Proverbs 31:9 – “Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”

Art of Manliness has a recent post about the Warrior Archetype that does a great job of examining the topic of the Warrior and how it relates to manliness.  I prefer the term Armed Citizen to warrior, but the context of the AoM article is a discussion of personality, and I feel there are several aspects of the warrior archetype that should apply to an Armed Citizen.  One of the first aspects of a warrior that is touched upon is aggression.  The author comments on how often the word aggression is preceded by the term “unprovoked” in modern society, and how many modern men reign in their aggression too much and therefore end up overly passive.  As an Armed Citizen, maintaining a healthy balance of aggression is of paramount importance.  Too little aggression and we would fail to act when the time comes.  Too much aggression and we become the very kind of person we train to defend against.  The author puts it this way: “Effort. Energy. Initiative. Force. Aggression is a neutral tool that can be harnessed for either ill or good. How it is channeled makes all the difference. ”

The difference between negative aggression and positive aggression is purpose.  As an Armed Citizen you have to take the time to consider and define your area of responsibility.  Do you feel that your responsibility is to protect just your family and friends, or society in general?  Defining your purpose as an Armed Citizen allows you to focus your aggression- your energy, initiative, and force- to training for protecting those you feel most responsible for.

Mindfulness is another aspect of a warrior touched upon that has relevance to our chosen lifestyle.  There are two aspects to this mindfulness- vigilance and an awareness of the value of life.  An Armed Citizen should always be alert, constantly studying and planning.  Never become complacent.  Jeff Cooper called this “Condition Yellow.”  I have always repeated the mantra, “Head up, eyes open.”  Pay attention to those around you.  In my experience, those who best maintain situational awareness are people watchers by nature.  They are constantly interested in what others around them are doing.  If you can’t see someone’s hands or they are projecting a belligerent manner then you should be planning what you would do if they chose to be aggressive toward you.  In staying consistent with the Armed Citizen’s principle of avoidance,  we are also looking for a way to extract ourselves and those you are responsible for from any situation that arises.  This is part of valuing life.  If we can avoid a conflict, and therefore the loss of life, we should always choose to do so.  However, if avoiding the conflict becomes impossible, we will deal with the threat swiftly and with justified force in order to preserve the lives of ourselves and our loved ones.

Decisiveness comes from thorough training and planning.  Rob Pincus calls this the “Warrior Expert Theory.”  By training for defense and planning your responses to likely scenarios, you are in essence hard wiring your responses into your brain.  Your body and mind will react instinctively with the appropriate response.  Pincus says, “Train most of the time, for the things that may happen most of the time.”  This is really a form of meditation that an Armed Citizen should employ.  By devising the most detailed scenarios you can come up with, visualizing your response from the first person perspective, and envisioning yourself emerging victorious, you will program these responses into your memory and be able to respond intuitively rather than having to problem solve on the fly.  Other aspects of the warrior archetype are loyalty and dedication, both of which enable the Armed Citizen to focus on training to protect their family.  We are able to discern the difference between good pain and bad, and can emotionally detach ourselves when necessary to accomplish our goals whether in the gym, on the range, or in times of crisis.

I really recommend you check out the article on the Art of Manliness website in full.  Define your area of responsibility, be aware of your surroundings, and consider your responses to likely scenarios you may encounter.  Maximize your potential as an Armed Citizen by embracing these aspects of a warrior archetype.

-Grizz