Good and bad, ups and downs – That is the natural cycle. Changes happen. Without change, there would be no cycles … as life, and the world, would remain stagnant, and without cycles, the status quo would be a permanent condition. Day changes to night, and then back to day. That’s the daily cycle. There’s a cycle of week, month, years, and seasons. There’s the life cycle. On a more personal note, there is the cycle of your emotions. Someone or something has been promoting a lie, a myth, a dysfunction, and a disservice that implies we should remain calm, centred, at peace, and tranquil at all times. They (or it) tell us that confrontation must be avoided at all costs, and at all times … and that we must seek peace and harmony for all.

What a load of crap! Do not buy into this misguided attempt to destroy us. The true warrior knows that it takes confrontation to grow. It takes struggle to learn.

The true warrior knows depression. The true warrior knows sadness. The true warrior knows failure … but the true warrior also knows that depression, sadness, and failure are not permanent conditions; they are part of a cycle. The key is to acknowledge your emotional extremes and try not to let them cloud or subvert your intellectual capacity. The true warrior, when experiencing emotional extremes, implements safety-net rules, such as:

“When I am very angry, I will not act out. Instead I will marvel at my passion, acknowledging the power within me. I will watch the storm cycle down to a level where I can engage my brain without inappropriate and thoughtless action.”

True warriors are grateful that they are able to experience the full range of human emotional responses, without severe consequence to themselves or those around them.

The true warrior embraces cyclical variations of every kind, and does not try to impose order upon what is truly a chaotic environment. The true warrior knows that it is through sacrifices that we, as a whole, grow stronger. This is not evil, or callous. It is the nature of life. You are warriors, and by embracing the truth of your existence, you will not struggle fruitlessly but only when it is appropriate and right. With struggle and conflict, you will grow into a success. So it has been written.