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Advance!
What’s our goal? To keep attacking, advancing. No fear, no hesitation. No cowardice.
Advanced
What does the word “advanced” mean? It means you’ve advanced very far in your given life and art.
In war, art, and life, we must keep advancing and attacking. To run away and catch a spear in our back is the ultimate shame. Better to be attacking the enemy head-on and catching the spear directly in front of the front of your chest. Even the emperor Julian died when he was on the front lines of battle, catching a spear directly in front of his chest (source).
Fortune favors the brave
The more audacious, brazen, and bold you are, the happier you are.
Burn your ships behind you
Like the Muslim commander Tarik told his troops before invading Spain. Note he said this in around 700 AD… which is around 1,300 years ago!!!
“Oh my warriors, whither would you flee? Behind you is the sea, before you, the enemy. You have left now only the hope of your courage and your constancy. Remember that in this country you are more unfortunate than the orphan seated at the table of the avaricious master. Your enemy is before you, protected by an innumerable army; he has men in abundance, but vou, as your only aid, have your own swords, and, as your only chance for life, such chance as you can snatch from the hands of your enemy. If the absolute want to which you are reduced is prolonged ever so little, if you delay to seize immediate success, your good fortune will vanish, and your enemies, whom your very presence has filled with fear, will take courage. Put far from you the disgrace from which you flee in dreams, and attack this monarch who has left his strongly fortified city to meet you. Here is a splendid opportunity to defeat him, if you will consent to expose yourselves freely to death. Do not believe that I desire to incite you to face dangers which I shall refuse to share with you. In the attack I myself will be in the fore, where the chance of life is always least. [True skin in the game, putting his own skin in the very front lines… highest likelihood of death. Thus, to motivate your troops and others, you must be the one MOST EXPOSED to death, to truly motivate others]
Tarik goes on:
“Remember that if you suffer a few moments in patience, you will afterward enjoy supreme delight. Do not imagine that your fate can be separated from mine, and rest assured that if you fall, I shall perish with you, or avenge you [Very motivational to know that your commander literally has your back]. You have heard that in this country there are a large number of ravishingly beautiful Greek maidens, their graceful forms are draped in sumptuous gowns on which gleam pearls, coral, and purest gold, and they live in the palaces of royal kings. The Commander of True Believers, Alwalid, son of Abdalmelik, has chosen you for this attack from among all his Arab warriors; and he promises that you shall become his comrades and shall hold the rank of kings in this country. Such is his confidence in your intrepidity. The one fruit which he desires to obtain from your bravery is that the word of God shall be exalted in this country, and that the true religion shall be established here. The spoils will belong to yourselves [Appeal to spoils of war].
Tarik continues:
“Remember that I place myself in the front of this glorious charge which I exhort you to make. At the moment when the two armies meet hand to hand, you will see me, never doubt it, seeking out this Roderick, tyrant of his people, challenging him to combat, if God is willing. If I perish after this, I will have had at least the satisfaction of delivering you, and you will easily find among you an experienced hero, to whom you can confidently give the task of directing you. But should I fall before I reach to Roderick, redouble your ardor, force yourselves to the attack and achieve the conquest of this country, in depriving him of life. With him dead, his soldiers will no longer defy you.“
Even if Tarik died, he still believes in his cause so much, that he desired his troops to continue his master plan!
Taking it back to our (pedestrian) lives.
Right now is your time to exhibit courage. Go outside. Document. Make photos. Talk to people. Don’t become a recluse or shut-in.
In the past we might have not has the chance of actually exhibiting our courage. Now we can.
