Warrior of the Light

by Paulo Coelho

“What is a Warrior of the Light?” “You already know that,” she replied with a smile. “He is someone capable of understanding the miracle of life, of fighting to the last for something he believes in—and of hearing the bells that the waves set ringing on the seabed.” He had never thought of himself as a Warrior of the Light. The woman seemed to read his thoughts. “Everyone is capable of these things. And, though no one thinks of himself as a Warrior of the Light, we all are.” He looked at the blank pages in the notebook. The woman smiled again. “Write about the Warrior,” she said.

A Warrior of the Light knows that he has much to be grateful for. Angels help him in his struggle; celestial forces place each thing in its place, thus allowing him to give it his best. His companions say: “He’s so lucky!” And the warrior does sometimes achieve things far beyond his capabilities. That is why, at sunset, he kneels and gives thanks for the Protective Cloak surrounding him. His gratitude, however, is not limited to the spiritual world; he never forgets his friends, for their blood, mingled with his on the battlefield. A Warrior does not need to be reminded of the help given him by others. He is the first to remember and he makes sure to share with them any rewards he receives.

A Warrior of the Light does not rely on strength alone, he makes use of his opponent’s energy too. When he enters the fight, all he has is his enthusiasm, the moves, and strikes that he learned during his training. As the fight progresses, he discovers that enthusiasm and training are not enough to win: what counts is experience. Then he opens his heart to the Universe and asks God to give him the inspiration he needs to turn every blow from his enemy into a lesson in self-defence. His companions say: “He’s so superstitious. He stopped fighting in order to pray; he even shows respect for his opponent’s tricks.” A Warrior does not respond to these provocations. He knows that without inspiration and experience, no amount of training will help him.

A Warrior of the Light knows what he wants. And he has no need to waste time on explanations.

It’s odd,” the Warrior of the Light says to himself. “I have met so many people who, at the first opportunity, try to show their very worst qualities. They hide their inner strength behind aggression and hide their fear of loneliness behind an air of independence. They do not believe in their own abilities, but are constantly trumpeting their virtues.” A Warrior reads these messages in many of the men and women he meets. He is never taken in by appearances and makes a point of remaining silent when people try to impress him. He uses these occasions to correct his own faults, for other people make an excellent mirror. A Warrior takes every opportunity to teach himself.

Before embarking on an important battle, a Warrior of the Light asks himself: “How far have I developed my abilities?” He knows that he has learned something with every battle he has fought, but many of those lessons have caused him unnecessary suffering. More than once he has wasted his time fighting for a lie. And he has suffered for people who did not deserve his love. Victors never make the same mistake twice. That is why the Warrior only risks his heart for something worthwhile.

A Warrior of the Light knows that certain moments repeat themselves. He often finds himself faced by the same problems and situations, and seeing these difficult situations return, he grows depressed, thinking that he is incapable of making any progress in life. “I’ve been through all this before,” he says to his heart. “Yes, you have been through all this before,” replies his heart. “But you have never been beyond it.” Then the Warrior realizes that these repeated experiences have but one aim: to teach him what he does not want to learn.

Warriors of the Light always have a certain gleam in their eyes. They are of this world. They are part of the lives of other people and they set out on their journey with no saddlebags and no sandals. They are often cowardly. They do not always make the right decisions. They suffer over the most trivial things; they have mean thoughts and sometimes believe they are incapable of growing. They frequently deem themselves unworthy of any blessing or miracle. They are not always quite sure of what they are doing here. They spend many sleepless nights, believing that their lives have no meaning. That is why they are Warriors of the Light. Because they make mistakes, because they ask themselves questions, because they are looking for a reason they are sure to find it.

The Warrior of the Light does not worry that, to others, his behavior might seem quite mad. He talks out loud to himself when he is alone. Someone told him that this is the best way of communicating with the angels, and so he takes a chance and tries to make contact. At first, he finds this very difficult. He thinks that he has nothing to say, that he will just repeat the same meaningless twaddle. Even so, the Warrior persists. He spends all day talking to his heart. He says things with which he does not agree, he talks utter nonsense. One day, he notices a change in his voice. He realizes that he is acting as a channel for some higher wisdom. The Warrior may seem mad, but this is just a disguise.

