Three types of people fill this world:
| 1. Those who secretly say "I covet what is yours." | These men come as thieves in the night, as assassins, to steal or destroy what is yours. These men are dangerous, but they can be disposed of directly. |
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| 2. Those who openly say "I desire what you have." | These men are businessmen, and can be dealt with directly. They are not dangerous per se, simply mercenary. |
| 3. Those who say "I desire what is best for you." | These men are the most dangerous, for in their heart of hearts they believe that what they do is in your best interests. Tomas de Torquemada was such a man. They will, through well-intentioned actions that lack true understanding, destroy your freedom. |
What has brought me to this point is unimportant. The key aspect to understand is that I did not come upon this Path by accident. At first there
was nothing more than the desire to evolve to my full potential. This desire lead to study, practice, and introspection. Which is the backbone of
the Predator Path. In his book, Go Rin No Sho, Musashi Miyamoto repeats this phrase: "One must practice ceaselessly." It is as true
today as it was in the era of the samurai. The life of a Predator is one of waiting. Waiting for the war that will eventually arrive on his doorstep.
And it will come. Make no mistake. So a Predator waits. And trains. Hunter Armstrong said "One mind, any weapon." A Predator lives by these words.
He knows how to fight with his hands, his knife, his sword, his pistol, and his rifle. But most importantly, he fights with his mind.
The Predator Path is unique. It is not a fighter's mindset. A fighter has no other purpose in life than to fight. That is why he is defeated. It is not a warrior's mindset. A warrior carries his honor with him. That is all he has. A Predator knows more than that. He knows that life and death simply are, nothing more, nothing less. Neither to be feared nor loved, just accepted. This realization gives him power over both. T. S. Eliot said "If you haven't the strength to impose your own terms on life, you must accept the terms it offers you."
A Predator is defined by discipline and training. He trains as he expects to fight. It is a life of distance and loneliness. A Predator does not shun human contact, he merely finds it difficult. The public is untrained and unready, its reactions all wrong. Instinct alone protects a Predator, as he projects an aura that most find uncomfortable in proximity. In the spectrum of confrontation, a Predator will always win because he is always ready to move directly to the endgame.
There are those who will say that it is foolishness, that this life will lead only to heartbreak. We are all, in the end, human. All of us will make mistakes, falter, and fall. They will bemoan the accidental carnage, and curse the Predators. They will point fingers at the government, the police, the weaponsmiths, anyone but themselves. The root cause of these accidents is lack of vigilance on all parts, all are equally responsible. There is no one panacea. But the Predator Path goes a long way to set things right, to put men of good character on a collision course with those who harbor sinister designs.
A Predator's discipline is predicated on the knowledge that all freedom, from the very elemental personal aspects to the highest national interests, is won only through eternal vigilance. This is the true face of the Predator, one who is free because he is always ready to defend that freedom from all who would corrput it. Benjamin Franklin said "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." A Predator does not rely upon anyone else to ensure the freedom that is his alone to protect. This is the discipline of responsibility and self-reliance.
This is the Arc of the Predator.
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