Loyalty

“LOYALTY” The strongest word in the Samurai vocabulary, Loyalty is thicker than blood, stronger that steel and harder than diamonds. A Samurai would give his life for his retainer and comrades, he would give up his own life at the end of his retainers life for the loss of his ability to serve. What is there to live for if not for service to his people and his retainer?

Oh how the Warrior of today has weakened, “money for nothing and checks for free”. So many things come before loyalty in the weakened warriors of today. No longer do they have a commitment to the service of their people, just the service of oneself and meeting the needs of the ego, the self. How abused is the saying “I’d take a bullet for a friend” “BUT” yes there always is a “but”, isn’t there. They would only take that bullet if it didn’t cause them any grief, discomfort, or misfortune. Only when those weak warriors are on the battlefield will they take that bullet and the word “battlefield” used in the literal definition. Ask them to make a sacrifice for you on the figurative battlefield of life. Go out of their way for a fellow warrior, more often that not you will get excuses and false promises that will never be fulfilled.

Oh how the poser warriors of today have weakened. There are only a few seasoned Warriors that understand the true meaning of Loyalty, Commitment and Sacrifice. It is up to those True Warriors to hold the line and shun the weak ones, shake them off your backs and off the coat tails of your cloaks. These weakened ones will bleed you dry of your spirit and steal your knowledge and life leaned and experienced skills and philosophies only to call them their own and when enough of your spiritual blood has been drained by “them” they will walk away from you on the battlefield of life, leave you for the buzzards and scavengers to pick the last shreds of meat from your bones, never looking back, no care or remorse. They will hide under their newly stolen identities and false characters and tell you, as you lye there broken down and beaten, they will tell you “That is a Warriors fate, that is the costs a warrior must pay, that’s how it goes, only the strong survive” And as your own spirit fades into the spirit world your own quotes and sayings will echo in your ears with a hint of laughter as the poser walks off into the sunset to claim his undeserved unearned rewards, stolen rewards, rewards reserved for the True Warriors, rewards that were earned through sacrifice, right-mindedness, right-actions and loyalties to the Warrior brothers he quietly remembers, those that have earned his loyalty and trust. And they will know who they are because they will feel the shift in the energy of the universe as the True Warrior fades away, one less positive source of energy in the force of the universe.

Young warriors of today, do not succumb to the weaknesses of the posers, the wanna-be’s, follow the True Warriors, keep your mouths shut and learn by experience, learn through action. Watch and learn don’t just assume you are a Warrior because you once watched a Warrior. The True Warriors will accept you into the guild when you have proven yourself, when you have shown your honesty and loyalty on the battlefield of life and made sacrifices in the small matters as well as the large. For the True Warriors know that Warriorship is earned by many years of experiences and hard times. Sacrifices that cost dearly, life’s lessons that are hard learned, tears, pain, honored commitments, never backing down, accepting the battles and battle scars of our own as well as our fellow Warriors, always being at our brother Warriors side through good times and bad, the raising of our own young Warriors, our dedication and love for our wives who are Warriors in their own rights for walking the path at our sides and bearing the brunt of our vented frustrations and sticking next to us in our worst of times and dealing with our misguided bursts of anger.

Young Warriors pay attention, for if you are worthy and prove to be loyal and dedicated the True Warriors will teach you the most valued lessons and the deepest secrets, the real techniques, things only taught to those that earn the right to learn them. Be wary of the false warriors who wish to sell their loyalties for a price, those that buy there reputations and steal the truths from others. Beware those that wish to sell you ideals and concepts because they have no real skills of their own. You will know the ones, they will sell you everything in their bag of tricks except real techniques and skills, just smoke and mirrors.

True Warriors will not demand respect or dedication, it will be earned. You will follow them because they lead by example from the front with nothing to hide and no secrets. Everything they have they will have earned, never accepting anything that was not fought for and earned through hard work, sweat, blood and dedication. You will know them because they will be the ones in the battle, the ones in the ring limping and covered in sweat, the ones with the black eye and swollen cheek, he will seem unkept and most likely smell, his ways will seem uncouth, and his language harsh and foul, but Trust me he is the True Warrior because he is living by example and sharing in the lessons. This is his routine, this is his life, this is his way, his own temperament is hardened by daily practice in the “Real” fight. His life is meager and sparse, no frills or showmanship, no fancy do dads or bobbles, no impressive cars or bank rolls, pressed uniforms and well groomed hair, yes he will be the one in the ring with his head down from exhaustion and limbs shaking with over exertion, hanging on to the ropes for support, giving the signal (whether it be a nod, wink or smirk)for one more round knowing he may get his ass handed to him because he is aging and his Warrior body is telling him to stop, he will be the one getting in one last round and possibly fail but, all the same, he is sticking it out and sharing in the glory of Warriorship with his fellow Warriors. You will not see the posers here, they will be secluded away in their own little dark corners barking orders to others, telling them what do to and how to act, never sharing in the real experience of action and reality, and if they do, it is only for a brief moment, only so they can lay claim to saying “been there done that”, but these are just words, for what does one learn from doing something once or twice, repetition is the teacher of experience. They will tell you how a warrior should be and act not knowing that a True Warrior will keep quiet and lead by example and know they are the posers the false warriors of the Dark Side.

Be wary young Warriors because deception is all around us and it is easy to be lead astray. The tricksters are abundant and surrounded with flair, pomp and circumstance. Choose your mentors well. Remember Actions always speak louder than words.

Peace Be with You
GhostDog

Stay Aware

Be wary of the trickster young Warriors Deception is everywhere .....

More to come.

I have a long post that should be up soon and as usual I will not pull any punches!

Todays word "LOYALTY" it doesnt look so big here but it speaks volumes.

Keep your chin down, Elbows in, and eye on you target. It is better to get hit with a punch you see coming, than with one you dont!

GhostDog

You can give a fool a thousand intellects, but the only one he wants is yours," say an Arabic proverb. When the Warrior of light starts planting his garden, he notices that his neighbor is there spying. He likes to give advice on when to sow actions, when to fertilize thoughts and water conquests.

If the Warrior listens to what his neighbor is saying, he will end up creating something that is not his; the garden he is tending will be his neighbors idea.

But a true Warrior of Light knows that every garden has its own mysteries, which only the patient hand of the gardener can unravel. That is why he prefers to concentrate on the sun, the rain, and the seasons.

He knows that the fool who gives advise about someone elses garden is not tending to his own plants.

Warrior of Light (A Manual) - Paulo Coelho

NOTES: This is a GREAT read for anyone on the path of the Good Fight. It is full of daily reminders to help set reflections for the day to be read and re-read as affirmations to help guide you in your daily battles of life.

GhostDog