[lbo-talk] Bushido: The Way of the Armchair Warrior

[Shane Mage]

>The New Yorker
>June 4, 2004
>
>BUSHIDO:THE WAY OF THE ARMCHAIR WARRIOR
>by EVAN EISENBERG
>Issue of 2004-06-07
>Posted 2004-05-31
>
>
>Knowledge is not important. The armchair warrior strives to attain a 
>state beyond knowledge, a state of deep, non-knowing connection to 
>the universe: in particular, to that portion of the universe which 
>is rich, powerful, or related to him by blood.
>
>The unenlightened speak of failures of intelligence. But the 
>armchair warrior knows that intelligenceÓÑthe effort of the mind to 
>observe facts, apply reason, and reach conclusions about what is 
>true and what ought to be doneis a delusion, making the mind turn in 
>circles like an ass hitched to a mill. The armchair warrior feels in 
>his hara, or gut, what ought to be done. He is like a warhorse that 
>races into battle, pulling behind him the chariot of logic and 
>evidence. When the people see the magnificent heedlessness of his 
>charge, they cannot help but be carried along.
>
>The warrior spirit resides in the hara. It is this spirit, and not 
>any deed, that is the mark of the true warrior. Thus, a man who has 
>avoided military service may be a greater and braver warrior than a 
>man who has served his country in battle, sustained grave wounds, 
>performed heroic deeds, and been honored with clanking, showy medals 
>pinned to his garment.
>
>Because human beings are prone to illusion, the sounds and sights of 
>battlethe groans of the wounded, the maimed bodies of ones 
>comradesmay remain in the mind for many years, like a cloud that 
>confuses judgment. Hence, a man who has fought on the battlefield 
>and has later risen to high office may be fearful of leading his 
>people to war. Such weakness does not afflict the armchair warrior, 
>who at all times is firm in his resolve.
>
>The armchair warrior does not fear death, especially not the death 
>of other people.
>
>The unenlightened mind is easily swayed by pictures. Since it fails 
>to grasp that life and death are illusions, the sight of the 
>flag-draped remains of those slain by the enemy may make it 
>susceptible to weakness and feelings of pity. Therefore, the 
>armchair warrior does not let the people see such images, except in 
>settings that can be properly controlled, such as his own campaign 
>advertisements.
>
>Luxury is the enemy of Bushido. It saps the strength of the people 
>and makes them weak and complacent. Therefore, the armchair warrior 
>strives to take wealth away from the poor and the middle classes and 
>give it to the wealthy, who are already so weakened that they are 
>beyond help.
>
>So-called wise men complain that the armchair warrior is producing 
>deficits, emptying the coffers of the state and sinking it ever 
>deeper into indebtedness to usurers and foreign moneylenders. In 
>their wisdom, these so-called wise men are like the scholar who came 
>to speak with Nan-in. Pretending to ask a question, the scholar 
>flaunted his learning for ten minutes while Nan-in, attending 
>politely, brewed a pot of tea. When the master filled the scholars 
>cup, he kept pouring until the tea overflowed the cup, ran onto the 
>table, and dripped to the floor, forming a great puddle.
>
>The scholar, astonished, asked the meaning of Nan-ins action. The 
>mind is like this cup, said Nan-in. If you do not empty yourself, 
>how can you expect to be filled? The coffers of the state, too, are 
>like the cup. If they are not frequently emptied, how can they be 
>filled? Thus, the warrior takes it upon himself to empty the coffers 
>of the state into the pockets of his friends, his relations, and 
>other members of his class. Knowing well the corrupting power of 
>luxury, he distributes these treasures with reluctance. They are 
>accepted with equal reluctance. Yet not one among his fellows shirks 
>his duty.
>
>The goal of life is awareness; the goal of awareness is freedom. If 
>the people of a foreign land do not wish to be free, it is the duty 
>of the armchair warrior to force them.
>
>The warrior strengthens his resolve and that of his followers by 
>chanting sutras, mantras, or other strings of words, such as 
>weaponsofmassdestruction or linkstoalqaeda or 
>bringingdemocracytotheworld. It is not important that these words 
>bear any relation to reality or even that they have any definite 
>meaning. All that matters is that they be chanted repeatedly and 
>with great urgency.
>
>The Chinese word for crisis combines the characters for danger and 
>opportunity. For the armchair warrior, the significance of this is 
>clear. Every crisis is an opportunity, and the lack of crisis poses 
>a grave danger. In crisis, the people turn to the warrior for 
>guidance. Hence, if a crisis has not occurred, the warrior creates 
>one. If a crisis is subsiding, the warrior inflames it. The 
>seventy-third hexagram of the I Ching is interpreted as follows: Two 
>towers fall. When smoke fills the peoples eyes, they can be led 
>anywhere.
>
>Once, a group of travellers were on a perilous journey, in the 
>course of which they had to cross a river. Unluckily, their guide 
>forgot the location of the bridge, so the party had to ford the 
>river, which, at the place they then found themselves, was shallow 
>but very wide. After several minutes of wading through the icy 
>water, the travellers began to grumble, This guide is worthless! Let 
>us abandon him and find another! Sensing the discontent of his 
>charges, the guide cleverly led them into a deeper part of the 
>river, where the current was stronger and the footing more 
>treacherous. Help us! the travellers cried. Esteemed guide, do not 
>abandon us!
>
>The unenlightened believe it to be the height of felicity to have no 
>enemies. The armchair warrior knows, however, that only a steady 
>supply of enemies can assure him the loyalty of his friends. When 
>so-called wise men warn him that in rashly slaughtering his enemies 
>he is merely manufacturing more of them, he smiles.
>
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