The author, on the conduct to be shown towards friends and enemies states the following:
....be humble among their friends, proud and bold against their foes, tender and merciful toward those who need assistance, cruel avengers against their enemies, pleasant and amiable with all others...
...you should not converse at any length nor hold speech with your enemies, for you should bear in mind that they do not speak to you for your own good but to draw out of you what they can use to do you the greatest harm.
You should be generous in giving where the gift will be best used and as careful as you can that you let your enemies have nothing that is yours.
Love and serve your friends, hate and harm your enemies, relax with your friends, exert yourself with all your strength against your foes.
You should plan your enterprises cautiously and you should carry them out boldly.
....no one should fall into despair from cowardice nor be too confident from great daring, for falling into too great despair can make a man lose his position and his honor, and trusting too much in his daring can make a man lose his life foolishly; but when one is engaged on an armed enterprise, one should dread vile cowardice more than death.
....refrain from saying anything unpleasant things and to make sure that what you say is of some profit rather than merely courteous.
....you should treat your friends in such a way that you have no need to fear lest they become your enemies....
....when moving against your enemies to meet them in battle, never admit the idea that you might be defeated nor think how you might be captured or how you might flee, but be strong in heart, firm, and confident, always expecting victory, not defeat, whether or not you are on top, for whatever the situation, you will always do well because of the good hopes that you have.
The quotes give a sense of balance between to different forms of socializing. The first being on how a warrior is to conduct him or herself towards their friends. The second being on how warriors are to act towards his or her enemies or the enemies within.
In regards towards friends, the Warrior treats friends as brothers or sisters in friendship and as allies or confidants in which the Warrior can relax and be his or her gentle self.
In regards to to this balance of gentle and strong; one must understand this. The Warrior is a balanced individual who knows the time and occasion to be either gentle or firm. The Warrior is not an emotionally unstable or mental ill individual. The Warrior is an amiable friend in times of peace and is also a force of justice in times of war. Even in war, the Warrior is one who does not hold back on his or her prowess to achieve victory over the enemy or enemies. The Warrior is one that fights the inner enemies of fear, cowardice, doubts and overthinking to triumph over the physical opponent who is betting on an act of terror or intimidation.
How does one achieve this mental/emotional balance?
The answer is this: by knowing oneself, knowing one's friends and creating the emotional balance by studying the ancient Warrior texts to understand this balance.
Yet one will ask the question: "Why need this balance when one can be aggressive or calm in two different modes of thinking?"
The answer is this: Thinking in two different modes of personalities is nothing short of being double minded, which can translate to moralistic double standards. What affects one's mind will affect one's morals. Therefore, a balance of the two extremities in personalities is vital to creating within oneself a complete and balanced human being.
Therefore, the best lesson from this study is to know yourself and self introspect yourself so you can find the point of balance and build in time from there mentally and emotionally. A saying of mine is this: "Fight your battles with your head, forget the heart." Why do I say this? A Warrior who is balanced is one who is able to fight his or her battles with his mind (which must utilize Logic, Reason, Wisdom, Knowledge) to fight the battle without having the Heart (the emotions) being involved. This does not mean that a Warrior is a cold, killing, heartless, violent individual; rather the Warrior is balanced internally so as to not be swayed or influenced by emotions or motives that would unbalance the mind. It is essentially being mentally and emotionally strong to withstand attacks on one's mind or emotions.
Ask yourself this Brave Warrior: Am I swayed by my emotions or do certain things trigger my emotions? Do I really know how to act between two extremes? Can I fight my battles without feeling doubts or uncertainty? When you ask yourself these questions, you begin your journey to balancing your mind and building a foundation of mental and emotional discipline. Fight every battle with your mind full of Reasoning, Logic and Wisdom, do not rely on the Heart full of emotions.
Onward Brave Warrior!
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