Do you have standards? What do you do when your standards aren’t being met? Do you litter? If you see litter, do you stop and pick it up? If someone is behaving badly, do you look away and implement avoidance behaviour or do you intervene in some way—then or later? Should you, could you, would you?

Let me tell you a personal story. It was nearing the end of the day. My family and I had been enjoying ourselves in Vancouver, Canada at the annual end of summer’s Pacific National Exhibition, and were leaving the venue. As we were crossing Hastings Street, there was a gang of 20 or more young teenagers surrounding another young man, who was pushed to the ground. The mob kicked him, stomped on him, and spit on him. I asked my wife to take the kids to the car, and I marched into the middle of the crowd, pulling the kids off the victim, and telling them off. I got the victim to his feet and walked him away from the gang and to safety. When the mob had dispersed, I made sure the kid was safe and okay. He went off on his way, and we departed.

There was no question of not acting. I was not going to say, “This is none of my business!” I was not going to wait for someone else to respond. Acting takes the warrior mind. Acting takes preparation and discipline. Acting takes personal standards and a personal code of ethics. Clean and polish your weapons. Get them out into the sunlight. Let others know that you are armed and prepared to act. Don’t be a fungus, hiding deep in the woods and never moving!

What you do today matters. What you think has consequences. How you act speaks volumes. Can we change, or are we victims of genetics? Or are we perhaps conditioned by our environment? You can change what you do. You can change what you think, and as a result you will be changed. It is not easy. It requires discipline and commitment, so make it a habit. That way you don’t have to think about it. You just do it!

Warriors have values. Warriors have principles, and warriors have standards. You are warriors, and have the finest standards … and they shine.

Everyone around you knows that you have standards, and they admire you and respect you. They even venerate your role as warriors, and as a result of your example, many are ready to do the right thing when the opportunity presents itself. So it is written.