The Way of the Warrior is to make himself physically stronger with each passing day. The Way of the Priest is to strengthen and evolve his spirit. The Way of the Academic is to expand his mind. The Way of the Martial Artist is all of these; to make himself stronger in Mind, Body and Spirit each and every day. He must be a Warrior, a Priest and an Academic in no lesser parts.
Several years ago I started to become aware of three disparate parts of my personality. It was during a time of my life in which I was unwillingly involved in significant external, and subsequently internal, conflict. Certain chaotic elements of my personality reared themselves in a dominant fashion. The necessities of my circumstances required aggressive and bold action. To deal with chaos and confront conflict, assertive and resilient traits needed to dominate over pacifistic ideals.
Time spent living with these characteristics dominating my ego state left my spiritual self bereft and unfulfilled. My natural balance became disrupted and I started to question and analyse the process and function of my own personality elements.
I identified three distinct personalities that each controlled and informed my life at any one time; the spiritual and vulnerable Priest, who thrived in the realm of the soul; the powerful and dominating Warrior who thrived in the realm of the physical, and keeping check between them; the rational and analytical Academic, who I often call ‘The Cop’.
The Academic lives in the middle ground of ego-states and is the stable and balanced psyche who is at his best running day-to-day situations, creating and maintaining routine. He is mindful, rational and dependable, spending his time observing, learning and creating process in order to manifest a comfortable and stable existence. Safety typically lies in this middle ground, and people crave safety. Most people would rather live a good and safe life, rather than risk taking the chance of living a great one. Most people never reach out for something more. But Martial Artist do; they understand that life isn’t always safe, and that growth comes from moving outside of the ‘safe space’. And so, they cultivate both the Warrior and the Priest elements of their personality.
In Han Mu Do, we have three primary physical practices; techniques, strikes and kicks, and form work. Techniques are our grounding, they are a balance between controlling ourselves and controlling our opponents. The Academic ego rules this practice. For the priest, who is of an introverted, creative nature; form work dominates as the practice of growth. Our power elements; strikes and kicks, see us working not with, but against our opponents energy. They exist for the extroverted Warrior ego who meets chaos head on.
To frame it another way, the Priest escapes, the Academic controls and the Warrior destroys. Working together, they cover all bases and make us well rounded, considered, and capable Martial Artists. We take care of Mind, Body and Soul through holistic practice. And as all things, our practice extends beyond the training hall.
We could achieve balance by never venturing outside of the safe middle ground, but then we’d be stifling our potential. My late headmaster used to tell me that my personality was one of “balance through extremes”. It was a comment, not a compliment, but one I now own! We are Martial Artists in and out of the Dojang. The Academic, Priest and Warrior are always with us.
Beyond the direct influence of the Academic, the other two personalities flourish. Great concepts and personal growth come from the creative Priest, who is capable of incredible leaps of faith. An evolved spirit gives us a powerful sense of peace, evolves our soul and builds a foundation of burgeoning openness. When the Priest is in control; we can be warm, imaginative, accepting and altruistic. The Priest has a wide, worldly perspective but is vulnerable because of it. Being an optimist and a pacifist by nature; outside and negative forces can be devastating to the Priest, and while his faith can be tested, it cannot weather conflict and chaos alone. Like the apt quote by former US president Theodore Roosevelt, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, the Priests vulnerability must be balanced with a capability for defence.
And so, the Warrior steps in; strong-willed and capable, he exists to meet and challenge, faring best in times of conflict.
“It is much easier for Warriors to fare well under conditions of maximum stress than to be impeccable under normal circumstances” - Don Juan Matus
Endlessly resilient due to his single-minded perspective, he is capable of great violence and determined action. Strong and resolute; when in control, the Warrior can be commanding, powerful and inspiring. He can lead or he can act alone. In moments of ‘fight or flight’, the Warrior is cultivated to survive. He is a powerful ally that protects the Priest and the Academic, whilst they provide him with grounding and purpose.
If we are out of balance, it is likely that either the Priest or the Warrior is over-dominating our psyche or that we are too rapidly swinging from one state to the other. Both are emotional creatures; the Priest susceptible to feelings of great sadness, whilst the Warrior can lose himself to the dark spaces of anger and rage.
Without balance, we lose ourselves and the holistic gains of our broadened capacities. To self-regulate, we must actively promote balancing our own ego-state. Too much anger; we meditate, practice form work, and indulge in creative practices. Too much vulnerability; we exercise, practice kicks and strikes, and engage in activity which takes our mind out of the ‘internal state’.
When in natural balance, our co-operative ego-states perpetuate a growth cycle; strengthening our bodies, evolving our spirit, and expanding our minds. We benefit from the Priest’s optimism and wholesomeness, from the Warrior’s protection, vitality and tenaciousness, and from the balanced, rational, steady state of the Academic. Combined, the Martial Artist is primed for holistic self-development, capable of meeting challenge and opportunity in equal measure, and sets himself securely on the path towards fulfilment and realised greatness.
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