It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." ~ Theodore Roosevelt (April 23, 1910)

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."
"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."
"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."
"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

There was once a stonecutter, who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day, he passed a wealthy merchant's house, and through the open gateway, saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stonecutter. He became very envious, and wished that he could be like the merchant. Then he would no longer have to live the life of a mere stonecutter.

A most important lesson

Sometimes we are so caught up in the everyday pursuits of life that we walk right by the loveliness that surrounds us.  All too often we take people for granted and that is a mistake.  This parable points to a lesson that we may have forgotten:

"During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely, this was some kind of joke.

I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.

Description to be added soon [May 21st, 2010]

(1)
To engage in an activity, the Warrior needs to know what to expect, how to achieve the objective, and whether or not he is capable of carrying out the proposed task.

Only a person who, suitably equipped, feels no desire for the results of the conquest and yet remains absorbed in the struggle can truly say that he has renounced the fruits of victory.

One can renounce the fruits, but that renunciation does not signal indifference to the results.

The Warrior of the Light remains unconvinced by those who, incapable of achieving any result at all, preach renunciation!

(2)
The Warrior knows that no man is an island.

He cannot fight alone; whatever his plan, he depends on other people. He needs to discuss his strategy, to ask for help, in moments of relaxation, to have someone with whom he can sit by the fire, someone he can regale with tales of battle.