Using the Master's Tools or My Thoughts of the Term "Spiritul Warrior"

[loreleyjacob]

 The term "spiritual warrior" makes me think of Audre Lorde's speech in the New York University Institute for the Humanities conference in 1984, in which she coined the often-quoted phrase: "the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house".

I write this as an Israeli who lived in varying degrees of war all my life. As an ex-soldier, who

Comments

[dana3]

Warrior is not the same as soldier. Your arguments are perfectly coherent -- for the soldier's experience, as you have lived it. This is not what we tend to mean (in the US) by warrior -- nevermind how the Bush crew warped the term, they warped most of English until it didn't mean what it means.

Think more 'samurai' than 'soldier'. IF the current is running rightly, and IF warrior and master are serving the same current, THEN the master gives orders/commands/suggestions/direction that most-rightly points the warrior in the right direction -- that rightly aims the arrow. They are as much aligned as arm and arrow and target. The master earns obedience and respect by wisdom.

The word warrior does not necessarily include the life of a soldier.

[loreleyjacob]

I'm not sure I agree

[dana3]

Doesn't surprise me that the IDF has an ethical code. Of course, I sort of expect EVERYthing in Israel to have an ethical code and go according to the founding principles. (Romantic idealism? You betcha, we haz it. Raised money to plant trees in Israel, trick'n'treat for Unicef every year, Israel was The Promised Land[tm].) I'm always shocked when Israel fails to act according to even the 10 Commandments, let alone the rest of the Bible

[frualeydis]

Thanks for this. Well thought and well written and though I live in a country which hasn't been at war for centuries I feel very strongly about this.

/Eva

[thegreencall]

The warrior stuff leaves me pretty cold too, but I tend to take it as metaphore anyway (even if meant earnestly