The Warrior Role | Michael Teachings

Home > Roles Index > The Warrior Role

The Warrior Role

+ Persuasion
– Coercion

17% of the
population

Expression

People of the Warrior Role enjoy physical activity. The specific kind of activity of course depends on the Overleaves and various other personality factors, but in a broad sense their action is usually directed toward influencing other people or events to conform to their own actions or to some specific pattern of behavior. Taking the name of the Role literally, we can see how this works in the case of an actual warrior or soldier. Soldiers are taught to march in step, in formation. This kind of control of action seems perfectly natural to them.

Many other things can be said about a soldier that apply in some sense to the Warrior Role. Soldiers are not supposed to be afraid of death. They are exposed to it in war, and are expected to be willing to die for their cause. Indeed, of all the Roles, Warriors are the most likely to fulfill these expectations. This is because the Termination Process in its physical manifestation ultimately leads to literal death. This is that which in Warriors is often exhibited as a "death wish". In the worst instances, Warriors identify with destruction, participate in it joyfully, and are not averse to the destruction of war. Certain types of movies are obviously aimed at Warriors. Typical subject matter for this audience is war, martial arts, cops and robbers, or brutality, violence, and destruction of any kind.

Soldiers are also supposed to be "tough". Often a Warrior prides himself on the hardships he can endure. He may even enjoy challenging himself to see how much punishment he can take. The Warrior is the most likely of the Roles to respond to the call to help someone in a situation which is full of danger and has the potential of death. Answering this challenge is his highest expression. Only a Warrior would willingly put himself through the rigors of war fought in jungle and desert. He finds fulfillment in overcoming severity and rigor. This sort of self-discipline is personally satisfying to him. Warriors are surprised that others cannot take the harsh treatment they thrive on. Consequently, they may not always be sympathetic to "wimps" and "weaklings" who cannot endure pain as they can. Not only can they "take it", but they can also "dish it out". In fact, Warriors are the most likely of the Roles to be guilty of inflicting pain (whether physical, emotional or mental depends on their Overleaves and other personality factors) on others for this very reason. In the worst occurrences, Warriors in the Negative Pole of Coercion can be mean, cruel, and brutal in their treatment of people and things.

If a Warrior does not find his calling as an actual soldier in the military, he often does his conquering and subduing in the business world. This is a career of action. The Warrior businessman sees the world as unconquered territory over which to expand his financial influence. He is an entrepreneur. A very suitable business for this is as a shop keeper of some sort. A Warrior in the retail sales business enjoys inducing others to purchase his goods or services. Money is a medium of exchange, a transaction of Action, so the manipulation thereof gives a Warrior satisfaction. He enjoys controlling the actions of his company business. He makes rules and sets down guidelines for others to follow, so that everyone marches in step. He may tend to run his business like it were the military. Even though the Warrior Role is Negative, and such a person has the capacity to be passive, usually his talent for regulating the action results in his being promoted to a leadership position, even if he does not seek it. Other Role individuals recognize this inherent ability, and defer to it - except Kings that is.

Another suitable occupation for a Warrior is policeman. Here he can exercise his propensity for law and order, and for regulating the behavior of others and controlling events, in a very acceptable and suitable way. This is one of the highest and best careers for a Warrior to be in. Many a Warrior also finds his niche in society as a laborer. There is always a need in the world for someone to do the actual physical work of getting things done, and this is where the Warrior shines. Here he satisfies his need for activity which is goal-directed, and for energy expended in physical behavior which accomplishes some task. Also, truck driver is an appropriate career for a Warrior, because this involves exploration. Warriors are, metaphorically speaking, the legs of the body of mankind. They like to carry the body around with them - go here, go there, do this, do that - exploring the world. A salesman Warrior has elements of both exploration and conquest in his occupation to fulfill his nature. In whatever occupation a Warrior finds himself, he will generally apply a measure of discipline and adventurousness to it.

Like a person with the Goal of Submission, the Warrior wants to bring the world into obedience and discipline. Also, a Warrior is supposed to be loyal to his leader and to obey without question. A good Warrior must first subdue himself, to bring his own unruly traits into subordination, before he is truly fit to subdue others and the world. The principles of dedication, honor, respect, and duty are the ultimate expression of a Warrior's nature. Like a person in the Perseverance Mode, a Warrior is trained to be unwavering in his pursuit of the goal of conquest. He cannot allow himself to falter or fail before the end is reached. He must be able to weather the storms of adversity without yielding to them. It is not wise to try to push Warriors around, because they are usually resistant to bullying, but they are willing to be lead by someone who has earned their respect by proving themselves worthy of it by their actions. Like a person with the Martyrdom Feature, a Warrior must be willing to give up his life and lay down his personal freedom for the sake of others. Thus, in the highest expression of the Warrior Role, the conquests sought are not at the expense of others and of the environment, but for their benefit. In their worst expression, Warriors are sometimes reckless to their own detriment, even to the point of being suicidal. They may express a "death wish". The Cynic is inherently adverse to events in the world. He challenges everybody and everything with Contradiction or Denigration. Like the Cynic, the true Warrior is not a stranger to hardship and adversity. He must be willing to scorn the soft life of ease and comfort. Life is a harsh reality, and the world is a tough neighborhood. You have to fight to gain and hold your territory, whether physical, emotional, or mental. Warriors are the most naturally sexual Role, being in the same Process with the Sexual (Physical) Center. That is, sexuality typically comes easier to them than to the other Roles. Warriors identify with the goal of sex, which is to achieve a climax, a relaxation of tension, a subduing. For Warriors, sexuality is often handled as a game of conquest, like so many other things in their lives.

