Be A Warrior in a Garden

Better Than Being a Gardener in a War

There is an old Chinese story concerning a young martial artist learning from a master. While training the master talks frequently about peace, how important it is and his love for it. The young man asks his master this question; “We train constantly for war, but you speak constantly of peace. Why is that?” The master replies; “It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”

Well, yes it is, but so what? I think the founding fathers took this lesson to heart, whether or not they had heard the actual Chinese tale. One may maintain that the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is basically a law that provides for the populace of the U.S. to be warriors in a garden. We should be, thanks to the Second Amendment, if not exactly highly trained warriors, at least partially trained. That may not sound like much but it is many times better than being untrained and unarmed..

I don't think it's a popular idea among our ruling elite since it loosens their grip on power, but then, that's the point. A basic purpose of the Second Amendment is to allow us to not live in a police state. And, if war does come to our land, at least we are not gardeners in a war.

It's popular to maintain that the Constitution never meant for individuals to be armed with their own weapons, and that the militia referred to therein was only the national guard, but I think that is just something that appeals to those of a collectivist mindset. This belief systems has recently been challenged by the “Summer of Love” in 2020, where mobs routinely burned down major portions of cities while the city's own power structure allowed it to happen. Many people suddenly found themselves gardeners in a war, and were unprepared, and probably in disbelief. They discovered that they could not depend on maintaining civilian status in this sudden war that had been foisted on them by various agents of the politically powerful.

"The notion that you can somehow defeat violence by submitting to it is simply a flight from fact. As I have said, it is only possible to people who have money and guns between themselves and reality." - George Orwell, 1941

In some places they did not allow their cities to be burned, places that could be seen as the homes of warriors in their gardens. It happened in many places, though seldom reported nationally. One such place was Couer-Dalene Idaho:

https://drp314.substack.com/p/antifa-and-couer-dalene

When the Covid situation developed people discovered that many of our political leaders, who had been wearing masks of believers in freedom and the Bill of Rights, were actually delighted to turn into dictators, and were not about to give up their emergency powers.

"The totalitarian states can do great things, but there is one thing they cannot do: they cannot give the factory-worker a rifle and tell him to take it home and keep it in his bedroom. That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage, is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." - George Orwell

How do we stay a nation of warriors in our gardens? Doing what we've been doing is a good start. Consider all of the people who have been traumatized by the riots and the lock-downs, I think that has moved the Overton window in the direction of supporting firearms rights. Many just did not see it as a significant issue, but now realize that it is. Of course, it's not just firearms that are needed, but knowledge concerning the theory and practice of war, martial arts, skills with other weapons as well as a general culture of strength. What's needed is to really believe that we prefer to be warriors in a garden than gardeners in a war.

"The gun control debate generally ignores the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the Second amendment. The Second amendment is not about hunting deer or keeping a pistol in your nightstand. It is not about protecting oneself against common criminals. It is about preventing tyranny. The Founders knew that unarmed citizens would never be able to overthrow a tyrannical government as they did. They envisioned government as a servant, not a master, of the American people. The muskets they used against the British Army were the assault rifles of that time. It is practical, rather than alarmist, to understand that unarmed citizens cannot be secure in their freedoms." - Ron Paul

Then again, it's not just an issue of firearms, it's much broader than that, containing elements of mindset, knowledge, understanding of history and human nature. Some thoughts on that I put in this essay:

https://drp314.substack.com/p/things-not-taught-in-school

The ideas in that article concerning what could be taught in school are unlikely to be implemented, but I thought they are things a free people should know about. We all need to understand the methods of control used by the powerful, recognize false flags, the use of propaganda and information war, and be aware of how often the “emperor has no clothes” is used. Any warrior wishing to remain at peace in his garden should be aware of them.

"An armed republic submits less easily to the rule of one of its citizens than a republic armed by foreign forces. Rome and Sparta were for many centuries well armed and free. The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom. Among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible. It is not reasonable to suppose that one who is armed will obey willingly one who is unarmed; or that any unarmed man will remain safe among armed servants." - Niccolo Machiavelli, "The Prince" (1532)

Stay Brave, Stay Free