully the human condition.

"Take away this cup from me," said Jesus. He too lost heart and courage, but he did not stop.

The Warrior of the Light continues despite his lack of faith. He goes forward and, in the end, faith returns.

The Warrior knows that no man is an island.

He cannot fight alone; whatever his plan, he depends on other people. He needs to discuss his strategy, to ask for help, and, in moments of relaxation, to have someone with whom he can sit by the fire, someone he can regale with tales of battle.