Machiavelli, that enduring political philosopher and writer, asked a pivotal question.

If youre a ruler of society, is it better to be feared or loved?

He equivocated a little, but finally, he settled on fear because its more predictable and reliable, and less fickle than love.

A kindred question was asked by Plato in his famous Dialogues:

Does might make right?

If you lead an army and you believe that day is night, will you be right, because of the force of arms?

The martial artist believes the opposite to be true: That right makes might.

If you read John Teramotos translation of Gichin Funakoshis The Twenty Guiding Principles of Karate, youll see that one of the key points the Master made is that Karate stands on the side of justice.

Teramoto & Funakoshi point out that: Human beings are at their strongest when they believe they are right.

If you doubt the rightness or justice of your cause, by the same logic, youre in a weakened state. Anyone with stronger conviction, even if it is induced by drugs or by membership in a gang, can defeat you.

Lets expand on this thought.

If you are in the right, serving justice, but you dont know it, or youre unsure about it, will you also be in a weakened condition?

Probably so, and the obverse applies.

The bad guy, who lacks virtue, who stands for injustice, will be stronger than he should be if he is, however wrongly, convinced of the rightness of his cause.

Therefore, the martial artist must always: (1) Know what virtue is; (2) Convince himself that he is actively pursuing it; and (3) Not hesitate to uphold it.

To the extent he does these things, hell be mighty and effective.