Comments on: Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:54:06 +0000

I bought this book with high hopes that it would prove to be interesting and informative. It was neither. There are several other books which are more profound and employ a more whole-life integration approach to the topic. The general tone of this book is very militant and dogmatic. This book will appeal to warrior wanna-bes moreso than true warriors. As a veteran, I agree that war is a serious business, but read any book by a former SEAL and realize that one can be a serious warrior without being too serious.
Rating: 2 / 5
Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:37:33 +0000

LT. MORGAN IS A MASTERMIND ON SELF DISCIPLINE AND SELF CONTROL. ALL PEOPLE, WARRIORS, AND NON-WARRIORS ALIKE, COULD BENEFIT GREATLY FROM THE PRINCIPLES AND DOCTRINE FOUND IN THIS BOOK. LT. MORGAN. . . . . MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU!
Rating: 5 / 5
Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

By: Daniel Greenfeld

Daniel Greenfeld — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:02:18 +0000

First of all, we are living in the 21st century of a world dominated by modern mores. Applying the Samurai code of ethics, morality, and lifestyle simply doesn’t fit in anymore. The Samurai concept no more applies today then does the ethical practices of the European Knights from the 8th century forward. Lets start with the basics of living like a Samurai: 1. Samurai were a caste, and the position was generally something you were born into, as near the end of the Sengoku Jidai period (about 1590), the powerful warlord Hideyoshi ended all social mobility. This means that skill at arms was generally not a qualification for being a member of the samurai caste for the last 300 years of Samurai culture. Who your parents were was the qualification. 2. Samurai followed in absolute duty to their leader in a fashion that took precedence over family obligations. Samurai were supposed to kill their own children if so ordered. Samurai as a punishment often had to kill themselves too, in a very grisly manner called Seppuku. This whole honor thing was called Giri. 3. The Samurai were above the craftsmen and peasant castes. They had the right of kirisute-gumen, which was the right to kill a commoner for no reason. So a samurai could walk into your shop and just kill you. 4. These acts took their toll on the Samurai mind. Ninjo translates as compassion, and conflicts between Ninjo and Giri drove good men mad. What if your lord ordered you to kill a child? Honor demands you fulfill your request, but how could you slay an innocent little girl with tears in her eyes? 5. One more thing, and that is that Samurai were warriors. They didn’t do labor. That means unless you are making a living as a warrior, as a teacher of warriors, as an artist (a later development), or as a maker of swords, you are not being a Samurai. —Conclusion—I cannot recommend following the Samurai code of honor. Not without changing it into something completely different. Using Bushido as a code of ethics in this century resulted in countless people suffering in the first half of this century, and you still find it something worth considering? Even the European Code of Chivalry is just as flawed by our standards. Sure, it demands that you defend the weak, but it also demands that you ‘never cease in your efforts to smite the heathen. Find a modern code of ethics and follow that one. If you want something militant, go join the military. Most first world military ethical codes are decent and well thought out, and don’t turn you into a robotic drone willing to follow orders blindly.
Rating: 1 / 5
Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

By: Sensei John Hickman

Sensei John Hickman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:31:07 +0000

This book was far from enlightening. We have all heard the “warrior” banter for far to long but nobody wants to relate it to the 21st century. . . I could find the same lessons in a Conan comic book. Although well-researched, the kill or be killed rhetoric presents itself in a most mundane fashion.
Rating: 2 / 5
Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:58:19 +0000

I probably would have liked this book in my teens, but after 11 years of training I can no longer stand all the b. s. martial artists delude themselves with. It’s the 21st century – idealizing and identifying with 19th & early 20th century Asian masters and is little better than adopting the “warrior” practices of 12th century european knights. For most of the martial arts world it’s like the Ultimate Fighting Championships, Vale Tudo, Pancrase and the other Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events never happened or don’t exist. MMA no holds bared fighters, Muay Thai Boxers, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters are the true martial artists today – and they’re not warriors. Warriors carry weapons, risk their lives and train to kill people: Soldiers, Marines, SEAL’s.
Rating: 2 / 5
Living the Martial Way : A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think