Around the world and throughout time hundreds of warrior cultures have cultivated the highest degree of discipline in the pursuit of mastery and discipline. Hundreds, not thousands, because obtaining such a profound self-disciplined nature is uncommon.
Cultures that keep death in their mind seem to be aware of the shortness of life and therefore have a greater appreciation of their lifeTIME; the time that makes up your life.
Below are 5 different warrior cultures and their views on death. Observe the similarities. While each path is different, they are remarkably similar, especially at far distances.
How The Samurai Viewed Death
The Samurai believed that one must be ready to die at all times–that life is a rehearsal for death. The Samurai were trained to face death with courage. Because of this awareness of death, they spent their lives chasing mastery, which undoubtedly helps one combat the hands of death, but not be afraid of it.
The samurai believed that dishonorable actions were worse than death. The shame of being a coward was so disgraceful that redemption via ritual death–Seppuku–was a path to forgiveness, where the warrior would cut open their stomach so the soul could leave the cowardly body to ascend to the afterlife with honor.
Samurai would often follow their Daiymo(samurai feudal lord) into the afterlife when their master died so that they would continue service in the afterlife. Or they might become a recluse after their master’s death, leading the life of a peaceful monk until death came naturally.
How The Spartans Viewed Death
The Spartans considered it an honor to spit in the face of death. The battle of Thermopoly where 300 Spartans fought against thousands of Persian soldiers is a testament to this. You see the preparation for death and worship for honor in all aspects of their culture, like when a Spartan mother told her son he better “return with his shield or on it.” The son must not retreat but be victorious or die trying. Retreat was the ultimate embarrassment, strong enough of a personal philosophy for a mother to disown her son.
The Spartans began training at 7 years old in an education program called the Agoge. This training would last for 13 years, or until around the age of 20. The purpose of this training was to instill values like courage and bravery in the face of death. Some would die during training. Boys often had to rely on stealing to eat.
Although not named Valhalla, the Spartans believed in an afterlife that could be accessed by dying in battle.
How The Vikings Viewed Death
The Vikings believed the only way to get to the glorious afterlife–valhalla–was to die in battle. In Viking mythology, there are many afterlives and Valhalla was the best of them, the place where Odin the God of War waits for elite warriors to join him. Eventually Odin will lead those elite warriors in the battle of Ragnarok.
The Viking Berserker Rage is legendary. The Berserkers were warriors who fought in a trance-like state with complete disregard for death.
How The Knights Viewed Death
European knights followed a philosophy called chivalry which encouraged the expression of virtue, more specifically bravery, honor, loyalty, and courtesy, which you could describe as being polite and respectful to all accepted members of a society regardless of class.
As a knight, it would be considered an honor to die for your king or in service of your god. This is similar to the samurai who would offer their lives to their masters, and would sometimes ritually take their own lives when their master passed on to the next world to continue service.
How The Zulu Warriors Viewed Death
The Zulu Warriors were a warrior culture that emerged in Southern Africa in the 19th century. Similar to the Spartans, and the Romans, the Zulu Warriors fought in a phalanx arrangement where men would stand shoulder to shoulder, several lines deep. The Zulu called their Phalanx formation, Impi. It’s interesting that warrior cultures with no interaction with each other come to the same conclusions. It would appear that mastery has the same path for wanderers no matter where they are on the planet and potentially the universe.
The Zulu believed that the bloating seen from the stomach of a corpse was the soul trying to escape from the body. This is why they would disembowel their dead so the soul could escape. The same as the Samurai, who believed the soul could ascend to heaven when released through the stomach.
The Path is Similar For All Wanderers
Legendary warrior cultures believed that facing death with honor, courage, bravery, and not fear, was how to access heaven in the afterlife. Death is inevitable, but fear is optional.
We can choose to live philosophically mirrored with these great cultures by pursuing mastery as a lifestyle and bringing the fight to the enemy(Andreia) without fear, even if your enemy is death.
Great warrior cultures have respect for death but do not fear death. All warrior cultures fight for something greater than death. This provides their soul with greater meaning than life itself.
This is the way.
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