Gangleri wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 7:58 pmMy answer gets deeper when considered that for me a hero is someone who strives to triumph over oneself daily; conquering weaknesses and vices, solving out one's personal darkness, and transforming them into power and virtue.
Wise words, it's easy to agree.
Gangleri wrote: ↑Thu Jun 10, 2021 7:58 pm"Detached violence" (in battle and war) is something that many Evolian traditionalists seem to hold on to, and it stems from the traditional teaching of the "lesser holy war" fought against one's enemies. My own conviction is that this line of spiritual / esoteric development (dying heroically in battle) came first into its end after Vedic times and after the appearance of Sakyamuni Buddha, and the last line of the traditional warrior's path closed after the Templars. But as Ervast also said, there are still people who strive to accomplish something via very old paths, and I also think that people with some kind of spiritual ideals can still walk a hero's path in war.
Ah, now we're entering warrior territory. I remember Ervast writing about how it's possible to walk the way of the old covenant, but as he was very much a pacifist I doubt he'd approve of violent methods.
Violence is a tricky subject, since I at least don't have a definitive answer to what it actually is and what it is not. Anyone who has ever used violence knows that the actual experience is quite different than the ideas we might have about the justification of violence beforehand. I once used very mild and controlled violence in a situation where it was definitely called for (is violence ever necessary is of course a more complicated issue, but in this situation I had no choice and no time to do any deep thinking). Afterwards I didn't feel any sense of victorious glory or anything even remotely close to that. I felt sick to my stomach for weeks afterwards. So when it comes to violence, it's one thing to have grand philosophies about it and a whole other can of worms to actually do it. That's one of the reasons I'm very pessimistic about any battle fantasies, even though there's obviously a part of me that engages in them also. Often people have all sorts of grandiose reasons for justifying violence or ill-treatment towards humans and/or animals but when they're faced with suffering face to face all reasons turn to ashes.
But even in modern times there is surely a need for warriors. A warrior to me is someone of virtuous action. Someone who drags people out of a burning car (and has the muscle for it!), or takes some form of action when there's a threat of violence towards someone else, or goes to a school to stop an active shooter, etc. etc. The modern kshatriya are the dependable heroes who act when the situation gets dangerous or when someone gets a heart attack and others stand around or walk away pretending they didn't see anything or thinking "It's not my problem."
A song for all the warriors out there.