5 Reasons Why the Patriot Movement Needs to Embrace Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness Meditation (MM) is to the individual what the Second Amendment is to the Nation. In other words MM is a check against any aspect of an individual's personality, thought process, habits, addictions and beliefs, overrunning and destroying that individuals ability to pursue happiness.

Think about a habit that's destructive.....lying. If a life is taken over by lying then that life diminishes the ability for the individual and the people around them to pursue happiness. In a combat environment this could be deadly, in a civilian one, lying sows distrust and anger....

Mindfulness is the internal flashlight that not only shines the light on where these habits are manifesting, it also establishes techniques for the individual to experience why inauthenticity doesn't work.

I'm using the 2nd Amendment to set up my argument because it's very clear to me that many in the Patriot Movement see themselves as it's extension.

The Second Amendment is seen as a right to own weapons. To own a weapon is to practice with it. To practice firing a weapon is to practice mindfulness. Therefore the number one reason why the Patriot Movement should embrace MM is because weapon owners are practicing the technique already.

The army taught me how to follow a sequence of steps to hit a target with a firearm. Muzzle awareness, stance, trigger squeeze, breathing, to put these very sophisticated processes together and then hit a target 300meters away is a perfect expression of the cumulative affects of a mindfulness practice. The reason someone would practice these sequences over and over again is to get better and faster at falling into a completely mindful state which then translate into an authentic expression of the individuals intension......i.e., to hit the exact mark being aimed at. An inauthentic expression, one where an individual doesn't follow any or all of the aforementioned processes will result in missing the target.......egregious error can result in serious injury and even death.

The Second reason the Patriot Movement should embrace MM is to redefine Guns as tools of the Warrior Class.

My understanding of the warrior classes from ancient times is that they were protectors. Patriots are the same. A warrior in its purest form thrives under pressure by not succumbing to it. Emotionally and spiritually the warrior protects. To practice the emotional and spiritual, the warrior engages in a physical training; first to recognize and hone their behavior under strain, and second to practice tools that can be deployed against strain, emotionally or spiritually.

The sword was the tool in the past, the modern firearm is the equivalent. Each can be constantly refined as a discipline or practice in precision.

I do not think the majority of gun owners see guns this way. I think people see weapons as a means to defend themselves against dangers and that they must buy as much as they can to prepare for the possibility of government seizure.

This is a emotionally based fear driven approach towards the future.

Fear is a mind killer and exactly why a warrior trains regularly.

The number three reason to practice MM is to recognize first in yourself and then in others, the highest principles and responsibilities of gun ownership.

Defined by discipline, honor, and selfless service, modern gun ownership should be an expression of the highest precepts of what it is to be an American in the Warrior Class

Instead gun ownership is fraught with conspiracy and fear. Instead of weapons being tools for self expression and authenticity, weapons are used as a temporary means to quell anxiety.

The fourth reason to practice MM is the development of patience. Weapon ownership is not a race. Within the warrior class each round should be precisely placed. Each weapon meticulously maintained, cleaned and stored. Within the warrior class the time it takes to respectfully maintain the weapon and it's safe keeping is just as important part of the discipline as firing the weapon. While not as "fun" the master recognizes this part of the practice as infinitely valuable.

This individual expression of respect for the art of gun ownership leads me to the all important fifth reason.

The fifth reason to embrace MM is that social media means scrutiny for everyone. You, your individual behavior is either your best asset and your worst enemy.

Every facebook post, tweet, and text is a recorded expression of how you comport yourself. You no longer live independent of the larger world around you. What drives you, what motivates you really does last an eternity.

You really do influence the edge of change.

To create an edge through weapons training is to create an environment where you are being tested. Any small mistake, miscalculation, mindless behavior with a firearm is a big deal. This is why I think so many people value the ability to own a gun so highly, it's dangerous and danger makes for a more sensational experience!

It is this danger, this edge, that makes mastery with a weapon such a noble endeavor.

In the world of MM it is fundamentally important to meet new students where they are. The Patriot Movement has a unique relationship to gun ownership. Gun ownership has a unique relationship to mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness meditation is a means to self mastery.

Seen as a whole, mindfulness meditation offers the Patriot Movement a unique opportunity to influence the evolution of America by promoting gun ownership as a form of self mastery.