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->"It seems to me it is impossible to avoid accidents," I said. "No man can control everything
around him."
"True," don Juan said cuttingly. "But not everything is an unavoidable accident. Lucas doesn't
live like a warrior. If he did, he'd know that he is waiting and what he is waiting for; and he
wouldn't have driven that truck while he was drunk. He crashed against the rock side of the
road because he was drunk and mangled his body for nothing.
"Life for a warrior is an exercise in strategy," don Juan went on. "But you want to find the
meaning of life. A warrior doesn't care about meanings. If Lucas lived like a warrior-and he
had a chance to, as we all have a chance to-he would set his life strategically. Thus if he
couldn't avoid an accident that crushed his ribs, he would have found means to offset that
handicap, or avoid its consequences, or battle against them. If Lucas were a warrior he
wouldn't be sitting in his dingy house dying of starvation. He would be battling to the end."
I posed an alternative to don Juan, using him as an example, and asked him what would be the
outcome if he himself were to be involved in an accident that severed his legs.
"If I cannot help it, and lose my legs," he said, "I won't be able to be a man any more, so I will
join that which is waiting for me out there."
He made a sweeping gesture with his hand to point all around him. I argued that he had
misunderstood me. I had meant to point out that it was impossible for any single individual to
foresee all the variables involved in his day-to-day actions.
"All I can say to you," don Juan said, "is that a warrior is never available; never is he standing
on the road waiting to be clobbered. Thus he cuts to a minimum his chances of the
unforeseen. What you call accidents are, most of the time, very easy to avoid, except for fools
who are living helter-skelter."
"It is not possible to live strategically all the time," I said. "Imagine that someone is waiting
for you with a powerful rifle with a telescopic sight; he could spot you accurately five
hundred yards away. What would you do?"
Don Juan looked at me with an air of disbelief and then broke into laughter.
"What would you do?" I urged him.
"If someone is waiting for me with a rifle with a telescopic sight?" he said, obviously
mocking me.
"If someone is hiding out of sight, waiting for you. You won't have a chance. You can't stop a
bullet."
"No. I can't. But I still don't understand your point."
"My point is that all your strategy cannot be of any help in a situation like that."
"Oh, but it can. If someone is waiting for me with a powerful rifle with a telescopic sight I
simply will not come around."
around him."
"True," don Juan said cuttingly. "But not everything is an unavoidable accident. Lucas doesn't
live like a warrior. If he did, he'd know that he is waiting and what he is waiting for; and he
wouldn't have driven that truck while he was drunk. He crashed against the rock side of the
road because he was drunk and mangled his body for nothing.
"Life for a warrior is an exercise in strategy," don Juan went on. "But you want to find the
meaning of life. A warrior doesn't care about meanings. If Lucas lived like a warrior-and he
had a chance to, as we all have a chance to-he would set his life strategically. Thus if he
couldn't avoid an accident that crushed his ribs, he would have found means to offset that
handicap, or avoid its consequences, or battle against them. If Lucas were a warrior he
wouldn't be sitting in his dingy house dying of starvation. He would be battling to the end."
I posed an alternative to don Juan, using him as an example, and asked him what would be the
outcome if he himself were to be involved in an accident that severed his legs.
"If I cannot help it, and lose my legs," he said, "I won't be able to be a man any more, so I will
join that which is waiting for me out there."
He made a sweeping gesture with his hand to point all around him. I argued that he had
misunderstood me. I had meant to point out that it was impossible for any single individual to
foresee all the variables involved in his day-to-day actions.
"All I can say to you," don Juan said, "is that a warrior is never available; never is he standing
on the road waiting to be clobbered. Thus he cuts to a minimum his chances of the
unforeseen. What you call accidents are, most of the time, very easy to avoid, except for fools
who are living helter-skelter."
"It is not possible to live strategically all the time," I said. "Imagine that someone is waiting
for you with a powerful rifle with a telescopic sight; he could spot you accurately five
hundred yards away. What would you do?"
Don Juan looked at me with an air of disbelief and then broke into laughter.
"What would you do?" I urged him.
"If someone is waiting for me with a rifle with a telescopic sight?" he said, obviously
mocking me.
"If someone is hiding out of sight, waiting for you. You won't have a chance. You can't stop a
bullet."
"No. I can't. But I still don't understand your point."
"My point is that all your strategy cannot be of any help in a situation like that."
"Oh, but it can. If someone is waiting for me with a powerful rifle with a telescopic sight I
simply will not come around."