Warrior of the Light

by Paulo Coelho

A Warrior of the Light values a child’s eyes because they are able to look at the world without bitterness. When he wants to find out if the person beside him is worthy of his trust, he tries to see him as a child would.” “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.”

All the world’s roads lead to the heart of the Warrior; he plunges unhesitatingly into the river of passions always flowing through his life. The warrior knows that he is free to choose his desires, and he makes these decisions with courage, detachment and—sometimes—with just a touch of madness. He embraces his passions and enjoys them intensely. He knows that there is no need to renounce the pleasures of conquest; they are part of life and bring joy to all those who participate in them. But he never loses sight of things that last or of the strong bonds forged over time. A Warrior can distinguish between the transient and the enduring.

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.

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

“Even if you are very strong, never be ashamed to feign weakness; this will make your enemy act imprudently and attack too soon.”

“In war, the key to victory is the ability to surprise one’s opponent.”

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.

Victors never make the same mistake twice. That is why the Warrior only risks his heart for something worthwhile.

A Warrior of the Light respects the main teaching of the I Ching: “To persevere is favorable.” He knows that perseverance is not the same thing as insistence. There are times when battles go on longer than necessary, draining him of strength and enthusiasm.

He perseveres in his desire, but knows he must wait for the best moment to attack. A Warrior always returns to the fray. He never does so out of stubbornness, but because he has noticed a change in the weather.

A Warrior of the Light is never predictable. He might dance down the street on his way to work, gaze into the eyes of a complete stranger and speak of love at first sight, or defend an apparently absurd idea. Warriors of the Light allow themselves days like these. He is not afraid to weep over ancient sorrows or feel joy at new discoveries. When he feels that the moment has arrived, he drops everything and goes off on some long-dreamed-of adventure. When he realizes that he can do no more, he abandons the fight, but never blames himself for having committed a few unexpected acts of folly.

A Warrior does not spend his days trying to play the role that others have chosen for him.

Warriors of the Light always have a certain gleam in their eyes.

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.

According to a poet: “The Warrior of the Light chooses his enemies.” He knows what he is capable of; he does not have to go about the world boasting of his qualities and virtues. Nevertheless, there is always someone who wants to prove himself better than he is. For the Warrior, there is no “better” or “worse”: everyone has the necessary gifts for his particular path.

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

From now on—and for the next few hundred years—the Universe is going to help Warriors of the Light and hinder the prejudiced. The Earth’s energy needs to be renewed. New ideas need space. Body and soul need new challenges. The future has become the present, and every dream—except those dreams that involve preconceived ideas—will have a chance to be heard.

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 carefully studies the position that he intends to conquer.

If he waits for the ideal moment, he will never set off. The Warrior requires a touch of madness to take the next step.

The Warrior uses that touch of madness. For—in both love and war—it is impossible to foresee everything.

A Warrior of the Light knows his own faults. But he also knows his qualities. Some of his companions complain all the time that “other people have more opportunities than we do.” Perhaps they are right, but a Warrior does not allow himself to be paralysed by this; he tries to make the most of his virtues. He knows that the gazelle’s power lies in its strong legs. The power of the seagull lies in the accuracy with which it can spear a fish. He has learned that the reason the tiger does not fear the hyena is because he is aware of his own strength.

He tries to establish what he can truly rely on. And he always checks that he carries three things with him: faith, hope, and love.

If these three things are there, he does not hesita...

He always does his best and expects the best of others. Through his generosity, he tries to show each person how much they are capable of achieving.

he continues to encourage others because this is also a way of encouraging himself.

Every Warrior of the Light has felt afraid of going into battle. Every Warrior of the Light has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone. Every Warrior of the Light has trodden a path that was not his. Every Warrior of the Light has suffered for the most trivial of reasons. Every Warrior of the Light has, at least once, believed that he was not a Warrior of the Light. Every Warrior of the Light has failed in his spiritual duties. Every Warrior of the Light has said “yes” when he wanted to say “no.” Every Warrior of the Light has hurt someone he loved.

That is why he is a Warrior of the Light, because he has been through all this and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.

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 al...

But once he has started, a Warrior of the Light perseve...

A Warrior of the Light shares his world with the people he loves. He tries to encourage them to do the things they would like to do but for which they lack the courage. At such times, the Enemy appears holding two wooden signs in his hand. On one sign is written: “Think about yourself. Keep all the blessings for yourself, otherwise you’ll end up losing everything.” On the other sign, he reads: “Who do you think you are, helping other people? Can’t you see your own faults?”

A Warrior knows that he has faults. But he knows too that he cannot do his growing alone, distanced from his companions.

The signs crumble into dust, and the Warrior continues to encourage those nearest him.

The philosopher Lao Tzu says of the journey of the Warrior of the Light: “The Way involves respect for all small and subtle things. Learn to recognize the right moment to adopt the necessary attitudes.”

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 sometimes thinks: “If I do not do something, it will not be done.” It is not quite like that: He must act, but he must allow room for the Universe to act too.

When a Warrior is the victim of some injustice, he usually tries to be alone, in order not to show his pain to others. This is both good and bad. It is one thing to allow one’s heart to heal its wounds slowly, but it is quite another to sit all day in deep contemplation for fear of seeming weak.

A Warrior balances solitude and dependence.

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.

A Warrior of the Light makes use of solitude, but is not used by it.

The Warrior of the Light knows that it is impossible to live in a state of complete relaxation. He has learned from the archer that, in order to shoot his arrow any distance, he must hold the bow taut. He has learned from the stars that only an inner explosion allows them to shine. The Warrior notices that when a horse is about to jump over a fence, it tenses all its muscles.

But he never confuses tension with anxiety.

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.

The Warrior of the Light sometimes behaves like water, flowing around the obstacles he encounters. Occasionally, resistance might mean destruction, and so he adapts to the circumstances. He accepts, without complaint, that the stones in his path hinder his way through the mountains. Therein lies the strength of water: It cannot be touched by a hammer or ripped to shreds by a knife. The strongest sword in the world cannot scar its surface.

The river adapts itself to whatever route proves possible, but the river never forgets its one objective: the sea. So fragile at its source, it gradually gathers the strength of the other rivers it encounters.

And, after a certain point, its power...

For the Warrior of the Light, there are no abstractions. Everything is concrete and everything is meaningful. He does not sit comfortably in his tent, observing what is going on in the world; he accepts each challenge as an opportunity to transform himself.