Can you overcome your ultimate opponent?
To be martial requires discipline, courage, and perseverance. It has nothing to do with killing. People fail to look beyond this one narrow aspect of being a warrior and so overlook all the other excellent qualities that can be gained from training. A warrior is not a cruel murderer. A warrior is a protector of ideals, principle, and honor. A warrior is noble and heroic.A warrior will have many opponents in a lifetime, but the ultimate opponent is the warrior's own self. Within a fighter's personality are a wide array of demons to be conquered : fear, laziness, ignorance, selfishness, egotism, and so many more. To talk of overpowering other people is inconsequential. To actually overcome one's own defects is the true nature of victory. That is why so many religions depict warriors in their iconography. These images are not symbols for dominating others. Rather, they are symbols of the ferocity and determination that we need to overcome the demons within ourselves.
Personal Interpretation
Killing is not what defines a warrior. True warriors are defenders of ideals like freedom and honor. They gain keen insight by training their minds as well as their bodies. They are as knowledgeable in the art of avoiding conflict as they are in claiming a life. Warriors must work to conquer the demons within themselves. This is no small task, for in life, no opponent will prove so fierce as one's own self. We all have the potential to be warriors and in fact, must rise to the occasion if we are to weather the storms of life. To do this, we must direct our efforts inward. Our outward strength is a reflection of our inner resilience and constancy. When we learn to overcome the baser qualities within ourselves, we will have achieved victory.
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