Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Be a Peaceful Warrior

There are a variety of different movies that teaches us about awareness, consciousness, life and truth. These movies are found to have the power to change perception, beliefs and the level of awareness towards seeking truth. See the list by Collective Evolution here. I recently finished a movie titled "Peaceful Warrior" starring Scott Mechlowiscz and Nick Nolte. One of the movies from that list. This movie was based on a book by Dan Millman, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, which was based on true events. It is an enlightening movie about a college gymnast whose meeting with a stranger changed his life. As I listened vicariously to the teachings and quotes by the characters in the movie, I felt a sense of understanding which has awakened a part of me inside. These words suddenly gave me a new perception of understanding of myself and Life.

There is a peaceful warrior inside each and everyone of us. As explained by Dam Millman, all of us living on Planet earth are in training to be a peaceful warrior. We all strive to have peace and happiness for ourselves. However, life just seem to have the upper hand on affecting us to a point of confusion and hopelessness. There are times when all you wish you had was a warrior inside you to do what you think you cannot. I have been there. I have felt lost and overwhelmed by the happenings around me that have left me depressed. It felt that I was not heading anywhere in my life and how my life just cannot kick-off to what I perceive it should be like. Have you ever felt this way? To feel that you are lost in place, and everything just seem to not make any sense at all. A feeling that you were meant to do something with purpose but yet, it is still not happening as what you intended.

“If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever.” 

“The birth of the mind is the death of the senses” 

“everyone tells you what's good for you. they don't want you to find your own answers. they want you to believe theirs.” 

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” 

“I had lost my mind and fallen into my heart.” 

Do not despair. The harder it gets, the more wiser you will be. It all comes down to perception and awareness of your life. It took me years to understand this concept but I managed to be, as I am now.
Initially, my perception was changed in a very pivotal moment of my life, of what I see and how I felt about my past, through a kind of workshop called Asiaworks Basic and Advance Training. Asiaworks Training is an organisation that addresses the personal growth and self-awareness, organisational commitment, leadership, teamwork and effectiveness of the attendees. Read more about them here. This is where I came to make peace with my past and understanding the beliefs that I have attained on certain things like my parents, family and fate. "I, like god do not pay with dice" - V from vendetta. It was an eye opening moment which suddenly have me seeing my life's journey to be of purpose. I stood there in that room filled with emotions that I have never felt before, and that made me feel more human than I have ever been for the past 18 years. It made me feel that I was in the right place, at the right time. That my life's road was and is on course no matter the difficulty and obstacles I had faced. I came out with an affirmation that I am an honest, kind and loving person. Somehow, it created a higher level of awareness towards myself and my surroundings. It opened up many opportunities that had me feeling that life will never be the same.

“It is better for you to take responsibility for your life as it is, instead of blaming others, or circumstances, for your predicament. As your eyes open, you'll see that your state of health, happiness, and every circumstance of your life has been, in large part, arranged by you - consciously or unconsciously.” 

“. . . Action always happens in the present, because it is an expression of the body, which can only exist in the here and now. But the mind is like a phantom that lives only in the past or future. It's only power over you is to draw your attention out of the present.” 

“Enlightenment is not an attainment, it is a realization. And when you wake up, everything changes and nothing changes.” 

“A warrior doesn’t seek pain, but if pain comes, he uses it.” 

“The earth isn’t solid. It is made of molecules and atoms, tiny universes filled with space. It is a place of mystery, light, and magic, if you only open your eyes.” 

Years have passed from that moment but memories tend to fade and practice, forgotten. This harsh reality had made me trapped within the cages of my mind. Fear and uncertainty envelopes me with the ever changing cycles of forced responsibilities and greed. Insecurity has made me doubt and question my every actions to the preference of others. It made me sway off course a few times but it was never difficult to reflect and understand. It just took time. It was difficult to be aware of yourself when this reality has put forth a yearning for more. Yearning to earn and seek more. When circumstances changed, we tend to change as well. It only depends on the actions you put forth with or for that change. Fast forward to the second pivotal change of my life, it was of my wife. We had been in a relationship for almost 10 years but it seems that it was not working out for both of us then. No matter, I felt a deep sense of loss when we decided to walk away from each other. I could not find the words for it but I knew deep within that my life can never be, without her in it. This is the moment I realised that there is no past that has the power to keep me and there is no future that can be depended on to be exactly what I wish it would be. There is only now, and now means doing.

“There are no ordinary moments.” 

“The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination.” 

“A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does” 

“The warrior is Here, Now.” 

“Everything you'll ever need to know is within you; the secrets of the universe are imprinted on the cells of your body.” 

I found that to be a peaceful warrior, it takes hardship and grief. It takes difficulty and sometimes impossibility as these moments will only define who we are as a person. Look at the choices that you have made before and reflect if that was out of fear or living. Now is the only important moment in Life. It will take time for you to have the highest level of awareness in your life to the point you understand that every circumstances does not define you. The choice does. The only way to ascend towards being a peaceful warrior is to practice it frequently. Practice humiliation, reflection and kindness. Start by letting go and cleaning the mess that is hindering you to live. Clear the doubt, insecurity and uncertainty. Love! Life is full of circumstances and it is you who will need to decide who and what will be your teachers. Do it monthly, daily, in moments and soon enough you will realise that a peaceful warrior is never the destination, but the journey of which you have taken part in.

“A fool is ‘happy’ when his cravings are satisfied. A warrior is happy without reason. That’s what makes happiness the ultimate discipline” 

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

All quotes in italics are obtained from the following site: 
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/856599-way-of-the-peaceful-warrior-a-book-that-changes-lives?page=3

Origination:  Book titled 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior' by Dan Millman

LINK1 http://www.collective-evolution.com/2012/01/05/ce-list-movies-with-truth-or-consciousness/
LINK2 http://www.peacefulwarrior.com/faq/becoming-a-pw
LINK3 http://www.asiaworkstraining.com/about.html

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