--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many will argue that there is nothing…" description: "\"“Many will argue that there is nothing remotely spiritual in combat. Consider this. Mystical or religious experiences have four common components: cons..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a4/karl-marlantes-13122_combat_many-will-argue-that-there-is-nothing-re_522005.jpg" --- # Many will argue that there is nothing remotely spiritual… ![“Many will argue that there is nothing remotely spiritual in combat. Consider this. Mystical or religious experiences have four common components: constant awareness of one's own inevitable death, total focus on the present moment, the valuing of other people's lives above one's own, and being part…” quote by Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a4/karl-marlantes-13122_combat_many-will-argue-that-there-is-nothing-re_522005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a4/karl-marlantes-13122_combat_many-will-argue-that-there-is-nothing-re_522005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a4/karl-marlantes-13122_combat_many-will-argue-that-there-is-nothing-re_522005.jpg) > ““Many will argue that there is nothing remotely spiritual in combat. Consider this. Mystical or religious experiences have four common components: constant awareness of one's own inevitable death, total focus on the present moment, the valuing of other people's lives above one's own, and being part of a larger religious community such as the Sangha, ummah, or church. All four of these exist in combat. The big difference is that the mystic sees heaven and the warrior sees hell. Whether combat is the dark side of the same version, or only something equivalent in intensity, I simply don't know. I do know that at the age of fifteen I had a mystical experience that scared the hell out of me and both it and combat put me into a different relationship with ordinary life and eternity. Most of us, including me, would prefer to think of a sacred space as some light-filled wonderous place where we can feel good and find a way to shore up our psyches against death. We don't want to think that something as ugly and brutal as combat could be involved in any way with the spiritual. However, would any practicing Christian say that Calvary Hill was not a sacred space?”” [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Combat shares mystical elements: awareness of mortality, present focus, valuing others, community belonging, yet differs in perception of heaven versus hell. **In simple terms:** Combat can feel spiritual but is also brutal. Key Takeaway Recognize both sacred and harsh aspects of conflict. Themes war spirituality mortality community perception Mood reflective conflicted Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - military service - combat training - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts psychology of combat religious experience Questions to Reflect On - Can war be truly sacred? - How does spiritual belief affect combat stress? A Different Perspective Spiritual framing may romanticize violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat/) [Combat Consider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat-consider-4402241/) [Dark side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-side/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Difference Mystic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-mystic-4402243/) [Focus On The Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus-on-the-present/) [Hell Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell-combat-4402242/) [Ordinary life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-life/) [Present moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-moment/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-experience/) [Sacred space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred-space/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual Combat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-combat-4257592/) [Spiritual warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-warfare/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“In his classic work, The Spiritual Combat, Dom Lorenzo Scupoli wrote: “This war is unavoidable, and you must either fight or die. 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Since I have always been a diarist filmmaker, not one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/the-nature-of-the-video-camera-really-makes-you-focus-on-the-present/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [Forget who hurt you yesterday, but don't forget those who love you everyday. Forget the past that makes you cry and focus on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/forget-who-hurt-you-yesterday-but-don-t-forget-those-who-love-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Focus on the present and the past will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/focus-on-the-present-and-the-past-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We just want to win. That's the bottom line. I think a lot of times people may become content with one championship or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/we-just-want-to-win-that-s-the-bottom-line-i-think-a-lot-of-times/) [Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/) ## More by Karl Marlantes > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. He suddenly understood why the victims of concentration camps had walked quietly to the gas chambers. 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It's just starting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/when-the-peace-treaty-is-signed-the-war-isn-t-over-for-the-veterans/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > ['Matterhorn' is my metaphor of the Vietnam War - we built it, we abandoned it, we assaulted it, we lost, and then we abandoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/matterhorn-is-my-metaphor-of-the-vietnam-war-we-built-it-we-abandoned/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [Really important books to me are the classics. I try very hard to read them well - you know, especially once I got serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/really-important-books-to-me-are-the-classics-i-try-very-hard-to-read/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [“The fourteen-man snake moved in spasms. . . 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What level you can take postures to create the maximum challenge and show your maximum skill,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajashree-choudhury/any-physical-practice-can-be-a-competitive-sport-what-level-you-can/) [Rajashree Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajashree-choudhury/) [Browse all 1,019 Combat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combat/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Many will argue that there is nothing remotely spiritual in combat. Consider this. Mystical or religious experiences have four common components: constant awareness of one's own inevitable death, total focus on the present moment, the valuing of other people's lives above one's own, and being part of a larger religious community such as the Sangha, ummah, or church. All four of these exist in combat. The big difference is that the mystic sees heaven and the warrior sees hell. Whether combat is the dark side of the same version, or only something equivalent in intensity, I simply don't know. I do know that at the age of fifteen I had a mystical experience that scared the hell out of me and both it and combat put me into a different relationship with ordinary life and eternity. Most of us, including me, would prefer to think of a sacred space as some light-filled wonderous place where we can feel good and find a way to shore up our psyches against death. We don't want to think that something as ugly and brutal as combat could be involved in any way with the spiritual. 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