Who Dares Wins

To become a Special Forces soldier involves a process of selection that tests the physical endurance and mental capacity of the individual to its limits. Since everything in existence takes its rise from a greater truth, the soldier’s experience to reach the excellence of their profession parallels the challenge of the spiritual warrior.

To begin, the rookie soldier is stripped of the usual privileges of civilian life and made to conform to the harsh discipline of the army regime. In this it’s not unlike the novice monk being inducted into a monastic way of life. After a period of years when a soldier has proved their worth and displayed qualities associated with the values of the armed forces, certain individuals put themselves forward for selection to the Special Forces. In the spiritual sense this demarcates a turning point from a mostly mechanical reaction to the world to a more conscious way of life. Soldiers enter an intensified process, designed not so much to reveal their strengths but to highlight weaknesses in the character that could endanger comrades or be exploited by an enemy. Similarly, in the spiritual process the light of consciousness exposes blockages in the emotional self and exerts great pressure to surrender to the inviolable inner source of life.

In the selection process, candidates undergo enormous hardships and deprivation of basic needs. The idea is for the experience to be so intense and varied that it prepares the soldier for any eventuality in future operations in order to function effectively and fulfil the mission. In the inner process, although there can be a comparable level of intensity and personal drama, the outcome is different. Whereas the soldier is undergoing a deeply physical and psychological trauma to function as a highly trained body of force in the world, the spiritual devotee is emerging as a being of power on the earth. When a soldier passes selection and is awarded the coveted beret of the regiment there is, not surprisingly, great relief and pride in such an accomplishment. But it’s usually pointed out that earning the beret is one thing but keeping it is another. Again, from the spiritual perspective this is highly significant.

After the exaltation of realising an aspect of God or higher mind, what follows is a period of testing that can last many years and often through challenging outer circumstances. Just as the soldier must go to war to put into practice the skills and training, so the forces of the world come crashing down on the spiritual individual to try to shake the foundations of their truth if possible. This is to give validity to the inner realisation so as to make real in the living experience the abstract realm of existence. This is the mission of the special operative of the spirit. But so covert and undercover is this that the actions of such an individual may go unrecognised by the world at large. And it’s usually the way for the Special Forces operative, whose courage and bravery is usually not made public but only known to the few.

The men and women who pass through the Special Forces are often remarkable individuals. Their resolve and one-pointed zeal to become elite soldiers often brings about a keen perception and philosophical outlook on life. But their lives usually reflect scars and traumas of past exploits which are unable to be resolved. When someone dares to put their life on the line regardless of the situation, there’s an immediate reckoning of the true value of being in existence. As an instrument of force, the soldier is far from the truth. And yet, paradoxically, represents the truth in the moment of life or death where all eventually are compelled to confront their self. But for someone inspired to face life as it is now, the opportunity to be a special operative of the spirit is here. For who dares wins.