NOTES AND QUOTES FROM THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR

ALL ENGLISH CLASSES: READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT BEFORE ANSWERING THE
FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: GET INTO DISCUSSION GROUPS FIRST AND TALK ABOUT
YOUR ANSWERS BEFORE WRITING DOWN YOUR RESPONSE. FEEL FREE TO USE THE
QUOTES PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT FROM THE FILM TO SUPPORT YOUR
ANSWERS:
1. WHY DOES SOCRATES WANT DAN TO GET OUT OF HIS MIND? NOTE THE
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MIND AND THE EGO. ALSO NOTE THAT THE
PRESENT MOMENT IS THE ONE PLACE WHERE THE EGO CANNOT EXIST. (SEE
ECKHART TOLLES BOOK A NEW EARTH).
2. WHAT IS SOCRATES TRYING TO TEACH DAN WHEN HE TAKES HIM TO THE TOP
OF THE GYM TO OBSERVE HIS COACH AND TEAMMATES?
3. WHAT IS SOCRATES TRYING TO TEACH DAN BY MAKING HIM SCRUB TOILETS
AND CLEAN THE SERVICE STATION?
4. WHAT LESSON IS SOCRATES TRYING TO TEACH DAN ABOUT ADDICTIONS,
PRIDE AND ATTACHMENT IN THE BAR SCENE?
5. WHAT IS THE HOLD UP SCENE DESIGNED TO TEACH DAN TO LET GO OF?
6. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SOCRATES TAKING DAN OUT ON A HIKE IN
NATURE?
THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL:
Breaking-down to Break-through
To break free of the ego, surrender, patience, and non-attachment to all outcomes
are necessary to successfully navigate through lifes obstacles and adversities.
Breakdowns, which occur immediately prior to a dark night of the soul journey are
necessary for movement to higher ground. During the dark night, it is not
uncommon to feel as if one is being punished, and to experience fear and
uncertainty as to whether one will make it through or if one even wants to go on.
One also feels weak, vulnerable and unclear about the right path to take. Note that
in the beginning of the movie, during his training in learning how to meditate in
every action whether it is cleaning toilets or sweeping the floor, Dans ego will not
allow him to humble himself, nor sit with the pain of ridicule from his peers and
disappointment from his coach. Thus, Dan is unable until after his breakdown to sit
with pain and listen to what it has to teach him, which is the meaning of Socrates
telling him to learn to ask better questions, such as What can I learn from this?
Dan wants results and answers right now! Unfortunately, Dans desire for the easy
way out, forces the universe to come crashing down on him in a big way to get his
attention. Anthony Robbins points out that devastation will either destroy an

individual or give him/her the drive to pull out of it. Fortunately, Dan becomes
driven to succeed in spite of the impossible odds against him and becomes a true
hero. One of Americas great philosophers reminds us t that life breaks everyone
but what matters is how we heal in the broken places. Dan heals beautifully to
the point where no one would know that he was once broken to bits.
Writing Prompt for Peaceful Warrior
ALL CLASSES: DO THE FOLLOWING JOURNAL EXERCISE FOR HOMEWORK TO BE
INCORPORATED LATER INTO YOUR MIDTERMS AND FINALS. THE ESSAY WILL ALSO
BE CHECKED IN CLASS AND USED FOR CLASS DISCUSSIONS.
The point of power is in the present moment.
Practicing present moment
awareness is the most direct route to mastering the control that the ego has over
most people. Thus, being conscious of your actions and responsible for your
choices can help one reach ones full potential. Analyze the following quote and
write about how it connects to the theme of present moment awareness. Relate it
to your own experiences in life and how the information you have been presented in
the film and readings can be used to make you a better student and a better person
in all aspects of your life: physically, mentally, spiritually, financially and relationally.
Make this a 3-5 paragraph essay, typed, double spaced, in MLA.
Remember what is important Its not having everything go right; its facing
whatever goes wrong. Its not being without fear; its having determination
to go on in spite of it. Its not where you stand, but the direction youre going
in. Its believing you have already been given everything you need to handle
life. Its not being able to rid the world of all its injustices; its being able to
rise above them. Its the belief in your heart that there will always be more
good than bad in the world. Remember to live just this one day and not add
tomorrows troubles to todays load. Remember that every day ends and
brings a new tomorrow full of exciting new things. Love what you do, do the
best you can, and always remember how much you are loved. