Since the beginning of time, human beings have been bestowed several expectation in the way they live. The society has set certain sets of values that define the ultimate living. In the journey of life, being a warrior implies that one has to be of honor and values. In Japanese culture, the ways of the warrior were known as the bushido. It was a code of values that were expected of a samurai warriors. The values are not only a set of principles that guided their actions, but a set of behaviors that were expected to dominate their behaviors (Bloomberg, 2013). The seven warrior ways in this research are leadership, character, service, truth, community, scholarship, and excellence. These are values that are dominant in the Liberty Christian School. Being a community, the Seven Ways of the Warrior may be forged to guide the actions of the students and faculty in the Liberty Christian School. To understand the values, it is prudent to consider the etymological roots of the words so as to get to the core of the definition of the words. Besides, understanding how these values could be practiced within the Liberty Christian School, it is also prudent to understand how certain figures in history have exemplified them in their lives. Both historical and Biblical figures have shown the significance of these traits and how they relate to the lives of the people around them just the same way the community at Liberty Christian School may apply them to benefit them.
Leadership
Leadership has often been associated with influence and respect. Having an influence on the people around you is one of the most sought after traits, and has always been so since the beginning of time. The term leadership not only refers to one’s ability to have people follow them, but also their ability to motivate the followers towards a specific vision. The etymological roots of the word leadership affirms this very definition of guidance. Tracing the roots of the word takes one back to Old English word lædere which means “one who leads” or the noun lædan which implies “to bring forth. However, unlike most words, this word does not have any Greek or Latin derivation and the closest antique word relating to the term in Latin is ducere which means to consider or the modern Roman word conducere that means to conduct. The term ‘leadership’ was first used in modern English in 1821 when the suffix ‘-ship’ was added to the old pedigree to denote position. As such, ‘leadership’ is a word that may be etymologically defined as to be in a position to lead or bring forth (Bauer, 2013).
Historically, leadership has been a positive trait shown by many people including in the religious books. In the Bible, for instance, one of the most prolific leaders was Moses. The Torah outlines the development of Moses into leadership from his birth to the time he led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Moses’ leadership is seen from the time he was a prince in Egypt being raised by Pharaoh’s daughter to the time he was in the wilderness with the Israelites. He sought counsel whenever possible, and like a leader, the followers always looked up to him for guidance and solutions to their problems. However, unlike modern leaders, his was a spiritual journey with most of the counsel having divine implications.
In the school, leadership also presents itself in various ways. Leadership may stem from the seniors where they are expected to motivate the students in lower levels to attain high standards in their academics. They may be sought for counsel and guidance and serve as role models to the rest of the school fraternity.
Character
A person’s character constitutes all the distinct qualities and values that make them different from other people. The qualities may be both mental and moral and make one unique from the rest of the society. The word character is a Middle English term that comes from the Old French word caractere via Latin from Greek kharaktēr that means a stamping tool. The definition of distinct individual’s qualities come from the 16th century meaning of distinct mark that led to the development of the meaning of token, trait or feature. It is quite obvious that while everyone of tends to have distinct qualities, there are those whose qualities make them stand out in a crowd.
In modern times, one of the most notable personalities of character was Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Mandela was an individual who stood out from the rest due to his strength of spirit, leadership, honor, as well as social justice. However, perhaps his strongest character was defiance. He defied the oppressive and segregative system of apartheid and was incarcerated for decades. It is through his defiance that he demonstrated his strength in spirit and did not withdraw or recant his beliefs and values. His ability to emerge from the incarceration and outlast the system even by appointing his oppressor showed his character of honor. All these characters were a backdrop of his quest for equality and social justice (Hayes et al., 2016).
In Liberty Christian School, character is of the essence as it defines our adherence to the values of the institution. Character can be shown through respect to rules, dedication to academics and values of the school, as well as passion for development. It is through character both from the faculty and the students that the school community develops all-rounded individuals that would bring positive development to the community around.
Service
Service is a term that denotes the action of doing something or helping others. However, while the modern definition of the word has a positive connotation, it is rather apparent that its etymology is rather negative. The word ‘service’ is an Old English word that was borrowed from Old French servise. The firs use in English was to denote some form of liturgy or religious devotion. However, the Latin root of the word is servitium, from servus, that means ‘slave.’ The positive attribution in modern English was found in the 19th
century in the use of the phrases such as ‘be of service to.’
In religious circles, one of the most conspicuous instances of service was seen in the instance where Jesus washed his disciple’s feet (John 13: 1-17). This episode occurred in the upper room during the last supper. “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciple’s feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (13:5)” while the action may have not been understood by the disciples, to Jesus the action was a sign of humility and servanthood. It was in contrast to the attitudes of the disciples at the time who believed that Jesus was too ‘big’ to wash their feet.
Service is a trait that requires humility as was shown by Jesus. In the school, service may be extended beyond the fences. Tis can be done by giving back to the society in various ways. One of the ways that Liberty Christian School can show service is by visiting the homeless, and the destitute and sharing with them. Besides, the school community may show service to one another by being considerate to each other’s problems and helping where one can.
Truth
Truth is a word that refers to the aspect of fidelity to a particular standard. It is also used to mean the accordance to reality or a fact, or a belief that is in the same accordance. Truth is derived from the West Saxon word triewð the Mercian treowð that mean faithfulness, fidelity, veracity, or the quality of being true, from the abstract of Germanic origin *treuwitho Proto-Germanic treuwaz which means “having good faith.” The modern usage is a variant of the Old English with a Germanic suffix –itho to bring about the abstract noun.
