The peaceful warrior: the real battles are fought within

The peaceful Warrior is the title of a film released in 2006 that, without a doubt, is highly recommended. It is based on true events and is about a young boy named Dan, who seems to have it all. His life is comfortable, he is successful in love and friendship, he gets good grades at university, he is in shape and trains to improve himself as an athlete, since his biggest dream would be to win gold in the Olympic Games.

His life seems perfect, but he is not happy, something is wrong inside him. One day she has a motorcycle accident and from that moment he will learn to improve himself and grow as a person. Spirituality will enter his life thanks to a Philosopher that he will meet, baptized as Socrates, who will become his guide and friend. Pride and hopelessness will take over Dan, but, little by little, he will realize the power that his mind has to overcome any setback.

You will also learn what it means to truly live. Before he had everything, but he didn’t appreciate it or enjoy the little things in life. Instead, after the accident and with the help of Socrates, he will know what it is to savor every moment. He will receive great life lessons, not theoretically, but he will be able to see it in the experiences they will have together.

Change to be happy

You will see that happiness is not in the goal you want to achieve, but in the path. Also that achieving success, titles and popularity is not what is important. The peaceful warrior is the one who knows how to enjoy every moment of his life, the one who can focus on the here and now and get the most out of every present moment. Dan will realize the hectic life he led, his mind was always focused on winning gold in the Olympic Games and he did not enjoy anything else.

He slept poorly, ate quickly, drove crazy, and his life was unsatisfactory. He will receive the support of his friend and even though the doctors told him that he would not be able to practice elite sports again, he will achieve it again and return to his great dream of competing. The Peaceful Warrior is the film adaptation of Dan Millman’s autobiographical book, The path of the peaceful warrior.

Essential phrases from Socrates

Socrates was a very wise philosopher, as well as a guide and friend to the peaceful warrior. Therefore, below we collect some of the most important phrases that appear in the film. Phrases that will help us grow and that will be a turning point for our lives:

People are not what they think they are. They only think they are. People believe that they are their thoughts, how wrong they are. A warrior does not give up on what he is passionate about. He finds love in what he does. This moment is the only thing that matters. When you finally manage to live in the present, you will be surprised by everything you can do and how well you do it. Death is not sad. The sad thing is that people don’t know how to live. You can live a whole life without ever being awake. You will never be better, in the same way that you will not be worse than the rest. Happiness is an elusive quality. If you look for it, you won’t find it. The journey brings happiness, not the destination. Life is about choosing, you can choose to be a victim or anything else you set your mind to. Get the trash out of your mind. Garbage is any thought that distracts you from what really matters: being fully present in this moment, here, now.

Other reflections on peaceful warrior

The film also allows us to reflect on other important aspects in life. You can read them below.

life goals

It is essential to have goals because they allow us to advance and develop as people.. This was very clear to Aristotle, who defended that people are teleological beings and that we need ends and goals to live. The film’s Socrates also agrees.

But, it is also necessary to find a balance, so that goals do not become an obsession. In this way, we are invited to maintain motivation, but giving way to patience, tolerance and remembering that not everything depends on us.

In other words, you also have to allow things to flow. Well, it’s normal that things don’t always go the way we want. This is why our well-being or happiness cannot be linked entirely to the achievement of an objective.

The fear of failure

In the film we see how Dan, even though he is not aware of it, has nightmares that remind him of his fear of failure. Until a certain point, Feeling afraid of new situations, or of not getting what we want, is normal and even beneficial.. Well, it can help us make better decisions.

However, many times we do not know how to manage it. And, when we let fear dominate us, we live stressed. Either because we demand more and more of ourselves, or because we become paralyzed in the face of defeat.

We cannot punish ourselves and evaluate ourselves as if everything in this life is about successes and failures. The ideal is to see how much we have learned in each situation and continue aiming for development.

The importance of self-knowledge

Knowing and understanding ourselves from within, from introspection, is one of the keys to personal growth. In this sense, the peaceful warrior invites put aside those external conceptions that determine us and look at ourselves.

Who I am? What do I feel when a certain situation occurs? How do I behave when certain events happen? These are questions that help us get to know ourselves. Furthermore, meditation is an extremely effective technique to achieve this goal.

The 3 rules

Finally, “The Peaceful Warrior” makes clear to us 3 rules that we can apply in our daily lives and that, without a doubt, can change it. The same thing that happened to the protagonist of the film. Do you want to discover what these 3 maxims are?

1. Paradox

Life is a mystery, don’t waste time deducing it. We are always thinking about what will happen and trying to rationalize everything. However, the passage of life is not certain. Therefore, believing we know the truth or constantly assuming and deducing will make us waste very valuable time. Be live the present!

2. Humor

Don’t lose your sense of humor. It will give you colossal strength. Despite the adversities that threaten you, even if life is upside down right now. Smiling will allow you to embrace a strength and resilience that you have, but that sometimes you think you have lost.

3. Change

There is nothing that lasts, so resisting change is useless.. We tend not to accept changes for fear of leaving our comfort zone, of modifying our routine. However, they enrich us more than we judge.

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