Living the Martial Way

by Forrest E. Morgan; Barricade Books, 1992, 312 pgs

Living the Martial Way (subtitled: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think) is, bar none, the finest book we’ve ever seen on the mental training of a warrior. Part Two, "The Way of Honor" (pp. 137-192), is well worth the price of this book in itself.

Aside from the core concepts of honor, courage, and discipline, this fine book also discusses: training methods, fighting tactics, nutrition, and common delusions. If you are serious about walking the warrior path, you don’t need to read this book, you need to live it. It is of the upmost importance that you obtain a copy forthwith.

The only reason Living the Martial Way is not on our "Required Reading" list is because the concepts are too advanced for non-warriors to easily grasp and apply. It certainly is not intended for the meek.

In order to give you a better idea of the scope of this book, several significant excerpts follow:

"Friends, acquaintances, even family often think warriors are obsessed or compulsive, but that isn’t true. Obsessive and compulsive behavior are, by definition, traits of individuals who are unable to control themselves. The warrior is just the opposite; he is the model of control. The warrior doesn’t seek pain, fear, fatigue, and the other unpleasant byproducts of constant training because he likes them. But he knows they are obstacles between him and his objectives. His goal is to overcome them." (p. 54)

"Take some time right now and think. What do you want to achieve if you’re attacked in a dark alley? Do you want to escape your attacker, bust him up, or subdue and hold him for the authorities? Will your objectives differ if ther’s more than one aggressor? What about age? Do you react differently if your antagonists are adolescents rather than adults? . . . Decide in advance. That way, when the threat materializes you won’t hesitate in your response." (p. 80)

"Once examined, fights for "honor" almost always turn out to be fights to save face . . . Face refers to one’s reputation . . . it is, in essence, prestige . . . Face can be taken from you, so it’s something you can fight to keep. On the other hand, honor depends solely on your commitment to meet your just obligations. Since only you can do that, no-one can take honor from you . . . You can have all the face in the world and still lose your honor. Conversely, you can remain honorable no matter what the world thinks of you. Forced to choose between these two conditions, the superior warrior will pick the latter." (pp. 151-152)

"Today, warriors are still dangerous people. We are stronger and faster than our docile, sedentary peers, and we still handle most of society’s weapons. But most importantly, warriors are trained to be violent; we are hardened to the pain and emotional trauma of fighting.

Faced with a physical attack most men, and nearly all women, crumble in shock. But it is different for a warrior. Once a confrontation turns physical, the warrior’s body, mind, and spirit fuse into an unthinking, unfeeling weapon. At this point, there are no considerations of honor, no thought of consequences. In this mode, the warrior will only think of destroying his enemy. So it’s vitally important he doesn’t cross this threshold unless he’s physically threatened. Restraint is still a crucial component of honor." (pp. 164-165)

"Personal power leads the warrior to absolute dignity. A man who (lives his life as if he may) die tomorrow doesn’t act like a clown; he doesn’t make a fool of himself in public. He chooses his words carefully; he doesn’t want some trivial nonsense to be remembered as his last utterance. When men and women of power speak, others listen. They can feel the power in their words and they know these people will stand behind what they say." (p. 279)