Train Hard, Laugh Hard

The real warrior does his job.

The real warrior does not seek out accolades or glory.

The real warrior remembers fallen comrades as the real heroes.

The real warrior protects himself, his family, and his country out of duty, not expectation of thanks or reward.

The real warrior never brags about scraps, kills, or combat.

In the immortal words of everyone's favorite master, Yoda...

Adventure? Heh. Excitement? Heh. A Jedi craves not these things...

So, how do you pick out a true warrior from the THOUSANDS of soldiers, cops, martial artists, athletes, and other assorted toughies?

Simple. The ones that make you laugh hardest are the toughest.

It's absolutely true. The toughest men I've met throughout my life always have the best sense of humor.

While they never brag, and rarely talk of courage and honor, they often share their knowledge and experiences through humorous accounts of their adventures. Even when it concerns the most dangerous and deadliest of situations.

A few years ago, I was visiting an injured friend in the hospital who mentioned that the gentlemen in the next room were "absolutely hilarious", and that I had to stop in to say hi. As it turned out, one was a Marine who had served in the Pacific during WWII, and the other man had been a Navy SEAL and street cop.

The older man was modest about his service, and simply told funny stories of his goofy friends from basic training and in his squad.

Like most tough bastards, he didn't go into much detail about his combat experiences, but it was blatantly obvious that he was in it deep as a few of his stories revolved around to hand-to-hand combat and cleaning his bayonet.

The other man was a Vietnam Vet, who was involved in the Navy's transition from UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams) to the SEALs (Sea Air Land) in an effort to become even more effective in unconventional warfare.

He was also a police officer for one of the dirtiest and most violent towns on the East coast.

And again, this combat hardened tough-guy, completely downplayed his service by telling stories of what he and his buddies did for fun to keep themselves entertained during the war and walking the beat.

It's important to realize that Men like these epitomize what it means to be a real warrior. They survived combat on the streets and in the jungles. They went out prepared to commit violence not because they in enjoyed it, but out of a sense of duty.

Sadly society does not seem to applaud their kind of service any longer.

All over the country fire departments are in desperate need of volunteers. A young person that wants to serve in law enforcement is often discouraged in favor of more lucrative career path. And those joining the military are called stupid or murderers.

Some parents even discourage martial arts and self defense training because they don't want their children to get hurt or become violent bullies. Recently, an anti-war activist, Jesse Adam Macbeth was arrested for falsifying documents. He claimed he was a medal-winning Army Ranger who had serviced in Iraq.

However, not only didn't he serve in Iraq, but he washed out of boot camp 6 weeks in.

Conjuring up completely false accounts of orders to commit atrocities against the Iraqi people, he touted stories of killing and violent mutilation in an attempt to further his cause. But like many "fake" tough guys, he was eventually called out on the carpet and exposed for the fraud he was.

In the martial arts and self defense arena, inexperienced "tough-talkers" are unfortunately the rule, not the exception.

99.9% of all martial arts instructors have never been in so much as a kiddie playground scuffle, never mind a drag-out fight for their life.

They teach theorized, unproven, nonsense that gives practitioners a false sense of confidence, and a dangerous "untouchable" attitude that will get you killed if attacked by a hardened criminal.

And when protecting your family or your life, is not the time to find out that "Master Yells-A-Lot" really is "Master Full-of it".

REAL self defense is ugly, violent, and brutal...which is why those of us who've experienced it, dealt with it, or teach it have to balance it all out with humor.

While there is nothing funny about death, war, or violence...real "tough-guys" train hard and laugh hard. Because when it's all said and done, the laughter is what our friends and family will remember...Not the violence.

Seed Newsvine

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