Virtue #10 - ???

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?

Virtue #9 - Code

Mark Mireles begins his talk of Code by selecting the definition of integrity that he likes.  "Core honesty imbued by a code of conduct." (p. 67)  True Warriors have a well-defined sense of right and wrong, of good and evil.  Many cultures throughout history have established a Code to delineate what is right and wrong, good and evil.  The Japanese Samurai had Bushido.  Arthur's Knights of the Round Table had the Chivalric Code.

A true Warrior establishes their core beliefs before they develop, or accept, a Code.  Their personal experiences help shape this Code, and this Code extends into all facets of their life.  Warriors use integrity in everything they do, and this integrity becomes a resource for the Warrior when things turn rough.

If you have not already done so, take time to think about what you believe, and how these beliefs can be expressed in a Code.  Write it down.  Think about it often.  Live it.

Be a Warrior.

Virtue #8 - Bravery

Bravery is the one most people think about when there is talk of Warriors.  Most dream of being brave when the time comes.  Mireles calls it the "sexy icon" of the Warrior.  I have yet to meet a person that doesn't hold bravery in high esteem.

Mireles uses the story of Lenny Skutnik to illustrate his point.  Lenny was a federal office worker who happened to see a tragedy unfold on his way home.  The year was 1982, and Air Florida Flight 90 had crashed into the Potomac River, killing all but five people.  One of the survivors was a flight attendant, who was floundering in the icy waters as a helicopter tried to rescue her.  Enter Lenny, who doffed his coat and shoes, and dove into the icy water.   He swam out, dove down into the river, pulled the flight attendant back up, and helped her into the harness from the helicopter.  The few words here cannot adequately describe the bravery shown by Mr. Skutnik.

Mireles emphasizes what I think is a key point.  He said that Skutnik acted without any obligation to do so.  Or did he?  This is a key question for the Warrior, the Sheepdog, and the Master Teacher.  Do we have an obligation to help others?  Is their a moral obligation to choose to help others?

For the Warrior, the answer is yes.  It is a choice.

Virtue #7 - Gameness

Mark Mireles describes 'gameness' as having heart, of rising to the challenge and performing well under pressure.  As Mireles writes, "This is a characteristic that warriors cultivate through training." (p. 65)  He contrasts this with "room wrestlers," people who do well in training, but don't perform well in the match.

What sets these two groups apart?  Heart.  The Warrior does not like, or want, to lose, so when they compete, they do so with all their heart.  Mireles describes this as an innate trait, and in many ways he is correct.  However, I also believe that one can choose to never give up, to "bring it."  That is not an easy choice, but it is one available to the Warrior.

Dave Grossman's Sheepdog Tip of the Day for Dec. 12, 2011 (http://www.simple-tech.com/sheepdog/tip.php?name=during%2F65.html), is about Officer Stacy Lim of the LAPD.  While off-duty, she was set upon by some gangbangers looking to jack her car.  When she ID'd herself as a police officer, she was shot through the heart with a .357 magnum bullet that tore a chunk out of her back as it left her body. 

She returned fire, and chased after the shooter, while the reaming gang-bangers decided this Warrior was too much for them and ran off.  The shooter died of his wounds, and Officer Lim died twice on the operating table.  However, she came through, and returned to duty eight months later.  She is indeed a gamer!

As LTC Grossman so aptly wrote, "Lim had a competitive attitude that refused to lose, and she had a plan, a visualized determination to win."

That is a virtue worth having, whether you are a Warrior, a Sheepdog, or a Master Teacher. 

Virtue #6 - Testing

In Warriors, Mireles starts off his comments on Testing by writing, "A Warrior tests himself everyday to hone his skills physically, mentally, and spiritually, in a disciplined ritual of rigorous training that defines who he is." (p.63)  This is also true for the Sheepdog and the Master Teacher.

Warriors are constantly honing their combat skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts.  Their goal is to be the last man standing.  While the goals of the Sheepdog are different, they also hone their skills through drills, exercises, and personal workouts.  While the Warrior's personal workouts include physical conditioning and weapons training, the Sheepdog researches the latest in emergency preparedness/response methods.  The Master Teacher reads professional journals, attends conferences, and is constantly seeking to hone their teaching skills.

While Warriors, Sheepdogs and Master Teachers may test their skills against others, their true competition is with themselves.  It does not mean that they cannot work with others.  Often they are at their best when doing so, and in the case of the Sheepdog, their work cannot be done alone.  However, Mireles warns that if they do what they do in order to prove something to someone else, their work will have a negative effect.  A Warrior does what needs to be done, because it has to be done.  There is no room for self-serving in the work of protecting others.

Push yourself.  Always strive to be better than you are.  You are needed at your best.

Virtue #5 - Work Ethic

Mireles describes work ethic as "getting the job done and sucking it up."  This means doing what is needed to get the job done.  This seems like a lost skill nowadays.  For the Warrior/Sheepdog?Master Teacher, it's a skill that lets you take pride in your accomplishment.

Something that goes with work ethic is sacrifice.  There are always things that you could be doing instead of work.  Maybe there is a favorite TV show on, or perhaps there was a movie you wanted to see, instead of a project you are working on.  Warriors will sacrifice their wants to get the job done.  The key is to find a balance between your duty and your family.  Sometimes Warriors sacrifice their families to get the job done.  Make sure to keep an eye on the big picture.

