Sublime

Fight for this alone: the man who stands at your shoulder. He is everything, and everything is contained within him. The soldier’s prayer today on the eve of battle remains not “Lord, spare me” but “Lord, let me not prove unworthy of my brothers.”

Get Tough! How to Win in Hand-to-Hand Fighting, as Taught to the British Commandos, and the U.S. Armed Forces, by W. E. Fairbairn. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press, 1974.

But best of all, he shared with me his prayer, the Invocation of the Muse from Homer's Odyssey, the T. E. Lawrence translation.

This, too, can bear;—I still Am Belisarius!

“The secret of Saladin’s success in war,” Yusuf continued, “was that his heart was at peace.”

Code of the Samurai,—the Art of Death which makes our soldiers exult in self-sacrifice;

Were I a king, pensively Would I pace the corridors of the palace. The path I walk goes through the pine-trees; The sea is blue, a butterfly flits by. Miyoshi Tatsuji

It is about having concern for others, building horizontal relationships, and taking the approach of encouragement. All these things connect to the deep life awareness of “I am of use to someone,” and in turn, to your courage to live.

In the Orient young bulls are tested for the fight arena in a certain manner. Each is brought to the ring and allowed to attack a picador who pricks them with a lance. The bravery of each bull is then rated with care according to the number of times he demonstrates his willingness to charge in spite of the sting of the blade. Henceforth will I reco