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Post by Archmage Turanis Altaine on Nov 18, 2003 23:16:24 GMT -5
What constitutes a perfect soldier? Is he a well-trained fighting machine incapable of independent thought or emotion? What value does he place on his life? On others' lives? What is he willing to sacrifice to accomplish the mission?
To me a perfect soldier is one who fights for his beliefs.
He is capable of independant thought yet not emotion, for if he fights with his heart he will have no emotional problems.
He is selfless, thinking not of his safety but of his ideals and the people
He is willing to take a life if necessary, knowing that the other must be at peace with himself in order to face death.
He must be ready to sacrifice all he has in order to bring about success, but never should he sacrifice others
What are your thoughts on the Heart of a Warrior?
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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Nov 19, 2003 10:51:36 GMT -5
Are you asking what is a perfect soldier, or a perfect warrior? There is a world of difference...
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Post by Archmage Turanis Altaine on Nov 19, 2003 18:08:53 GMT -5
you speak truth, I did not alter the questions as they were asked bya dear friend. Those were her exact words and those my exact answers. From my point of veiw one should not be a soldier if he is not a warrior. but in this case i would for your thoughts on Warriors.
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Post by Sharess on Nov 19, 2003 18:18:10 GMT -5
The perfect Warrior is: Aways ready to defend those who are weaker then himself and those who are stornger Must have standers that he will not break Must recpet all people and creatures Fights to sever justice and to defend others from harm Has a heart and a mind and a soul and ueses all to fight Knows when to fight and when to speak instand of fighting
That is what make a perfect warrior to me in some ways it also the code of evey "good and Noble" fighter ie samreis, pladins ect.
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Post by Minion on Nov 20, 2003 9:47:47 GMT -5
Perfect Soldier: A mindless machine who takes any orders without question, unhindered by morals or conscience.
Perfect Warrior: One who fights above all with passion to defend hiw beliefs and philosophies. IMO being a cavalier is also a big part of it, arguably.
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Post by ShonenSenshiDave on Nov 20, 2003 17:57:52 GMT -5
uhhh, I'm gonna disagree with what Minion said. A perfect soldier is not a mindless grunt who takes orders without question. They may be more calculating and less zealous than a warrior, but mindless drones... nope. A soldier fights because he (a) believes in something and (b) it's his job (talking modern military here).
The perfect warrior: check out the Homeric Hymn to Ares. I think that says it all.
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Post by Hussar on Nov 20, 2003 23:09:19 GMT -5
I also strongly disagree with Minion for a number of reasons. A mindless soldier is next to useless for anything other than cannon fodder. A modern army relies on its military being able to operate in very small groups with little or no direct observation from above. This is unprecedented in military history. The idea that you can trust your soldiers not to run away at the first opportunity was laughable prior to the second half of the twentieth century. Also, you want an educated, intelligent soldier because, time and time again, it has been proven that he or she makes a far more effective soldier. A soldier that blindly follows orders just might be good enough for a private, but for any rank higher than that, a modern military dictates that you have at least a modicum of independent thought.
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Post by EK - Shadow of Death on Nov 20, 2003 23:46:15 GMT -5
A perfect soldier: A person who kills when ordered to, leads when ordered to, and follows when ordered to.
A perfect warrior: 1) Has a single purpose 2) Has mastered all weapons, including no weapons (diplomacy) 3) Realizes their imperfections and tirelessly works to remedy them
I'm very general on this because there have been great warriors in both the East and the West, and I believe that these are the core criteria that define them both.
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Post by Shura on Nov 22, 2003 17:21:11 GMT -5
Seeing as many different cultures have different martial traditions, I'll try and focus on the definitions and leave my moral opinions out of it. These ideas are far from my concept a an ideal warrior or soldier, but probably are closer to a definition of perfect.
A perfect warrior is a perfect fighter, unbeatable in combat.
This is because he is perfect in the context of combat. Morality and other attributes would make up part of a perfect anything, not just a warrior.
A perfect warrior would have no flaws, thus would not need to correct them.
Seeing as warrior has connotations of fighting as an individual (not as a group like a soldier), then the perfect warrior would have no goal except to maintian perfection, thus would be committed to the besting of all other warrior to make sure he is perfect.
There has never been nor ever will be a perfect warrior.
A perfect soldier would be a good fighter alone and as part of an organised group. Would obey orders to suicide and be prepared to lay down his life for whatever his army serves. Would be intelligent enough to act on initiative wh nthere is advantage to be gained over the enemy. Would not interfere with civilians under any circumstances and not engage in practices such as lotting, pillaging etc if ordered not to do so.
There has never been nor ever will be a perfect soldier.
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