The Warrior's Epiphany

The Warrior's Epiphany

The greatest mystery of life is simply finding out its true definition. Life seems to have a soul of its own. A soul of the world that is comprised of all the joy and tears of the people trying to survive it. Survival is living and living is surviving because without the indescribable instinct to carry on there would be no life beyond the rudimentary elements of biology and chemistry. Some people recognize this survival as a test while others wallow in their belief of it being a punishment. Hatred, anger and conflict are our mortal instruments to express our distain that life owes us nothing. Nobody comes into this life with a promise of anything beyond a test of the soul to accept this and get out of it better than we came into all. Life was here before us, itll continue without a hitch when we are dead. So why even try to survive? Why not just surrender to its blows and lay over without a fight? Because we are given a very crucial instinctual tool to survive which is our sick love of the challenges. When faced with scarring pain and tremendous pressure we continue to fight, even if we fight alone and blind. Hell is not something one experiences after life. It is felt when the only thing that reminds you of alive are the warm, salty tears that drip down the face of a tired warrior. A warrior who must face the agony of hell alone and frightened. But like everything in life, it is not permanent. Nothing in life is- it all has an end. If the warrior recognizes this then they receive the greatest gift of all- hope. And with this hope, the warrior rises to their feet and stares life in its entirety knowing that pain is only temporary and if they want to be victorious in their survival, they needed to feel the burn even for a moment. When this is accepted, everything changes. It now life who fears the warrior and what their potential for greatness can be. Life bows silently with respect and seems to become the warrior's mentor rather than their enemy. It's in our greatest moments of weakness when we see the world the clearest. And as long as we shed our feelings for entitlement and ego; we will not only survive- we will thrive. Not many people get to experience the thrill and enchanting feeling of conquering the life we never asked to come into- this majestic gift is only earned through pain and humility. With hope as our catalyst and the fight to survive as our fuel, conquering our lives is very possible. But to solve the infamous mystery of what life really is- is to accept that life is nothing beyond the connection of our personal experiences as we attempt to simultaneously fight while learning about ourselves and the simple fact that life is not friend nor foe. Life is just a compilation of our victories and defeats in an attempt to survive our own self.
-Alexandra “Ali" Butterfield