"If you want peace, prepare for War"

If you want peace, prepare for war." - Vegetius 

Greetings, and welcome to the ATM (All Thoughts Martial) blog for another Warrior Wednesday. Let's dive in.

This quote by Vegetius is not necessarily a popular one. Many prefer to believe that war and being prepared for it isn't necessary to a peaceful society. I know if you are reading this however, you are not one of those people. You understand that peace, freedom and tranquility must be fought for and never comes free.

What I really want to address however is the notion of preparedness. Warriors are perhaps the most prepared people on the planet. They understand that in order to effectively prevent and combat violence, the one most prepared will usually win the day.

What does preparation look like? It begins by casting off denial and facing reality. Bad things happen to good people and violence can be done to you or anyone else you know. This is a fact and your denial of it will only serve to get you injured or possibly killed should you be faced with a threat. 

Once denial is thrown aside you will begin to ask the right questions. Questions like "Would I be able to stop a deadly threat if it presented itself?" "Am I physically fit enough in order to fight if necessary?" "How can I prevent violence in the first place because I really don't want to have to hurt anybody?" These are all good questions and only those who face reality will have the courage to ask them of themselves.

Next, if you are honest with yourself, you will begin "preparing for war." War within your own environment and community. Everyone's preparation is different and you must do what you are comfortable doing. If you are averse to firearms, don't carry one. If you only want to be skilled in First Aid but don't want to be the front line combatant, that's ok too. Just understand that each choice you make comes with it's own consequences, good or bad. 

If you aren't sure where to begin in your preparation, I would offer this up to you: get professional grade, martial training. There is no substitute for being able to physically fight if you need it. Get the training now, well before you are ever faced with a deadly threat. It is preventative in nature. The nation that prepares best for war is less likely to be attacked. Thereby creating a paradox where the most prepared for war end up fighting the least. This is the goal of the warrior. To be so prepared that no enemy even dares to attack, thereby preventing all violence in the first place.

This is obviously a Utopian goal, but I'd rather aim high and just miss that goal than aim super low and achieve it. 

Prepare for your moment of truth now. You will not be able to rewind the clock once the threat is upon you. Train now, prepare now, and fortify your mind, body and spirit for war. 

Alex