A Warrior of the Light does not waste his time listening to provocations; he has a destiny to fulfill.

The Warrior of the Light remembers a passage from John Bunyan: “Although I have been through all that I have, I do not regret the many hardships I met, because it was they who brought me to the place I wished to reach. Now all I have is this sword and I give it to whoever wishes to continue his pilgrimage. I carry with me the marks and scars of battles—they are the witnesses of what I suffered and the rewards of what I conquered. “These are the beloved marks and scars that will open the gates of Paradise to me. There was a time when I used to listen to tales of bravery. There was a time when I lived only because I needed to live. But now I live because I am a Warrior and because I wish one day to be in the company of Him for whom I have fought so hard.”

The moment that he Begins to walk along it, the Warrior of the Light recognizes the Path. Each stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field. Then, accepting the help of God and of God’s Signs, he allows his Personal Legend to guide him toward the tasks that life has reserved for him. On some nights, he has nowhere to sleep, on others, he suffers from insomnia. “That’s just how it is,” thinks the Warrior. “I was the one who chose to walk this path.” In these words lies all his power: He chose the path along which he is walking and so has no complaints.

Anything of importance will remain. Anything useless will disappear. It is not the Warrior’s responsibility, however, to judge the dreams of others, and he does not waste time criticizing other people’s decisions. In order to have faith in his own path, he does not need to prove that someone else’s path is wrong.

A Warrior of the Light does not postpone making decisions. He thinks a great deal before taking action. He considers his training, as well as his responsibilities and duties as a teacher. He tries to remain calm and to analyse each step as if it were of supreme importance. However, as soon as he has made a decision, the Warrior proceeds: He has no doubts about his chosen action, nor does he change direction if circumstances turn out differently from how he had imagined them. If his decision is correct, he will win the battle, even if it lasts longer than expected. If his decision is wrong, he will be defeated and he will have to start all over again—only this time with more wisdom. But once he has started, a Warrior of the Light perseveres until the end.

When he is tired or lonely, he does not dream about distant men and women; he turns to the person beside him and shares his sorrow or his need for affection with them—with pleasure and without guilt.

The Warrior of the Light meditates. He sits in a quiet place in his tent and surrenders himself to the divine light. When he does this, he tries not to think about anything; he shuts himself off from the search for pleasure, from challenges and revelations, and allows his gifts and powers to reveal themselves. Even if he does not recognize them then, these gifts and powers will take care of his life and will influence his day-to-day existence. While he meditates, the Warrior is not himself, but a spark from the Soul of the World. Meditation gives him an understanding of his responsibilities and of how he should behave accordingly. A Warrior of the Light knows that in the silence of his heart he will hear an order that will guide him.

A Warrior of the Light needs love. Love and affection are as much a part of his nature as eating, drinking, and a taste for the Good Fight. When the Warrior watches a sunset and feels no joy, then something is wrong. At this point, he stops fighting and goes in search of company, so that they can watch the setting sun together. If he has difficulty in finding company, he asks himself: “Was I too afraid to approach someone? Did I receive affection and not even notice?” A Warrior of the Light makes use of solitude, but is not used by it.

The Warrior of the Light always manages to balance Rigor and Mercy. To attain his dream, he needs a strong will and an enormous capacity for acceptance. Although he may have an objective, the path that leads to that objective is not always as he imagined it would be. That is why the Warrior uses a mixture of discipline and compassion. God never abandons His children, but His purposes are unfathomable, and He builds the road with our own steps. The Warrior uses that combination of discipline and acceptance to fuel his enthusiasm. Routine was never the leader of any important new movement.

Rigor is the result of work that challenges students' thinking in new and interesting ways. It occurs when they are encouraged toward a sophisticated understanding of fundamental ideas and are driven by curiosity to discover what they don't know.

