The dictionary describes benevolence as the disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. Since the beginning of recorded history, legends have been written about the martial artists protecting the weak and defending the truth. Not only because this is the right thing to do, but because it is the natural thing to do. Humanity is alive today because warriors stood at the boundaries of their village and protected the others against predators of all kinds. As society grew, so did the responsibility of defending the state, the nation and humanity at large.

Doing the right thing for the right reason and only using your martial arts skills in defense of truth, has been the foundation of some of the core characteristic building that many martial arts schools teach today. It is all about creating good, decent citizens through the perseverance and training of the martial arts.

Charity is also one of those key principles of success, not just because it is a good thing to do, but there is an unwritten law that you get what you give. Donating 10% of your income, time and energy is one of the foundational principles of getting everything you want out of life. As Zig Ziglar says, “You can get anything you want out of life if you help enough people get what they want.”

There is an old saying that when you pick up one end of a stick, you pick up the other. It is imperative that a true warrior looks at each and every one of his or her actions, and have the vision to see the consequences of those actions. When you combine that with the sincere desire to add to the value of human kind and promote happiness, you get a martial artist that indeed walks the walk and talks the talk of a benevolent warrior.

Honor

Described to laymen as “nobility of the soul” this principle has to do with nobility of purpose and a precise and defined code of conduct and personal integrity. In modern society, there has developed a what ever works mindset that is appalling to the true warrior. Any of you that have served in combat know the sense of trust that you develop with your fellow soldiers as you watch one another’s back. This same allegiance of having someone’s back and sense of duty is seldom seen outside of the military or the true martial arts school today. This process begins with a true understanding of your values and what you believe in strongly enough to die for. Face it, we are all terminal and as far as we know, have a limited time on this planet. What kind of legacy will you leave behind? Where is the honor of what you do in your thoughts, deeds and actions on a daily basis? Once you have the answer, then you teach that through being the proper role model and the type of teacher that demonstrates the honor that has been handed down from teach to teacher for thousands of years, and the principles of the warriors way.