02-13-2013, 12:00 AM
Glance..
I agree largely with what you're saying here - particularly about adapting, city-life vs. non-city life, etc. I think a real warrior can BE a warrior in any environment - rather like Kwai Chang Cain walking through the world as Himself whether in the monastery or the real world. It's who we are inside that determines how we will meet the path.
I also agree that it's often a matter of choosing one's friends wisely - but the problem most warriors run into in that regard is that unless one's friends are also warriors, then one's friends are phantoms. There really is no middle ground. And phantoms, by their very nature, are always trying to pull the warrior back on the road to Ixtlan. Whether they mean well or not is irrelevant. They do what they do because they are what they are. Sure, a warrior can adapt to that for awhile or even indefinitely, but a warrior also sees the hollow emptiness in a phantom's eyes and realizes s/he is alone even in a roomful of "friends."
Another point to be considered is that don Juan clearly recognized that Carlos had not yet reached a point where he could "resist" the siren call of the phantoms. And, sorry to say, many warriors never reach that point. That being the case, I would have to stand by don Juan's initial statements:
Don Juan wrote:
I think everything boils down to one act: you must leave your friends. You must say good-bye to them, for good. It's not possible for you to continue on the warrior's path carrying your personal history with you, and unless you discontinue your way of life, I won't be able to go ahead with my instruction.
Your friends are your family, they are your points of reference. Therefore, they have to go. Sorcerers have only one point of reference: infinity. When a warrior has phantoms as his "point of reference" it really does boil down to carrying one's personal history with them. Too much baggage.
You make some good points, too. Clearly, this is one of those aspects of don Juan's teachings that can become very controversial. Also something to think about from a warrior's perspective.
QS
I agree largely with what you're saying here - particularly about adapting, city-life vs. non-city life, etc. I think a real warrior can BE a warrior in any environment - rather like Kwai Chang Cain walking through the world as Himself whether in the monastery or the real world. It's who we are inside that determines how we will meet the path.
I also agree that it's often a matter of choosing one's friends wisely - but the problem most warriors run into in that regard is that unless one's friends are also warriors, then one's friends are phantoms. There really is no middle ground. And phantoms, by their very nature, are always trying to pull the warrior back on the road to Ixtlan. Whether they mean well or not is irrelevant. They do what they do because they are what they are. Sure, a warrior can adapt to that for awhile or even indefinitely, but a warrior also sees the hollow emptiness in a phantom's eyes and realizes s/he is alone even in a roomful of "friends."
Another point to be considered is that don Juan clearly recognized that Carlos had not yet reached a point where he could "resist" the siren call of the phantoms. And, sorry to say, many warriors never reach that point. That being the case, I would have to stand by don Juan's initial statements:
Don Juan wrote:
I think everything boils down to one act: you must leave your friends. You must say good-bye to them, for good. It's not possible for you to continue on the warrior's path carrying your personal history with you, and unless you discontinue your way of life, I won't be able to go ahead with my instruction.
Your friends are your family, they are your points of reference. Therefore, they have to go. Sorcerers have only one point of reference: infinity. When a warrior has phantoms as his "point of reference" it really does boil down to carrying one's personal history with them. Too much baggage.
You make some good points, too. Clearly, this is one of those aspects of don Juan's teachings that can become very controversial. Also something to think about from a warrior's perspective.
QS