My friend and author Dan Millman just had his book made into a movie! This independent film is called The Peaceful Warrior, and I got to see it on the opening weekend two weeks ago. It has a limited theater release and the success of independent films lives or dies by word of mouth. This movie was amazing and I’m sure that anyone interested in warrior science would simply love this movie. Nick Nolte is one of the central characters and he gives one of the best performances of his career. This is one NOT to miss if you get the chance to see it. I know it is coming to Sonoma County for release on the weekend of June 23. You can also find information on the net.

The Compassionate Warrior:

“Don’t hit at all if you can help it; don’t hit a man if you can possibly avoid it; but if you do hit him put him to sleep.”

--- Theodore Roosevelt

I love President Roosevelt. He was one of those rare individuals who could talk the talk and walk the walk. So many of my favorite quotes from history came from this great leader who truly never forgot what it was like to be in the trenches. President Roosevelt’s words touch on two eternal truths for all warriors. First, avoid conflict whenever possible. Second, if conflict is unavoidable, then you must do battle with 100% of your soul, putting your opponent(s) down quickly and efficiently so they can no longer continue to be a threat to your safety. But there is also a third component we should consider; becoming a compassionate warrior.

I’m going to argue that one of the most important aspects of being a warrior is to be so with compassion as the central focus of your action. How do we develop this compassion? How do we feel compassion toward someone who has forced us to take action against them? How do we feel compassion toward someone who has just tried to take our life? It is the ultimate challenge in terms of our personal growth and development as warriors.

I would like to share with you an event I witnessed many years ago that will illustrate the idea of being a compassionate warrior. My Wing Chun Sifu (Kung-Fu Father) was David Anderson who studied under Eddie Chong, owner and founder of the Sacramento Wing Chun Association. Dave, as the students affectionately called him, was not an imposing figure. He stood about 5’8” in height and could not have weight more than 145 pounds. He looked skinny but muscular, and he had long thinning hair. If I were to characterize Dave I would have described him as an aging Hippie. He had a kind face and did not look like anyone who could be a physical threat. At least not until you tried to touch him! Talk about grabbing a tiger by the tail. To this day I’ve never met a man who could hit harder.

While I was taking lessons from Dave at his Dojo in Santa Rosa, California, we had a new student join. He was a huge man who was built like a power lifter. He stood about 6’ tall and about 245 pounds. A bit on the heavy side, there was no doubt that he also had a lot of muscle on his stout frame. He also had a constant look that said “I’m a bad ass”. To a certain degree he was! He was a prison guard who had seen his share of action over the years and he had that “I don’t take shit off of anyone” attitude. Picture the classic bully, sporting a wife-beater t-shirt, who could back his tough talk up. This really was a person to be cautious around because he seemed to have a hair trigger with his aggression. No one liked training with this guy, his energy was just too intense. So, for purposes of this article I’ll call him “DH”, short for Dickhead!

After training with us for three months, DH and all the other students were listening to Dave who was talking about a particular sparing point. Right in the middle of Dave’s dissertation on the finer points of developing one-inch punching power, in front of the whole class, DH informed us that he did not think what we were studying would work in a “real fight”. You could hear a pin drop. As informal as Wing Chun training is you just do not disrespect a teacher at any time, let alone in front of the whole class. I was stunned to say the least and could feel my anger rising. DH went on for some time about how many fights he had been involved in during his time as a prison guard and how he felt what we were studying was not going to work in the real world.

To our surprise Dave told him that he might be right. He told DH that he had never been involved in a “real fight” since he had started studying Wing Chun all those years ago. Dave said he never looked for trouble and never frequented places where trouble was likely to happen.

DH was pleased with this news and quickly took the opportunity to state that this proved his point. However, Dave was not quite done. He told DH that this would be an excellent opportunity to find out if his martial skills would hold up in a real fight. Dave told DH he could attack him in any manner he wanted and that he would see if he could defend himself. Now it was DH who looked stunned. He told Dave that if he was serious he would attack him with everything he had. It was all or nothing. Dave assured him he would be disappointed if DH did not put everything into his attack and the two squared off to fight.

I have to tell you at this point I was ready to vomit blood! I was a cop at the time so I had to wrestle with what I was going to do about this fight from that perspective. Even worse than my ethical struggle was the fact that I was worried about my Sifu. This guy had 100 pounds on him, and even though I knew Dave was an excellent martial artist, in the back of my mind I was worried for his safety at having to take on an opponent who was much stronger. I made some room and stood by ready to react. Turns out I had zero to worry about!

