The Art of War

I believe that the idea of the modern warrior, or what I prefer to call the modern Protector, is deeply misunderstood in our time. Many people imagine someone obsessed with violence, with domination, with ego. For me, the Protector is the opposite. The Protector is someone who trains not to seek violence, but to be prepared when violence finds him or her. Someone who understands that safety, freedom, and the lives of the people we love are fragile things, and that in rare but critical moments, only skill, preparation, and clarity of mind and the protection of God stand between order and chaos.

In the modern world violence has not disappeared. It has only changed its shape. Today it can come in a parking lot, in a train, in a school, in a bus, in a public square. It can start with empty hands and end with a blade. It can start with words and end with blood. Because of this, the modern Protector cannot afford to be specialized in only one narrow domain. He or she must become a generalist of survival.

I am convinced that the modern Protector must train and master the basics in many domains. One of this is unarmed combat. Striking and grappling are not optional. Boxing, wrestling, judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, MMA, these are not sports for entertainment only. They are laboratories of violence under pressure. They teach timing, distance, fatigue, fear, pain, and decision making in chaos. Forget systems that never spar, that never test themselves against resistance. They sell illusions. Real combat skills are forged only where there is pressure, resistance, and uncertainty.

Is this enough? No...this is only a piece of the puzzle, one part of the spectrum. Many people who talk about violence have only seen a small corner of it. They build theories based on limited experience. In reality, violent encounters can be classified in many ways. Some are empty hands encounters. Some are weapon based encounters. Some start as empty hands and transition suddenly to weapons. Some situations require non deadly force. Others require deadly force. If we do not understand this spectrum, we prepare for the wrong problem.

Imagine this scenario. You are with your family in a bus or in a train. A disturbed individual starts a terror knife attack, killing people around you. This is not a bar fight. This is not a question of ego. This is a mass murder in progress. In that moment, deadly force is not only justified, it is morally necessary to incapacitate the attacker and save innocent lives, including your own family. Anyone who has not reflected deeply on this kind of situation does not understand violence.

This is why I say that mastering different skills is not a luxury. It is mandatory. Depending on the level of threat and danger, you must use different skills and different tools. If you can avoid a simple fight, you avoid it. If you can de escalate, you de escalate. If you cannot de escalate and you are forced into hand to hand combat, then what must kick in are real striking and grappling skills, trained under pressure, tested against resisting opponents.

If the situation escalates to weapons, then weapons must be met with weapons. No hand to hand system will ever be superior to a weapon. This is a hard truth that many refuse to accept. As a Protector, you must respect the law of your country. You must carry only what is legally permitted. If the law allows firearms, then the firearm is the superior tool and you must learn to use it responsibly and with discipline. If only knives are permitted, then you must learn to use a knife. If only improvised tools are available, screwdriver, scissors, stick, then you must understand how to use them. The principle is simple. Do not romanticize empty hands when steel and gunpowder are present.

But violence does not end when the threat is neutralized. Often it begins. Weapons create wounds, and wounds create death long after the fight is over. This is why trauma medicine is not optional for the modern Protector. If you are involved in a violent incident, the probability that you or the people around you will need immediate medical care is very high. Knowing how to stop massive bleeding, how to use a tourniquet, how to manage airways, how to keep someone alive until help arrives, is mandatory. This is a core survival skill.

Physical conditioning is another pillar that many misunderstand. Fighting stamina is important, and combat sports will give you that. But physical strength is not only for fighting. If your child is wounded, you may need to carry him. If a victim is unconscious, you may need to lift her. If you must drag someone out of danger, your bench press and your deadlift suddenly matter. Lift weights. Build your body not for aesthetics, but for function.

And above all, there is the mental element. This is the most important part, and the one that cannot be taught in words. I can speak to you based on my own experience, but I cannot give you what only fire can give. The only place where you truly test yourself is in real danger. There you learn who you are. There you learn how you react when fear takes your breath, when time slows down, when the cost of a mistake is permanent.

The art of war for the modern Protector is not about seeking violence. It is about preparing for reality. It is about humility, discipline, and responsibility. It is about understanding that peace is not maintained by wishes, but by competence. The modern Protector trains not to become a hero, but to become reliable when everything else fails.

This is the path I believe in. This is the Tribe 13 path. Not specialization in illusions, but mastery of fundamentals across domains. Not ego, but preparation. Not fantasy, but readiness for the full spectrum of violence, so that if the day ever comes, I am not helpless, and neither are the people who depend on me.

Stay safe all and may God protect you all