The warrior’s purpose is to protect the women, children, and elders of his society, as well as their possessions, provisions, and land. Today, that role has been taken by the police and military; but still, many are compelled to walk the path of the warrior due to a primitive aspect of their nature deeply embedded in the psyche that demands recognition and validation. Even though, officially, they have been told that others are to be responsible for the safety of their families, they cannot deny what they are. They cannot live any other way. They are warriors.

Every society has a warrior element. Persons of the warrior class can be found at all strata of society, from the wealthy to the indigent. Warriors can be of any race, nationality, or religion. They can hold widely divergent political beliefs, but are often apolitical. They can be large or small, young or old, and can be of either gender. They can work at any profession, and often hide their true nature from others, and sometimes even from themselves. But while warriors all have different physical appearances and different places in society, they all share three similar characteristics:

1. An indomitable will.

2. The willingness to die for what they believe to be right.

3. The ability to use lethal force.

Because of these characteristics, the warrior is often feared and misunderstood by society, and the ruling class will often take steps to either bring warriors under their direct control or render them powerless (you may read the essay entitled "The Persecuted Warrior Class" for more information on this phenomenon).

The warrior’s indomitable will makes him autonomous. No tyrant can enslave his mind. He will not be cowed by threats or swayed by bribes. He cannot be forced to do things that he feels to be wrong. This is what disqualifies many policemen and soldiers from being true warriors (a concept that is alien to their regimented existence in which bullies and blowhards rule, and subordinates are routinely expected to follow unsound orders without question or complaint). Furthermore, the superhuman will of the true warrior is such that he can perform tasks far beyond the abilities of the average person, and survive situations and injuries which would cause most others to perish. The warrior may fail, and he may be defeated, but he will never give up.

The thing that scares most people is not the warriors autonomy nor his skill-at-arms, but his genuine willingness to die without hesitation for what he believes to be right. "That is irrational!" they cry, thinking the warrior a fanatic rather than heroic. Many people so value life, not comprehending its true meaning, that they would rather act cowardly or submissively than risk injury or persecution. Not so the warrior. He must live with his actions. He must face himself in the mirror each day. It would be unacceptable to him to act, or fail to act, in a manner which would shame or bring dishonor upon himself. If an individual’s loved one was in imminent danger of being brutalized or killed by assailants, many people would retreat, hide, and possibly call the police. A warrior would instantly interpose himself between his loved one and the threat, whether armed or not, without any thought as to his safety. He would do anything to protect his loved one, and would not stop fighting until he was killed. Often, just seeing that someone is unafraid of death is enough to give most assailants second thoughts. Having come to terms with the concept of death long ago, the warrior is unafraid of it. He realizes that death comes to us all, sometimes quite suddenly and in unexpected ways, so he enjoys life as best he can and does nothing that would reflect poorly upon his character, as he knows that each day might be his last.

The warrior also possesses significant skill-at-arms. He is familiar with both modern and primitive weaponry, and has both the ability and temperament to kill his enemy barehanded, if required. The ignorant and fearful will call him "violent," and accuse him of having an unhealthy "fascination with weaponry," but that is not the case. The warrior, being familiar with the true nature of violence and its many social, legal, and medical repercussions, will take pains to avoid it whenever necessary, resorting to it only when no other option exists. Weaponry is a tool of the trade, an extension of the self, a talisman against death, a medium for self-improvement, and often serves as aesthetically pleasing display pieces. Only the impotent and deranged are obsessive about such things.

Because of what he knows, the warrior is visibly different from the faceless, generic masses of sleepwalking humanity. Because of his intimate familiarity with death, he has an unusually high level of self-control. He does not lose his temper easily, nor does he ingest intoxicants to excess. He exercises restraint and moderation in all things. Because of what he knows, the warrior has a great deal of self-confidence. He will look you in the eye when he speaks to you, and shake your hand with a firm dry grip. He speaks the truth, and keeps his promises. He cares not what others think of him, nor does he fear any man. He knows that he is living life as it was meant to be lived, and is performing his daily tasks to the best of his ability, so he does not live under the same cloud of fear and uncertainty as does the rest of humanity. How could you insult or belittle such a man? What would it matter if you did? He knows what he is, and is content.

There is a species of creature out there that does not know what it is, and is not content. It sees false depictions of the warrior on television and in the movies, is envious of this distorted image, and tries to emulate it. This species is known as the "false warrior."

