There is a new movement going on right now that became more popular in the 1990s. Since then many people have been discussing the warrior archetype, by going back to the original meaning of warrior. In days of old, of course, many warriors throughout the ages and across various civilizations, prepared for battles and fought in conflicts. There was, however, a difference between the warrior and the soldier and there still is. A soldier can be a warrior, but a warrior need not be a soldier.

The old idea of the warrior was a person who fought on three fronts. First he fought the battle against pride, deceit, arrogance and the fruit of mental manipulation. This battle was as important, if not more important, then the battle against the outsider. The true warrior firstly had to be more honorable than others. Secondly, he fought against the things that poisoned his community, like the things listed above. These attitudes, and the behavioral patterns that they fostered, were understood as being as destructive as any outside attack. Thirdly, he fought against invasions from competing tribes or nations.

The warrior was a self starter. He was an independent thinker whose loyalty was firstly to his community. He didnt just follow orders. He was trained to think, not to suspend thought during each campaign. You could not be a warrior without the ability to think. Today many social justice people consider themselves warriors of compassion, a term used by Mathew Fox, President of Wisdom University quite often.

He combines the old idea of the warrior with the old idea of compassion. In biblical terms compassion meant to work to bring about justice with the other. It didnt mean working for justice for those other people, it meant working with people who were suffering injustice. This implied relationship, not paternalism. Being compassionate was similar to the idea of doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with ones God that was seen as the ultimate end of Judaism by the prophet Malachi. As you can see, this is a very old tradition being revitalized.

Compassionate Warriors live out their beliefs. They have a code of ethics that require honor, dignity, self respect and respect for others. They, like warriors of old, are part of a mystical tradition, because being a warrior of compassion is a calling to help preserve humanity, the earth, and the community in which he lives. The main difference between a warrior of compassion and a social activist, is that the warrior of compassion does the inner work, so he doesnt carry the same disease that he is fighting against. If you are interested in transforming the world and make it more just, perhaps this is a path for you. It is a path of the spirit firstly. Secondly, it is doing Karmic Yoga where your work in the world and your spiritual beliefs can readily be seen.