DH came at Dave with gusto, anger and rage. He attacked with everything he had; throwing powerful bombs that would have knocked out a rhinoceros if he had connected. Dave remained calm and stayed completely defensive, delivering blocks that must have felt like DH was hitting metal pipes. After about ninety seconds of attempted murder, DH literally collapsed onto the ground in a heap of defeated flesh. He had punched himself out to the point of profound exhaustion, unable to rise from the floor. Dave never struck one offensive blow as the DH bombs continued to rain down. There was no anger in his defense and indeed Dave had a relaxed smile on his face during the entire incident.

After DH hit the floor, Dave, who was not sweating or breathing hard whatsoever, walked over and with real compassion helped DH to his feet. He asked DH with an honest sincerity if he was injured and showed relief when DH said he was OK. Dave then actually thanked DH for attacking him so forcefully. He was honored to have been given the chance to test his skills and he was pleased that indeed they seemed to work well in a ‘real fight’. DH agreed and with his tail between his legs he decided to leave the dojo. Although he was welcome to continue his training DH never came back. Apparently the blow to his ego was fatal.

Dave’s story serves to remind us that it is possible to face an opponent who is bent on our demise, who is disrespectful, who is filled with hate and rage, and to do so with compassion and love in our hearts. I believe this is what all warriors should strive for in their training and execution of their skills. We should all seek to rise to this fine example Dave set for us all that day, to become a compassionate warrior!

How do you control your food intake when you are on vacation or traveling? I have a good friend who was about 100 pounds overweight. She is involved in law enforcement and does a significant amount of training that takes her on the road constantly. Eating out frequently, especially considering the huge portions of food restaurants serve these days, had taken its toll. Sick and tired of this situation she decided to begin a moderate exercise program and then she did something truly unique.

We’ve all heard about fad diets, most of which fail because they deprive you of the enjoyment of food. But my friend’s approach was so simple, so easy to implement, frankly Einstein would have been proud! This is pure genius. Her solution was to eat only half of whatever she ordered from the menu. Yep, that’s it. No matter what she was brought in terms of a portion size, she would enjoy half of the delicious food, not worrying about getting the low carb meal or the light food choices. She ordered anything she wanted and just ate half.

We’ve all heard about fad diets, most of which fail because they deprive you of the enjoyment of food. But my friend’s approach was so simple, so easy to implement, frankly Einstein would have been proud! This is pure genius. Her solution was to eat only half of whatever she ordered from the menu. Yep, that’s it. No matter what she was brought in terms of a portion size, she would enjoy half of the delicious food, not worrying about getting the low carb meal or the light food choices. She ordered anything she wanted and just ate half.

‘I control my fear at all times’

We did this mantra back in March, but it really fits in this addition of the newsletter so well and it is so important, that I want to take a look at it again from a fresh perspective. Remember, it is virtually impossible to become so devoid of emotion that fear no longer bothers us in any way. Fear is hardwired into our physiology as a survival mechanism and it is a potent survival tool we all need. The problem is when fear becomes overwhelming during flight or fight and we can no longer think or react to danger. Doing the work now, by practicing autogenic breathing and repeating this powerful mantra, will set you up for success when life decides to challenge you.

Now, sit or lie back comfortably. Take three deep autogenic breaths, pausing after you inhale and then exhaling fully and completely. After you have taken your three breaths, just breathe normally. Close your eyes and let any tension you may be holding in your muscles just begin to melt away. After you center yourself and you feel your breath quite down, repeat the mantra; "I control my fear at all times" to yourself for the next five minutes. See yourself facing your personal fear and succeeding in everything you encounter as you continue to repeat this mantra.

As many times as you can throughout your day, stop what you are doing, take one deep breath and repeat this mantra. You can do this when the phone rings, or when you look at your watch, or anytime you feel the need to just slow down for a brief moment and focus. The power of setting a positive intention throughout your day should not be underestimated. It can literally change your life. Make this short time commitment everyday and begin on the path of empowering yourself to survive.

Well, that’s all for now. Next month we will take a look at an amazing wellness tip for improving your pushup strength that you can do anytime and anywhere. I will also be back on the Rugsters soap box again with a ranting and raving tune up for all you squishy bottoms who call yourselves warriors!

Stay trained, stay tactical, stay safe!

Rodger.