And speaking of games, Warriors typically enjoy games, sports, and athletics, because of the action and challenge involved therein. They are the most likely of the Roles to be involved in, or spectators of, professional sports. The rugged discipline and training involved is meaningful to them. The mock conflict and battle is also fulfilling to their natures. Warriors are inherently competitive. They like to "throw their weight around". They prove their mettle and harden their character by pretend games of competition, as well as in the real adversities of life. Warriors view sports not as games of skill so much as disciplines of rigor. The object is to find the groove, to narrow the action to one of total consistency.

Warriors are very goal-oriented. They have a knack for focusing and concentrating their energy toward getting to their goals, and excluding things that do not promote this. One of their virtues is that they can carry on when every one else (of the other Roles) has given up because the going got too tough for them. Their glory is that they will succeed where others might fail to get the job done, the task completed.

As parents, Warriors are likely to run their families somewhat like a military academy. They use rewards (in the Positive Pole of Persuasion) and punishments (in the Negative Pole of Coercion) to induce the behavior they desire in their children, their mate, or in their household.

If Warriors have a typical physical appearance, it would be that they are usually lean and sinewy. They have a rather rugged and athletic look to them. This is often an appearance they have developed by participation in sports or athletics, favorite pastimes of Warriors, and it is also often inherent in their bodies by heredity. This appearance is often used to advantage in their business dealings, if that is their occupation. It also obviously comes in handy if they end up in work involving physical labor.

Much of the above description of a Warrior is given with the masculine pronoun "he", and indeed much of it seems rather "masculine". The Warrior Role is the most "macho" of the Roles. However, "he" was used only for convenience above, and will be throughout the description of the Roles, and really has nothing to do with the masculinity or femininity of the Roles. However, it so happens that tomboys are more likely to be Warrior females than any other Role, but Warriors can also be quite "feminine", depending on the Overleaves and other personality factors. My own daughter is a Warrior, and a sweet one at that. As you would expect of a Warrior, she loves to play competitive games and sports, and she likes her gymnastics lessons. However, when she doesn't get her way, and she is in a bad mood, she is quite capable of resorting to the Warrior ways of violence - hitting, kicking, and cursing. When she is in a good mood, she uses her charming ways to persuade, beguile, influence, and convince others, so that she prevails in a beneficial and pleasing way.

A number of famous individuals who are or were Warriors, and very clearly so, includes: Theodore Roosevelt ("Rough Riders"), Chairman Mao Tse-tung (Chinese Army), Paul Neuman (actor and race-car driver), Muhammed Ali (boxer), Jerry Falwell ("Moral Majority" political activist), and Samuel Clemens (riverboat crewman and writer).

Additional Observations On The Warrior

Productive, organized, and grounded, Warriors are the "movers and shakers" in society that get things done. Superb strategists and goal setters, Warriors know what they want, and how to get it. The world is seemingly theirs to explore, and all uncharted territories theirs to conquer.

Although as a rule they are not excellent communicators, Warriors have an inherent sense of "street smarts" in their wiring that makes them a perfect fit for achieving success on the physical plane. In fact, it might have been the Warrior that said: life is a game, you play to win."

The most physical of all the roles, Warriors thoroughly enjoy the pleasures of earthly existence, having strong appetites for sex, food, sports, and meeting the challenges associated with success. Warriors are intensely in touch with their physicality, and tend to display strong, muscular bodies, or at the very least, solid ones. When they play, they play hard, and in physical interactions with other roles, they must be mindful of their strength, and be careful not to accidentally injure those around them. The instinctive drive of the Warrior will soften as they progress in Soul Age, but their inherent love of being physical will remain a constant.

Emotional and hot tempered at times, Warriors can be brutally blunt and even abrasive. Their intimidating physical presence can lead them to take advantage of the weak, and use excessive force to get their own way. A common misconception for some Warriors is that might makes right. They must avoid the inclination to push people around, or like a guard dog, be unduly suspicious of those that enter their territory.

Warriors love a good challenge, but can sometimes waste valuable energy fighting too many windmills, and lose the ability to discriminate between what's important. A copy of the bestseller, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff," might be a good present for the Warrior, but it's doubtful they would read it -- they are usually too busy.

"What's the bottom line?" might very well be the mantra of the Warrior. They are quick to cut through the fat of any situation and assess its merits. Whether it be at Gettysburg or the conference room of a huge corporation, Warriors are the fearless foot soldiers who will go to the front line in any battle; yet, they can surprisingly have a soft side that's both maternal, and nurturing. They are also very protective of their loved ones, and can be incredibly loyal as a friend or spouse. In fact, as Warriors progress in maturation and comfortably slip into that proverbial rocking chair, peacefully viewing the world as Old Souls, their edge and instinctive drives begin to disappear, and an earthy kind of wisdom and sweetness sets in.

-- David Gregg

See Pictures of Warriors at the Role Photo Database

Next page | The King Role

.....................................................................................................................................

Phil Wittmeyer is a longtime Michael student and scholar of the teachings. He can be reached at: wittmeyer@hotmail.com