Revolution from a Warrior’s Perspective

// January 20th, 2012 // What is a Warrior?, Wisdom

In this current social environment where it seems very easy to get lost in the blame game and point our fingers at all those we think are responsible for the inequities of our world, a quote from an interview with Carlos Castaneda in Psychology Today way back during the Vietnam War in 1972 says it best in response to whether a change in individual consciousness can even touch the rigid social structures that create our alienation,

“I came from Latin America where intellectuals were always talking about political and social revolution and where a lot of bombs were thrown. But revolution hasn’t changed much. It takes little daring to bomb a building, but in order to give up cigarettes or to stop being anxious or to stop internal chattering, you have to remake yourself. This is where real reform begins. Don Juan and I were in Tucson not long ago when they were having Earth Week. Some man was lecturing on ecology and the evils of war in Vietnam. All the while he was smoking. Don Juan said, “I cannot imagine that he is concerned with other people’s bodies when he doesn’t like his own.” Our first concern should be with ourselves. I can like my fellow men only when I am at my peak of vigor and am not depressed. To be in this condition I must keep my body trimmed. Any revolution must begin here in this body. I can alter my culture but only from within a body that is impeccably tuned-in to this weird world. For me, the real accomplishment is the art of being a warrior, which, as don Juan says, is the only way to balance the terror of being a man with the wonder of being a man.”

Perhaps if we all tried our very best to change those things within ourselves that we really don’t like, we would realize how hard fundamental change truly is, and we could approach the world and our understanding of the problems with new eyes and new vigor unknown to us previously.

Click the link to read the whole interview entitled Seeing Castaneda by Sam Keen, Psychology Today (1972)