If victory is the notion of no enemy, then the whole world is a friend. The true warrior is not like a person carrying a sword and looking behind his own shadow, in case somebody is lurking there. That is the setting-sun warrior’s point of view, which is an expression of cowardice.

The true warrior always has a weapon, in any case. Many things in your life function as a weapon, a vehicle of communication that cuts through aggression. It could be anything. If you are wearing a moustache, that could be your weapon. It’s not necessary for the warrior to carry an artificial weapon, like a gun. Cowardly people carry guns because they are so cowardly, so afraid. One doesn’t have to be afraid of touching a weapon, such as a gun, or even using it when necessary, but that doesn’t mean you have to carry one all the time.

The definition of warriorship is fearlessness and gentleness. Those are your weapons. The genuine warrior becomes truly gentle because there is no enemy at all.”

— Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Smile at Fear

A lot of us choose to perceive enemies and personal attacks everywhere when we don’t have to. That includes me. We tend to take everything as a personal attack, and often indignantly feel that we have to defend ourselves and our integrity. I know that I do it, and the fact that I do it often bothers me, because I am painfully aware that the act of defending oneself so strongly usually serves to project guilt and insecurity.

Direct conflict and conventional argument are inefficient problem-solving tools. The Church used to use them to prosecute heretics, and the system probably survived so well because most of those who disapproved of it may just have been burnt at the stake. It divided everybody into winners and losers, right and wrong. Such divisiveness is almost always a bad idea. Consider how well George Bush’s “You’re either with us or against us” ultimatum fared with the global community!

For now, ask yourself- are you constantly perceiving enemies around you? As Abraham Lincoln said about dealing with the Confederates after winning the Civil War, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” Makes you think about how Honest Abe would have handled the current Middle East crisis.

And it also makes me think a lot about the General Elections 2011, all around.