Wars Change, Warriors Don’t
[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”500″ identifier=”193689100X” locale=”US” src=”https://onyxdefiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/518HSc8W4eL.jpg” tag=”onyxdefiant-20″ width=”313″]The Warrior Ethos is a very fast read. I read it in its entirety in about half an hour. It essentially summed up the five years I spent in the Marine Corps in 90 pages, from living under shit conditions to eating bad food to embracing the hate.
The author states specifically in the preface that the book was written for men and women in uniform, but hopes the utility of writing about honor can find it’s way into civilian hands and influence them in some way.
I would contend that anyone who has every been in competition or actively competes could benefit from reading this. Not only limited to modern day warriors, but also athletes and even corporate drones who are in competition to get the office with a window.
Anyone with knowledge of Sparta, Athens, Imperial Japan, and any other old school warrior empires should put that knowledge aside and take everything at face value. Pressfield isn’t talking about whether they were a standup community, but more about what it takes to be a warrior.
- Comradery
- Grit
- Embracing the suck
The returning warrior may not realize it, but he has acquired an MBA in enduring adversity and a Ph.D. in resourcefulness, tenacity and the capacity for hard work.
I wish I could say that when I first enlisted back in high school, it was to find a sense of purpose, discipline, and brotherhood. Instead, it was because they convinced my ass to do it, my grades were too bad to do anything with them, and as much as I enjoyed working at Walmart…forget that noise.
Better to live in a rugged land and rule than to cultivate rich plains and be a slave.
There’s really only 2 ways to read this book: all in one setting or one chapter at a time to sit and ponder. Like I said before, it’s an incredibly quick read. However, every chapter has something worth thinking about and having a conversation over.
With that being said, go buy yourself two copies and share it with a friend to discuss it. Or an enemy. I don’t care.
Molon labe
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