Mark Mireles has given us nine Warrior Virtues that I have tried to apply to Sheepdogs and Master Teachers. To understand the tenth virtue, Mireles reminds us of an old Greek aphorism, "know thyself."(p. 67) The Greeks knew that introspection was needed to internalize what they learned. So it is with us. Some of the best ways to teach is to use open-ended questions that force the student to bend their minds to increase their understanding. In the Bible, these types of questions were called parables. It is in this spirit that Mireles leaves the tenth virtue blank. It is for each person to come up with their own tenth virtue.
Mireles describes a pair of ill-fitting wrestling shoes that taught him his virtue. He realized that nothing will ever be perfect in the ring, and later in life, yet a Warrior will always give his best, no matter what position they find themselves in. He wore those shoes until they fell apart to remind him of that lesson.
My epiphany came on September 20, 2002, when a tornado touched down near my elementary school. When it ripped off some rooftop ventilators, and children and teachers began screaming, I found myself immediately running toward the tornado. Later, I would wonder why.
The realization I came to was not that I was afraid of not fulfilling my responsibility, nor was I afraid of being seen as cowardly, even though those played a small part in it. I was afraid of losing my people. The emotion driving that fear was, and continues to be, love.
When I am giving responsibility for people, whether they be children or adult, I cannot see them as a burden, I see them as people worthy of my life. That requires love. "No greater Love than this, that a man lay down his life for others." (John 15:13)
What is your tenth virtue?
Virtues do not just appear. They are learned, not just by one person but acquired over generations. It's not just what is right and wrong, or lessons of responsibility but an understanding of what it is to be human and our connection to each other.
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