When doing a job, things can get hard.  There may be details that cause problems, and you need to find a solution.  Frustration can set in, and you will feel like giving up.  Sucking it up means you persevere.  Sometimes the frustration comes from physical limitations.  Michael Dorn has dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder.  Yet, in spite of his dyslexia, Mike has written 25 books, hundreds of articles, and is the Executive Director of Safe Havens International the world's leading non-profit organization dedicated to the safety of children. Dyslexia is a difficult hurdle to overcome, but Mike sucked it up, overcame his obstacles, and has become very successful.

Master teachers have an excellent work ethic. There are many things a teacher could do after school hours.  Master teachers forgo many of them to grade papers, plan lessons, or reach out to their students.  They are dedicated to their children, so they sacrifice of themselves to give their students what they need to succeed.

So a solid work ethic is a a must for the Warrior, for the Sheepdog, and for the Master Teacher.

Do you have it?

Virtue #4 - Nobility

This virtue has the most meaning for me.  As a child, I not only grew up with stories of Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, John Wayne and Superman, I had the real-life examples of my grandmother taking care of my bed-ridden grandfather, slowly dying of emphysema, and my dad taking care of my mom and us kids so my mom could go to school and get her nursing degrees (Three of them!).  In all of what they did, I never saw complaint, nor did they shy from doing what needed to be done.  My grandma and my father did what they did out of love for their spouse.  That love ennobled their efforts.

Mireles writes that the virtue of nobility "sets the warrior apart."  Warriors do not do what they do because they have to, but because they have chosen to do so, a noble choice.  However nobility, as Mireles describes it, is not about that choice, but in how the Warrior  relates to others.  A police officer demonstrates nobility when he/she treats their prisoner with respect.  A Warrior demonstrates nobility when they treat a prisoner with respect. A master teacher demonstrates nobility when they treat the at-risk student with as much professionalism as their top student.  It's a matter of basic respect.

Mireles writes this about respect:
          "True respect is caring about people at a deep level, a caring
           that is related to nobility.  Respect is manifested through the
           warrior's action, and nobility is his persona.  one cannot exist
           without the other.  Warriors carry these virtues in their hearts,
           and it is what separates them from mercenaries." (p. 61)

This describes the Warrior's Paradox.  In the Sheepdog analogy, Sheepdogs are described as having a capacity for violence, but a love for their sheep.  Thus, Sheepdogs have to have a deep respect for humanity, even while they may have to engage in violence against those who seek to harm others.  Those who are able to do so demonstrate true nobility.

Master teachers learn to look beyond the behavior and see the hurt underneath.  That doesn't mean they don't hold the child accountable for their actions, but they are still human beings, and are still due respect.  Master teachers will do this, and try to address the hurt at the same time.  They don't take such actions personally.  After 23 years of dealing with middle school students, I know that if I were to have taken everything that happened personally, I would have gone insane long ago, or I would have quit and sought a new career field.

Society has given the Warrior, the Sheepdog, the teacher, a tremendous amount of trust by putting us into positions in which we protect others.  By maintaining respect for others, by holding ourselves to a higher standard, we demonstrate nobility, and thus maintain the trust that society has given us.

Are you up for that challenge?

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.

Virtue #3 - Knowledge

"Knowledge is power."  This old adage applies to Sheepdogs as well.  Mireles writes about two types of knowledge, universal and specific.  Universal knowledge is common knowledge.   This type of knowledge helps the warrior better understand Man and the world around him.  Specific knowledge has to do with the area in which the Warrior works.  There is a specific skill set in that area in which the Warrior must be proficient, so time must be set aside in which to acquire that knowledge.

For the master teacher, knowledge is obtained in numerous ways.  College courses, professional conventions, professional journals, and personal research are some of the many ways a master teacher can develop their skill set.  Networking with other educators is another way.  A master teacher is open to new ideas, and is able to use their knowledge and experience to assess ideas to see how to integrate them into what they do.

When it comes to applying knowledge, the Warrior and the master teacher should keep things simple.  The KISS principle means Keep it Simple, Stupid.  Sometimes the tendency is to employ too much knowledge, and create complex solutions that are doomed to fail.  Keep the bridge between knowledge and emergency response as clear of clutter as possible.  When you are responding to a crisis, there will be enough challenges, without you adding some of your own.

Warriors must know the tools of their trade, just as master teachers need to know theirs.  Remember that such leaning is a process, not a goal.  Use what knowledge you can develop to protect others.

Knowledge is power.

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.

Virtue #2 - Action

Mireles goes on to describe the second Warrior Virtue, Action.  A true Warrior acts in the face of danger, regardless of what that danger might be.  It could be anything from a violent situation in school to a task that will divert your attention from what you want to do.  In any case, a person with a warrior mindset doesn't procrastinate.  Procrastinate is another way of saying 'lazy'.  Warriors will do what needs to be done.

Action is not the same as busy work.  A lawyer friend of Mireles' said, "Never confuse action with results."  For the warrior, and for the master teacher, actions must be toward a valued end.  Thus, action is tied in with discipline.  This makes your actions effective, which will make effective results.

A warrior also does not tell others to do a job he or she wouldn't do themselves.  Take responsibility for your actions, and you'll gain the respect of your peers.

Source:

Christensen, Loren W.. Warriors: more on living with courage, discipline, and honor. Rev. ed. Boulder, Colo.: Paladin, 2010. Print.