The Chicken and the Warrior: A Meditation

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in… and exhale slowly.

Now, I ask you: Do you want to be a chicken or a warrior?

You say, A warrior, of course! Who would choose to be a chicken?

Then prepare yourself. Gather everything you believe makes you strong.

Picture them in front of you — your sword, your shield, your bow, your helmet, your armor. All your weapons, all your defenses. You have carried them for so long.

Your Sword

Now, look at your sword.

Feel its weight in your hand. This weapon allows you to strike, to fight, to wound and kill. You can look your enemy in the eyes as you cut, as you pierce, as you destroy. It gives you power. It makes you feel strong.

But how many times have you used this sword?

How many times have you hurt someone?

Remember. Feel it. See the faces of those you have wounded, with your words, your actions, your silence. Feel the sharpness of your blade as it cut through.

Did it make you stronger? Or did it only make you harder?

Hold it. Feel it.

Now, place it down. Let it go.

Give it to the chickens. They will need it.

Breathe in deeply… and exhale.

Your Bow and Arrows

Now, look at your bow and arrows.

They allow you to attack from a distance — to strike without being seen, to hurt without facing responsibility. Your arrows will sink into your enemy’s body like butter. They remove the weight of looking into his eyes as he falls.

How many times have you attacked from the shadows?

How many times have you hurt someone with a word spoken behind their back?

How many times have you struck in silence, unseen, avoiding the burden of witnessing the pain you caused?

Remember. Feel it.

Hold them. Feel them.

Now, place them down. Let them go.

Give them to the chickens. They will need them.

Breathe in… and exhale.

Your Secret Weapons

Now, look at your secret weapons.

These are the tricks, the hidden blades, the surprises you hold close. The ones you use when you feel trapped. The ones you hope no one will ever see.

How many times have you relied on tricks instead of truth?

How many times have you manipulated, deceived, or used your last resort to escape instead of facing?

Remember. Feel it.

Hold them. Feel them.

Now, place them down. Let them go.

Give them to the chickens. They will need them.

Breathe. Feel your hands grow lighter.

Your Shield

Now, look at your shield.

This shield has protected you. It has absorbed every blow meant for you. But it has also weighed you down. It has kept you from truly feeling, from truly experiencing the world without barriers.

How many times have you hidden behind your shield?

How many times have you refused to let people in — too afraid to be vulnerable, too afraid to be touched?

Remember. Feel it.

Hold it. Feel it.

Now, place it down. Let it go.

Give it to the chickens. They will need it.

Breathe in… and exhale.

Your Helmet

Now, look at your helmet.

It has guarded your mind — your beliefs, your assumptions, your certainties. It has kept you safe, but also closed off.

How many times have you clung to what you believed, unwilling to change?

How many times have you worn your helmet so tightly that new ideas, new truths, could not enter?

Remember. Feel it.

Hold it. Feel it.

Now, place it down. Let it go.

Give it to the chickens. They will need it.

Breathe. Feel the air on your skin.

Your Armor

Now, look at your armor.

This armor has protected you from wounds. It has shielded your heart, hidden your weaknesses, concealed your pain. But it has also separated you from others.

How many times have you worn this armor to hide your true self?

How many times have you chosen safety over connection?

How many times have you feared being seen?

Remember. Feel it.

Hold it. Feel its weight.

Now, place it down. Let it go.

Give it to the chickens. They will need it.

Now, stand before me.

Unarmed. Unshielded. Exposed.

Do you feel naked? Do you feel vulnerable? Do you feel small?

Good.

Because now, I see the warrior in you.

Only when you stand without weapons… only when you allow yourself to be seen, to be fragile, to be fully human… only then, are you truly strong.

Breathe. Feel the power within you — not in your hands, not in your weapons, but in your heart.

Now, I ask you again:

Do you want to be a chicken or a warrior?

If you wish to be a chicken, take up the weapons left behind. Pick up the swords, the shields, the armor. Cover yourself in them. Hide behind them.

And then — only then — will the world see your fears, your fragility, your smallest self.

For no matter how much steel you wear, no matter how many weapons you carry…

No one will see a warrior in you.

Only a chicken.

Now, open your eyes. Breathe. And walk forward — not as a warrior of steel, but as a warrior of truth.