The Respect of a Spiritual Warrior

One of the most powerful aspects of a spiritual warrior is his respect – both for himself and for others. And although this sounds like a lovely thought, the question becomes, how does a spiritual warrior put the concept of respect into practice in his life? First and foremost, a spiritual warrior has respect for herself. This means that she does not create situations that go against herself – like going to a party and somehow ending up with someone she does not want to be with (now that she’s not drunk anymore). Nor does she victimize herself with the daily situations that life presents her with. For example, if she gets a flat tire, she doesn’t get angry and have a fit because she understands it’s not personal and doesn’t want to use life’s situations to raise her blood pressure and make herself sick. In addition, a spiritual warrior knows that he cannot respect himself if he does not respect others. Rather than getting upset with others because they have different points of view, he respects their opinions and does not judge them. He realizes some points of view create pain and suffering and others uplift, but he does not get angry if someone is doing or saying something that doesn’t align with his belief system. He knows that if he doesn’t respect others’ opinions, they will never respect his.

A spiritual warrior never turns herself into a victim. If she victimizes herself, then she realizes she has no self-worth, and is living her life from the point of view of self-pity and self-importance. This way of living is the antitheses of self-respect. Rather than enjoying the “rush” a victim gets from the emotions of righteous indignation, a spiritual warrior gets her “rush” from the emotions of inner peace and happiness.

Spiritual warriors are always grateful for their path in life, but they don’t criticize others for not following the same path as them, nor do they seek to make others’ paths wrong. They have a deeper understanding of the perfection of life and have respect for the way life unfolds. With that understanding, a spiritual warrior never takes what happens in life to heart.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you get angry when things do not go your way in life?

• Do you allow others to walk over you, and then do you end up projecting your anger at them because of your inability to set a boundary?

• Do you get yourself in dramatic situations that just seem to “happen” to you?

• Do you impose your opinion on others and have the need to make them wrong?

If you engage in any of these behaviors, it’s time to take a look at what you are creating in your life and start adopting the respect of a spiritual warrior!