"The difference between a Samurai Prince and an ordinary person is that an ordinary person sees everything as either a blessing or a curse, while a Samurai Prince sees everything as a Victorious Adventure."

The Samurai and Knightly ideal took was to TOTAL Responsibility for Oneself in pursuit of something higher than oneself. Historically, they may have been among the best examples of men - the Best of Men showing the world the Best In Men. Today, this would apply equally to women – the Best of Women showing the world the Best In Women.

Imagine an adult who is fearful and tentative in his actions, who is emotional in his words, whose intentions are often suspect, whose attitude changes at a whim, whose does not think for himself, who has no originality or creativity, who follows the path of least resistance and who has never thought about his beliefs. That's Powerless.

Consider the Warrior Ethic in contrast with "common."

There are times in life when we face a Moment of Truth. Everything is on the line. Circumstances have crashed into us with such ferocity that it could all end right here and right now. The odds may stack against him. The situation may seem impossible. He might feel alone – he might even BE alone. The Warrior stands on the field of battle with no idea if he will win or he will lose. What he does know is this…

The battle will be Epic! It will be his FINEST hour. He cannot say how it will end, but he CAN say that HE will prove himself in this time. He will show what he is made of. His story – no matter the outcome – will be a Story for the Ages.

When a Warrior faces the most daunting challenges of life with this attitude – with this passion – with his much HEART – the results are staggering. More often than anyone would possibly expect, when the dust finally settles, the battered and bloodied Warrior still stands… exhausted, totally spent… Victorious!

And what a story there is to tell of such a one!

SAMURAI

The idealized Samurai was a warrior of honor and skill. It is said "A sword cannot make a Samurai, but it can unmake one." Pop culture thinks of Samurai as skilled fighters, but the true skill of the Samurai was not in their fighting skill - it was in their self-control. There were the epitome of the Warrior Ethic. They took Total Responsibility. They blamed no one for the circumstances of life. They were the phenomenally self-disciplined, incredibly honorable embodiment of knightly virtue.

PRINCE

The ideal of a "Prince" is nobility, virtue, style, courtesy, leadership and rulership. He leads. He leads the hardest person in the world to lead - himself. He practices nobility and virtue. He has his own style, a respectful, courteous style. He is so confident in himself and his station that he never need insult or criticize others because he never needs to cut others down to feel better about himself. He is thoughtful and reasoned. He lives life by principles and the big picture of the kingdom.

He honors and respect ladies. He treasures them and treats them like honored peers. As a husband, he takes his cue from business - the best of executives often lead teams of "knowledge workers." He may be the leader, and they may submit to his authority, but he and they know full well that they know their job better than he does. He acknowledges their expertise, and he serves the team as leader. He knows better than to presume he knows best just because he is the leader - he knows when to ask, and he listens. That is how he makes the very best of decisions.

PRINCESS

The ideal of a "Princess" is also nobility, virtue, style, courtesy, leadership and rulership. This is not the merely the wallflower beauty of the fairy tale that often did nothing more than be pretty and sing to get the best of men. We are talking about the Warrior Princess.

She is a Samurai - strong, self-controlled, honorable and knightly. But she is also womanly. She is a lady, polite, cherished, and full of grace. She is poetry in motion by virtue of her physical training. She is beautiful in her self-confidence, courage and strength. She has all the virtue of the best in a True Lady, and it is backed by the strength and skill of a warrior.

If the ideal of the Samurai Prince and Samurai Princess intriques you and inspires you, joins us at the Guardian Academy (www.GuardianAcademy.com) or learn more from Soke-Kyoshi Scot Conway, Ph.D., J.D., 8th degree Black Belt, the headmaster of the Guardian Martial Arts (Karate, Jujitsu, Kobujitsu, Kempo) through www.ScotConway.com. Similarly, Agathos Ministries, also lead by Scot Conway, is a Christian Church that uses the closely related ideal of the Royal Knight and focuses on total responsibilty in a Christian context. Learn more from Agathos Ministries, www.AgathosMinistries.org.