What does it mean to be a modern warrior?

There is a warrior in the physical sense, the fighter, the person who goes to war. This is the most explicit and obvious manifestation of a warrior — one who fights for a cause, for some purpose beyond themselves. They are executors of the will of a larger mission.

Then there are those who fight without guns and swords. Attorneys and social justice workers advocate, fighting through words and arguments within a system. The courtrooms and political theaters have their own rules of war that define what a warrior can and cannot do.

Beyond vocation, what does it take to be a warrior in our own lives?

When I think of how a warrior behaves, I think first of the Spartans as the canonical example of a Greek warrior. Intense, sure; brutal, certainly; but also disciplined, fearless, relentless. It's those latter qualities that intrigue me in how we can apply a set of virtues to modern warriorship.

Discipline and training are among the principal components of being a warrior. Waking up early each morning to attend to one's craft or top obligation; pushing through a workout despite discomfort; fastidiously learning new skills to be effective in the world — these are some manifestations that come to mind.

When I think of my life, it may be hyperbole to call myself a warrior, but the model serves to motivate me. I am devoted to expanding my mind and learning each day, and lately, that has been a dedication to the practice of retaining information through spaced repetition software like Anki. Every new piece of information that I deem valuable to remember, I pipe into my series of flashcards. I have some sense that fortifying my knowledge will strengthen my mind to such an extent that it will allow me to flow in social settings nimbly and in such a way that better enables me to connect with others. I am more quickly able to assimilate and connect disparate sources of knowledge, and when in conversation with another, I can share insights or resources that can complement the conversation or assist those I'm speaking with.

I admire those with eloquent speech, such as professors who can delve deeply into a subject and illuminate minds around them. In an era where knowledge is abundant, accessible so easily with LLMs, I have a superficial sense that the institution of the professor may be devalued. And at the same time, I sense that professors cannot be replaced by AI agents — that the guidance of the knowledgeable and the wisdom of the elders will still be sought from and best held by humans.

When I think of how I can be a warrior, I realize that I am on shaky ground. I have the discipline, I have the drive, but I do not have a clear cause. My larger identities around music, being a Bahá'í, and a general sense that I want to leave the world better than I found it are my starting points. I am not sure one can be a true warrior without something to fight for.

Does a warrior need to be a fighter? I think not. Today we can be peaceful warriors, those who live their lives according to principles of non-violence.

We can be warriors without fighting for a cause. But I think warriors still need a cause. The modern warrior's role may be less of a fighter and more of a gardener, an architect, an engineer, an artist. Their inner warrior is in the fight each day to develop their craft and contribution to the world.