Heal or Fight?
A powerful story
In ancient times, there were two groups of warriors who were being trained for battle.
The first group I will call The Dragons. Dragon training was super physical and very intense. It included weapons and aggressive combat techniques. Many of these people didn’t even make it through the training without injury. These warriors also listened to daily “motivational” speeches from the commanding officers. These speeches were designed to motivate them to defend their people at all costs. In time, a group of warriors was created, and they were ready for battle. They were physically fit, knew how to fight and their mental state was such that they would die for their people.
There was a second group of warriors being trained for battle. I will call this group The Lions. These warriors were a bit confused by the training at first. There was very little physical training and no combat techniques. They were often doing very slow, gentle, flowing movements where they were supposed to focus on their breath. They were also doing long periods of standing coupled with visualization. They were taught how to heal injuries with their hands, with herbs, and with prayer. They were taught how to connect with helping spirits. Only after they mastered these layers did the very physical combat training begin. And even then the training was quite balanced. The person in charge of training these warriors spoke very little and when he did, he often spoke more in riddles. He often told them to turn inward, and to look for answers in nature. He was often very interested in their dreams. In time, a group of warriors was created and they were ready for battle. They were physically fit, knew how to fight, they knew how to heal, they knew how to cultivate and transmit energy. Lastly, their mental state was such that they were at peace and they experienced a high degree of oneness with the world.
The Dragons wandered around looking for someone to fight. They were quite successful in battle and were feared by many. They were strong, fierce, and took no prisoners. Very often though there were large amounts of men killed or injured severely in battle, and so the army dwindled, and more men needed to be trained. It turns out the person training these warriors did not expect them to come back.
The Lions almost never needed to fight. They had a reputation for being mysterious and there were many stories told about them. One day, though, they ran into the Dragons. They did their best to avoid a confrontation, but it was inevitable. The fight, if you could call it that, was over quite quickly. The Lions defeated the Dragons with ease. The Dragon commander was injured badly during the battle and was brought to the Lion commander. The Lions were not the kind of people who took prisoners and they were not the kind to kill them either. Very often they would heal those who fell on the battlefield. The Dragon commander, though, was beyond help, but he was able to mutter the following words “How did you become so powerful?” The Lion commander chuckled and said, “We train the inside.”
Healwithin. Healwithout.
Steve ~



Love this story. What was your inspiration for it? Or is this ancient lore?