Being A Warrior
by Tanrinia
Often when we hear of ‘warriors’ in societies, we think of the obvious. We think of the soldier. Obviously, going to battle fits in with this archetype quite easily. But I see the scope of warriors as going far beyond those who fight, although this should be one component of what it means to be a warrior.
Recently, police, firefighters and EMTs have also been added to the category of warrior. While they may not go to far-away places for battle, they still risk their lives in many ways to come to the assistance of people they do not know. Many give their lives in these endeavors. Many suffer from long term disabilities after a certain time. Certainly, being of assistance to people is an additional component of what makes a warrior..
There are some warriors who fight in a different way, without violence, or trying to use the least violence necessary, to right a wrong. These would be social activists on many levels, those who risk reputation, employment, family, and sometimes even lives in order to bring about a change in society in which they strongly believe. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. would fit in this category, but we could probably list many others.
Not all such warriors work on a national or international level. In many communities large and small, people work to improve their surroundings. They may work tirelessly for a bond issue they feel would improve their schools. They may raise awareness of a local pollution violation that endangers their neighbors’ health. They may organize and sustain a neighborhood block watch to protect their homes and families. Is this not what the warriors of old were doing?
This point was brought home to me many years ago. As a child, I participated in Girl Scouts, and as a Cadet, in addition to badges we had ‘Challenge Pins.’ Our local council had an “Emergency preparedness for Youth” program in which girls of middle school age would spend twelve weeks out of their summers learning all manifestations of first aid, CPR, and other things. We even learned how to help deliver a baby! To pass challenges, there was a final exam, and in this case we had to render aid and assistance at a mock disaster.
So, one spring weekend, around a hundred or so Cadets all descended upon a local Girl Scout camp to review what they had learned…and wait. Eventually the siren went off, signaling that there had been a mock airplane crash in a field nearby. A hundred or so middle school aged girls grabbed their homemade first aid kits and dashed to the field to help the “victims.” Of course, the taller and stronger girls got there first, with those of us who were “small and scrawny” (i.e., me) bringing up the rear.
By the time I had arrived, all the “victims” in view had their attendants. I was asked by one group of girls to help transport a “victim” to the medical station. I agreed, figuring I could find a “victim” of my own after I was done. However, this did not happen. I spent the entire morning transporting people from the field to the medical station, until the “emergency” was over. We had graduation and awards following that, and my parents picked me up, asking me how I did, and did I pass the challenge. My kit never having been opened once, I said “No, I did not.” Even though I had the pin, because I did not use my first aid skills, I felt I had failed.
I felt that way for an embarrassing number of years. It wasn’t until probably about fifteen years later, that I got what many readers already could see. It does no good to do first aid in the field, if you can’t transport someone to the medical station after that. I did what was necessary to help the “victims” of the emergency, without hesitation, without the search for a really badly hurt “victim” so I could impress others with my bandage-tying abilities. It wasn’t until that moment, about fifteen years later, that I believe I truly passed the challenge.
Warriors do not have to be glamorous. What warriors share is a drive to do right by their communities, even if others may disagree with their motives, methods, or conclusions. A warrior does what needs to be done, regardless of the glory that may be inherent in doing so.