The false warrior wants very badly to gain the prestige and respect due a true warrior, but try as he may, his goal eludes him. Respect must be earned. Before others can respect you, you must respect yourself, and the false warrior — ever unsure of the untested abilities he believes he possesses — tends to have low self-esteem. The false warrior may be physically strong, and may even have a high I.Q., but emotionally he is very immature. His actions are proof of this immaturity. At this point he can go in one of three possible directions:

1. He can evolve, developing positive qualities over a period of time.

2. He can change, looking upon his past as a "phase" to be outgrown.

3. He can degenerate, losing himself in a fantasy world and alienating himself from society.

The false warrior has little restraint, often doing whatever he feels like impulsively. He loses his temper easily, even when unwarranted, for an excuse to assert his dominance over others by bellowing and smashing things. He swaggers about, bumping aside the unwary and carrying on in a loud, boisterous manner. He may be extremely competitive, enjoying "winning" above all else and keeping score of his manliness by the number of people he’s bullied, the number of women he’s dominated sexually, the amount of money he is "worth", and his capacity for imbibing alcoholic beverages. Machismo is the code he lives by, not honor. It is unfortunate that many such individuals find acceptance within the ranks of the military and law enforcement.

Please do not think that the following three paragraphs show antipathy towards the Armed Forces or various law enforcement agencies. Those soldiers and policemen who perform their jobs competently and fairly have our respect and friendship. However, most of these outstanding individuals would share our contempt and disgust for those who would make a mockery of these fine institutions through their despicable behavior.

The typical false warrior within the military either shows cowardice or ineptitude under fire, then vents his frustrations by committing war crimes against unarmed civilians or bound POWs. In many instances, the false warrior may receive an officer’s commission and then choose to give orders from the safety of the rear (or a helicopter far overhead) — after which, he will often recommend himself for unearned medals (which are routinely denied to the actual heroes). Another example is the reservist or National Guardsman who affixes to his uniform badges and tabs from schools he did not attend (and would’ve surely washed out of if he had). Although such behavior is actively discouraged, and sometimes even punished, sadly, it is not uncommon.

The false warriors amongst law enforcement present a far more serious dilemma. Whereas the military is, in effect, a "closed society" (where the soldiers are usually rendered impotent through denial of live ammunition — even when posted in hostile territory) having only limited contact with the civilian populace, law enforcement personnel (federal, state, county, municipal, and "other") not only walk freely amongst us with loaded weapons, but are empowered by the government to stop us on the street, intervene in our personal affairs, rummage through our vehicles, and otherwise "protect" us. Although the false warrior may make a great show of strength, and thus expect awe and admiration from the common citizenry (particularly the womenfolk), it is often a mask which conceals his true nature — which often is cowardice.

You think not? Why then the team of fully armored ninja commandos, screaming obscenities as they burst into a trailer, leveling submachineguns at a couple of feeble hippies growing a few marijuana plants? Why then the group of undercover officers who fire over 50 rounds at an unarmed suspect, simply because someone thought he might be "going for a gun?" Why then the innocuous .22 rifle (found unloaded in a suspect’s closet after he’d "consented" to let police "have a look around") presented to the media as if it were a belt-fed .50 caliber? And why then the "brave public servant" who, convicted of felonious misconduct and separated from his gun and backup, hangs himself in his cell rather than be released into the jail’s general population? Yes, there are a great many courageous and diligent policemen out there, but over the years they’ve become far more scarce. Much more often one seems to be confronted with officious pricks who must do everything exactly "by the book," or arrogant bullies who seem to enjoy intimidating others. We need warriors to protect us, not wussies who’re terrified at the thought of having a dull pocketknife pierce their layers of Kevlar!

Unfortunately, true warriors are in short supply. . . and the false warrior is a poor substitute.