One of the historical figures that lived on the aspect of truth was Thomas More who was a Renaissance humanist. As an individual who stood for the truth, he refused to give in to the demands of King Henry VIII to accept the fact that divorce was legal. Thomas More refused to take the oath since it was against his belief in fidelity and veracity. He remained adamant on his opinions against divorce and decides that he would rather be quiet than speak a lie to please the king. Consequently, More was incarcerated and executed on the pretext that he was against the king. Before his beheading, More spoke about the Supremacy Act and his disappointment in the king for killing a person for his silence. He thus becomes an unlikely hero for the truth (Weir, 2013).
In the school environment the truth may be practiced in various ways. However, perhaps the most conspicuous ways of living the truth in Liberty Christian School is by avoiding plagiarism in our assignments and exams. In academic writing, most of the times students would be overwhelmed with the research and may choose to copy information from other researchers without acknowledging them. It would be prudent to deny the temptation of giving in to passing others’ works as one’s own in the academic respect.
Community
Since humans are social animals, the aspect of community is just as important as that of sharing as it binds us together. Community refers to the condition of having common attitudes and sharing in common beliefs and interests. The words is a derivation of the Old French word comuete that means commonness or everybody (Modern French communauté). It is reinforced by its Latin source communitas, which stems from communis, the root word for common.
A common trait that is often associated with community is that of identity. Identity keeps people geared towards a common vision and goal and as such a shared interest. The history of the United States has different instances where people have been bound by the sense of community towards a particular goal. Perhaps one of the most prolific aspects of community was shown by the African-Americans prior to the Civil War. Bound by the common ancestry and identity, slavery was a common enemy for them (Rockquemore " Brunsma, 2007). The antebellum period saw more blacks seeking freedom from slavery and with their togetherness, the abolitionists contributed immensely towards accentuating their voices. The Civil War was a climax of a community that was focused on a positive goal of liberation and the forging of a new identity – one that was not defined by slavery.
In Liberty Christian School, it is quite apparent that our identity as part of the system is the first step towards realizing our sense of community. The sense of community is seen every time we support our various teams in their activities such as sports and arts. The end goal is always to emerge victorious in the various fields in which the team participates.
Scholarship
The modern use of the word ‘scholarship’ stems from the Old English word scolere which means ‘student.’ It was derived from Medieval and Late Latin word scholaris that meant ‘belonging to a school.’ In modern language, a scholar means the quality of learning or knowledge exhibited by a student or the standard of their work. It is also characterized by accuracy, critical thinking, thoroughness, and intellect.
Scholars are generally expected to be knowledgeable and exemplify both critical and philosophical thinking traits. As a scholar, one is also expected to show leadership traits. It is quite prudent to note that throughout history, these traits have been shown by various people whose works continue to shape knowledge in the contemporary world. People like Aristotle and Plato continue to be quoted in almost every respect of life (Barker, 2012). For instance, Aristotle may be quoted on aspects of truth, on happiness, on love, on leadership, etc. based on the applicability of all his teaching sin regards to how people live. He is, perhaps, one of the most quoted people who ever lived due to his knowledgeability, critical thinking, and intellect.
In the Liberty Christian School, scholarship may be seen in the way the community chooses to approach issues. It is quite important for critical and analytical thinking is applied when coming up with solutions to various problems in the school community. As students, scholarship is not only seen in the academic performance, but also the way one relates to the other person in the academic environment and creates sensible arguments and conversations. In addition to that, as scholars, one is expected to show utmost discipline and regards to the opinion of others and appreciate constructive criticism.
Excellence
Excellence is the quality of being outstandingly good or surpassing ordinary standards. It may also refer to measure of performance standards and an achievement of excellence is an absolute achievement. The word is derived from Old French of excellence or from Latin excellentia which means superiority, or excellentem that means towering or distinguished. From the 14 century excellence has been used to refer to the mark of superiority or a unit of measure of standards.
Excellence is a trait that is often related to religious figures. Every religion has a figure of excellence. In Christianity, Jesus is the ultimate mark of excellence that every Christian is asked to emulate to attain excellence. In the Gospel of Mark 1:11, God shows that Jesus is excellent when he states that “Thou art my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” This assertion shows the mark of excellence that God had bestowed on Jesus as both human and God.
In a demanding ministry, excellence is often measured from the position of Jesus. Leaders and followers are asked to follow the standards set by Christ in his ministry. At Liberty Christian School, the entire community may show the trait of excellence both by trying to follow the example of Christ and by maintaining the highest standards of discipline. As students, excellence is a mark of high standards of academic performance. As such, students may also show this trait through their grades. Lecturers may sow excellence by ensuring that the objectives of the topics are achieved in the highest standards.
Conclusion
Looking at the above mentioned values, it is quite apparent that they are all essential towards an all-rounded individual. Some characteristics in history have exemplified more than one of these values and have stood out from their generation. The Ways of the Warrior at Liberty Christian School are important in creating a community of individuals who are not only mindful of their interests but also service to the rest of the community. Relating to historical figures is a way of showing the benefits of the values and how the rest of the community would gain when the Liberty Christian School practices them. Just like in the Japanese Samurai warriors, these values should dominate the actions of the general community.
References
Barker, E. (2012). The political thought of Plato and Aristotle. Courier Corporation.
Bauer, L. (2013). Vocabulary. Routledge.
Blomberg, C. (2013). The heart of the warrior: Origins and religious background of the samurai system in feudal Japan. Routledge.
Hayes, T. L., Hogan, R., " Emler, N. (2016). The psychology of character, reputation, and gossip. Questions of Character, 268.
Rockquemore, K. A., " Brunsma, D. L. (2007). Beyond black: Biracial identity in America. Rowman " Littlefield Publishers.
Verses from the New King James Version of the Bible.
Weir, A. (2007). Henry VIII: The king and his court. Ballantine Books.
