Warrior of the Light

But the Warrior knows why he is celebrating. He is savoring the best gift that victory can bring: confidence.

He celebrates yesterday's victory in order to gain more strength for tomorrow's battle.

One day, for no apparent reason, the Warrior realizes that he does not feel the same enthusiasm for the fight that he used to.

He continues to do what he has always done, but every gesture seems meaningless. At such a time, he has only one choice: to continue fighting the Good Fight. He says his prayers out of duty or fear or whatever, but he does not abandon the path.

He knows that the angel of the One who inspires him has simply wandered off somewhere. The Warrior keeps his attention focused on the battle and he perseveres, even when everything seems utterly pointless. The angel will soon return and the merest flutter of his wings will restore the Warrior's joy to him.

A Warrior of the Light shares with others what he knows of the path.

Anyone who gives help also receives help and needs to teach what he has learned. That is why he sits by the fire and recounts his day on the battlefield.

A friend whispers: "Why talk so openly about your strategy? Don't you realize that, by doing so, you run the risk of sharing your conquests with others?"

The Warrior merely smiles and says nothing. He knows that if, at the end of his journey, he arrives to find an empty paradise, his struggle will have been a waste of time.

The Warrior of the Light has learned that God uses solitude to teach us how to live with other people.

He uses rage to show us the infinite value of peace. He uses boredom to underline the importance of adventure and spontaneity.

God uses silence to teach us to use words responsibly. He uses tiredness so that we can understand the value of waking up. He uses illness to underline the blessing of good health.

God uses fire to teach us about water. He uses earth to explain the value of air. He uses death to show us the importance of life.

The Warrior of the Light gives before he is asked.

Seeing this, some of his companions say: "If someone wants something, they'll ask for it."

But the Warrior knows that there are many people who simply cannot bring themselves to ask for help. Alongside him live people with such fragile hearts that love becomes a sickness; they are starving for affection and yet are ashamed to show it.

The Warrior gathers these people around the fire, he tells stories, shares his food, drinks with them. The following day, everyone feels better.

Those who look on other people's misery with indifference are the most miserable of all.

If the strings of an instrument are always taut, they go out of tune.

Warriors who spend all their time training lose their spontaneity in battle. Horses that are always jumping fences end up breaking a leg. Bows that are bent all day no longer shoot arrows with the same force.

That is why, even if he is not in the mood, the Warrior of the Light tries to enjoy the small everyday things of life.

The Warrior of the Light listens to Lao Tzu when he says that we should let go of the idea of days and hours in order to pay more attention to the moment.

Only in this way can the Warrior resolve certain problems before they occur; by focusing on the small things, he manages to avoid larger calamities.

But thinking about the small things is not the same as thinking small. Over-anxiety ultimately banishes every trace of joy from life.

The Warrior knows that a great dream is made up of many different things, just as the light from the sun is the sum of its millions of rays.

There are times when the Warrior's path becomes merely routine.

Then he applies the teaching of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: "If you cannot meditate, you should repeat one simple word, because this is good for the soul. Do not say anything else, just repeat that word over and over, innumerable times. Finally, it will lose all meaning, but take on an entirely new significance. God will open the doors and you will find yourself using that simple word to say everything that you wanted to say."

When he is forced to perform the same task several times, the Warrior uses this tactic and transforms work into prayer.

A Warrior of the Light has no certainties, he just has a path to follow, a path to which he tries to adapt depending on the season.

During battles that take place in summer he does not use the same equipment and techniques that he would use during battles that take place in winter. By being flexible, he no longer judges the world on the basis of "right" and "wrong," but on the basis of "the most appropriate attitude for that particular moment."