A more inferior class of false warrior is envious of the strutting macho bullies, but for one reason or another is unable to find acceptance among them. Often due to some physical, mental, or emotional defect, he is unable to serve in the military or law enforcement, but is obsessed with the regalia and jargon nonetheless. Though he may boast of his bravery and fighting skill, he is usually a delusional coward. The more inferior false warrior may fashion a costume in imitation of the distortions he sees on TV. The usual costume is either all black or camouflage — sometimes in the "tiger stripe" pattern commonly attributed to elite units. Sometimes, if he has ventured too far into his fantasy world, he may even purchase the insignia of elite military units to affix to his costume, often boasting of his fictional exploits with such a unit. Some have gone so far as to spend large sums of money on unearned medals to display on their wall and claim as their own. He may even carry a large sheath knife or holstered handgun openly, or only partially concealed, in hopes of thereby instilling fear and respect in those around him. In some cases, he may go so far as to unlawfully carry a counterfeit police badge on his person. These are all-too-common occurrences amongst the mentally-ill, criminal outcasts known collectively as "freaks."

The freak is usually a loner due to his poor social skills and inadequate hygiene. He often abuses alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medication to dull the pain of being alive. If he is able to, he will acquire an autoloading rifle "for home defense" — often a cheap weapon like the SKS, a shoddy post-ban 9mm carbine (like the Hi Point), or one of several .22s accepting detachable magazines (which he will then "militarize" with a black plastic folding stock, laser designator, and multiple banana clips if he can afford to do so).

An unusually high percentage of freaks are employed as "uniformed security." These minimum-wage-earnin’, polyester-pant-wearin’, Maglite fondlin’, squarebadges tend to take their jobs very seriously. They may envision themselves as some sort of Action / Adventure hero in their frequent daydreams, carry their security officer badge in their wallet when "off-duty," and refer to themselves as being "employed in law-enforcement." They take the most mundane regulations as gospel, may elect to create new regulations (when the whim strikes them), and live for the day that they’ll be able to initiate a "citizen’s arrest." The security guard freak often may purchase a counterfeit police badge (either at a novelty store or via mail order), police scanner, handcuffs, and even a magnetic revolving emergency light for his vehicle! If the freak begins to actually "flash" his badge at others while impersonating a police officer, he would then be categorized as a "badge freak."

Many freaks like to fantasize that they are some sort of mysterious assassin-type, and will begin collecting knives, poisons, and flea-market kung-fu weapons. They will invariably own a mask and gloves (usually black), and will practice their "art" by firing off a series of high spinning kicks at imaginary opponents, or sticking novelty "throwing stars" in his bedroom walls. Their "training" may include peeking in windows and killing the neighborhood cats. Sometimes, they will even purchase mail-order books about the mythical "death touch" in hopes of mastering it. If this type of freak both owns a "creeping costume" and regularly carries weapons, he would be categorized as a "ninja freak."

Other species of freak would include: the "Rambo freak," the "sniper freak," the "bomb freak," the "vampire freak," and the typical "Satanist." There are many different ways to categorize the freak, but they are all pretty much the same — it is just the modus operandi which becomes individualized.

When a freak talks to those he feels comfortable with, he will eventually turn the conversation to the subject of weaponry and tactics — even when it is obviously inappropriate to do so. When he feels threatened or inadequate, he may boast of his weapon collection or make sinister comments insinuating what might happen to his "enemies." He sometimes may impulsively injure other people, animals, or even himself. Freaks often have a history of firestarting, and may very well graduate to arson.

Women are repelled by him, so he will often accumulate a large collection of pornography (or even molest children) in order to feel adequate. As his condition deteriorates and more stressors are introduced, he may feel compelled to kill others in hopes of alleviating stress. Being a coward as well as a degenerate, he will try to act out his fantasy with as little physical risk to himself as possible (if he were to engage a worthy opponent, he might be injured — and there goes his delusion of omnipotence). His targets are invariably unarmed, and often are women. He may use his rifle to snipe at passing cars from hiding, or he may use his "ninja skills" to creep into women’s apartment windows to attack them as they sleep, or he may decide to end his pathetic existence in a terrorist rampage at his school, workplace, shopping mall, or least favorite fast food eatery.

Freaks are odious, troll-like creatures who ought to be exterminated upon discovery . . . but, unfortunately, such activity is unlawful. What is fortunate is that many of them are discovered (and subsequently institutionalized or incarcerated) before they reach adulthood — but usually they need to have actually harmed someone before any such action can be taken.

What is unfortunate is that the ignorant masses, dependant upon the incompetent news media for information about the world around them, misunderstand and distrust the nature of the true warrior — ridiculing him and putting him in the same category as the false warrior and the freak. Thus, the warrior is oft maligned. Shunned by polite society, the warrior must keep his true nature a secret.

The warrior must walk his path alone, in silence.