Men have been warriors as long as we’ve, well, been. It’s when a man is a warrior, that he is at his greatest. It’s when he’s at battle that he rises to his greatest self. It’s no wonder that many of the greatest men in history are also those who’ve faced the greatest trials. It’s also no fluke that the greatest men this world has seen – without exception – have been driven by the greatest purpose or cause.

A warrior has a deeper meaning than a soldier or a man trained in the art of war. There can be cowards on the battlefield, but a cannot be a coward. The skill of war doesn’t make a man a warrior. A warrior is found in the spirit, and in the heart. He’s forged in tribulation, over time, and thought persistence in the face of struggle. To be at our best, no matter our endeavor or mission in life, we need to be warriors. And a warrior without a battle is a man without food for his soul.

The Cause

Let’s call ourselves warriors. Let’s give ourselves that title – at least in training. As warriors, we need to be fighting for something, and we need to be fighting something.

If we don’t have a cause in life, what’s the point?

Passivity and masculinity are opposing forces. They’re at odds with one another. If a man doesn’t have a mission, a purpose, if he isn’t fighting a battle, he’s not living. Men need action; we need a war. Gandhi was a warrior. He fought his battle by not fighting in the way that the world wanted him to. That’s courage. Roosevelt was a warrior. He fought at every opportunity. He craved action, adventure, and glory, but also justice and truth. He didn’t turn a blind eye to injustice or corruption, he attacked it, rooted it out, killed it.

If you’re reading this, wondering What’s my battle? you’re most likely already fighting one, you’re just not aware of it. As such, you’re probably losing more than you’re winning. Fortunately, life is a war made up of thousands of battles, you’ll be given another opportunity at victory, don’t worry.

Be brave, my heart. Plant your feet and square your shoulders to the enemy. Meet him among the man-killing spears. Hold your ground. In victory, do not brag; in defeat do not weep. ~ Archilochus

The Battle

You’re fighting something right now, as am I. We’re engaged in hundreds of battles everyday. This morning I faced my lazy-self in an epic battle at 4:30 am when my alarm went off (my alarm is The Hitter, a great Springsteen song). Shamefully, I lost when I reset my alarm to 5 am. I then waged war against the Resistance when I was tempted to open my email account to start my day. I fought the urge to check them, to check my phone, to check my Facebook page, and instead started my day off on the right foot, by opening a book, then my journal, then starting this article

The battles might seem insignificant, but when they exist to win a greater war, they become significant, even great.

The War

Fix your mind upon its object.

Hold to this, unswerving,

Disowning fear and hope,

Advance only upon this goal.

Your purpose in life is your war. It’s what you fight for, who you fight for. A man – a warrior – needs a great cause if he’s going to become great, yes, but also if he’s going to live.

Maximus’ great war was rooted in avenging the death of his son and wife. William Wallace’s began with revenge, then evolved to something even greater; freedom. Steve Jobs’ war was creating his baby, Apple Computers. Napoleon’s was feeding his ambition.

We need a purpose. We need something – even besides our families, although they may be a big motivation, inspiration, and fuel for our purpose, we need something outside of them that pushes us – to strive towards. It might not be apparent immediately. I’m still shaping mine. I know where I’m going (forward), but the focus of that object evolves and changes; it actually gets stronger, clearer, and greater.

There’s a great worry amongst men and boys when they don’t have a definite purpose or a great mission, and articles like this can sometimes feed this worry. Don’t. Just grow. Use articles like this as motivation. Read. Grow stronger mentally, spiritually, and physically. Become a warrior even if the battle isn’t readily apparent, and create battles. Find something you love to do, and get great at it. Help people, be of some  benefit to others besides yourself.

Make your battle you, the warrior you vs the lazy, weak, and cowardly you. That’s a great war to wage. It’s one that will not only benefit you in life, but also the planet and the others living in it.

A warrior’s battle never ceases. His struggle never fades. War is in him, it is him. The battles exist. The war is going on. It’s time we awaken the warrior’s within us. It’s time we teach the ethos that governs every warrior. To be a man, a real man, a successful, strong man, you have to be a warrior at some point in your life. Now, in this article, we wake up to our battles, and we embark on our true path, our true mission.

Giving It a Name

Spartans do not ask how many are the enemy, but where are they. ~ Plutarch

The thing about a battle is that there’s always an opposing force. Our opposing force is often us. It’s our laziness, our weakness, our worry, our cowardliness. It’s that opposing force that wants us to give in to our fears and weaknesses. But it’s not all that fun to fight ourselves day after day, so we need to bring this enemy out in to the open. We need to make it tangible. 

The worst thing about a devious enemy is that they’re hard to find. Terrorism is a devious enemy; it’s pure evil and cunning weakness. When a terrorist shoots a soldier in the middle of a city square, and even from a mosque, so the soldiers can’t shoot back without risking the lives of the innocent, that’s the devious and evil enemy; the faceless enemy. When they strap bombs to their chests and walk into a crowd, that’s vile and cowardly. Continue Reading on Page 2 >>>