A Warrior of the Light who trusts too much in his intelligence will end up underestimating the power of his opponent. It is important not to forget that sometimes strength is more effective than strategy. A bullfight is over quickly because the bull quickly learns that it is being tricked, and its next step is to charge the bullfighter. When that happens, no amount of brilliance, argument, intelligence, or charm can avert tragedy. That is why the Warrior never underestimates brute force. When it proves too violent, he withdraws from the battlefield until his enemy has exhausted himself.

A Warrior of the Light is in the world in order to help his fellow man, not to condemn his neighbor.

A Warrior of the Light is never in a hurry. Time works in his favor; he learns to master his impatience and avoids acting without thinking. By walking slowly, he becomes aware of the firmness of his step. He knows that he is taking part in a decisive moment in the history of humanity and that he needs to change himself before he can transform the world. That is why he remembers the words of Lanza del Vasto: “A revolution takes time to settle in.” A Warrior never picks fruit while it is still green.

A Warrior of the Light needs both patience and speed. The two worst strategic mistakes to make are acting prematurely and letting an opportunity slip. To avoid this, the Warrior treats each situation as if it were unique and never resorts to formulae, recipes, or other people’s opinions. The caliph Moauiyat asked Omr Ben Al-Aas the secret of his great political skills: “I never get involved in something without having first worked out my retreat. Then again, I have never gone into a situation and immediately wanted to run straight out again.”

A Warrior of the Light often loses heart. He believes that nothing can stir in him the emotion he desires. He is forced to spend many nights feeling that he is one of the vanquished, and nothing seems able to restore his enthusiasm. His friends say: “Perhaps his fight is over.” The Warrior feels pain and confusion when he hears such remarks because he knows that he has not yet reached the place he wanted to reach. But he is stubborn and refuses to relinquish his aims. Then, when he least expects it, a new door opens.

A Warrior of the Light always keeps his heart free of any feelings of hatred. When he goes into battle he remembers what Christ said: “Love your enemies.” And he obeys. But he knows that the act of forgiveness does not mean that he must accept everything; a Warrior cannot bow his head, for if he did he would lose sight of the horizon of his dreams. He accepts that his opponents are there to test his valor, his persistence, and his ability to make decisions. They force him to fight for his dreams. It is the experience of battle that strengthens the Warrior of the Light.

The Warrior of the Light knows the importance of intuition. In the midst of battle, he does not have time to think about the enemy’s blows, so he uses his instinct and obeys his angel. In times of peace, he deciphers the signs that God sends him. People say: “He’s mad.” Or: “He lives in a fantasy world.” Or even: “How can he possibly believe in such illogical things?” But the Warrior knows that intuition is God’s language and he continues listening to the wind and talking to the stars.

The Warrior of the Light sits around a fire with his companions. They talk about his conquests, and any strangers who join the group are made welcome because everyone is proud of his life and of his Good Fight. The Warrior speaks enthusiastically about the path, about how he resisted a particular challenge or the solution he found to one especially difficult situation. When he tells stories, he invests his words with passion and romance. Sometimes, he exaggerates a little. He remembers that at times his ancestors used to exaggerate too. That is why he does the same thing. But he never confuses pride with vanity, and he never believes his own exaggerations.

To engage in any 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 conquest and yet remains absorbed in the struggle can truly say that he has renounced the fruits of victory. “One can renounce the fruit, but that renunciation does not signal indifference to the results.” The Warrior of the Light listens with respect to Gandhi’s strategy and he remains unconvinced by those who, incapable of achieving any result at all, preach renunciation.

The Warrior of the Light pays attention to small things because they can severely hamper him. A thorn, however tiny, can cause the traveler to halt. A tiny, invisible cell can destroy a healthy organism. The memory of a past moment of fear allows cowardice to be reborn with each new morning. A fraction of a second opens the way for the enemy’s fatal blow. The Warrior is attentive to small things. Sometimes he is hard on himself, but he prefers to act in this way. “The devil is in the details,” says an old proverb.

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, and, in moments of relaxation, to have someone with whom he can sit by the fire, someone he can regale with tales of battle. But he does not allow people to confuse this camaraderie with insecurity. He is transparent in his actions and secretive in his plans. A Warrior of the Light dances with his companions, but does not place the responsibility for his actions on anyone else.