The Silent Man

Never underestimate the strength of a man whose battle cry is silence.

I have been a martial artist for over 40 years now and a writer on martial arts, warrior wisdom, and warrior philosophy for almost 20 years, coining the terms “warrior wisdom” and “warrior philosophy.” And I can tell you without a doubt that you don’t have to be very concerned about those overgrown boys who are constantly bragging about their “accomplishments” or boasting about how tough they are.

It is not the braggarts, who constantly tell everyone about their exaggerated accomplishments, who are truly dangerous. Those guys are what Master Funakoshi described as kuchi bushi, which means mouth warriors; they talk the talk, but never walk the walk. There dojo is the local bar and their skills are merely fantasy.

It is the silent man who is the true warrior. You won’t find the true warrior sitting in a crowd of drinkers going on and on about his exploits. He is more likely to be quietly sitting off to the side, by himself, listening to the fantasized bragging and silently laughing to himself about what an idiot the guy talking happens to be.

True warriors have no need to brag or to try to convince others that they are tough. They know what their skills are, what they can do, and what they are willing to do. Whether or not anyone else knows those things does not concern the warrior. In fact, warriors prefer that nobody know about their exploits or their skills. After all, why give a potential enemy any advanced warning?

While the braggart wastes his time bragging to impress the losers around him, the warrior sits silently, gathering as much information as he can. The boastful fool brags about what he would do if someone crosses him, while the warrior knows what he can do and will do if he is forced to.

You will see the braggart fighting with mere words, while the true warrior has no desire to exchange insults with some idiot in a bar, and is more likely to simply walk away from the fool running his mouth. Where the braggart considers it to be act an of cowardice to walk away from an insult, the warrior knows that it is not only the wisest course of action, but an act of honor.

The warrior would rather walk away than to hurt some misguided fool and then have to deal with a corrupt legal system. He knows that silently walking away from a potential explosive situation is not only honorable, but is actually winning the fight and accomplishing his overall objective.

Winning by walking away is what Bruce Lee called “the art of winning without fighting.” He defeats the mouthy chump without the guy even knowing that he has been defeated. And I can tell you from experience that this is a much better feeling that giving someone a severe beatdown.

A true warrior’s battle cry is silence; the more silent he becomes in a confrontation, the more worried you should become. He has no desire to waste his time hurting someone, but is ready, willing, and able if he is forced into that position. Never underestimate the silent warrior. Bohdi Sanders ~ excerpt from, BUSHIDO: The Way of the Warrior, available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937884201 or from The Wisdom Warrior website at: https://thewisdomwarrior.com.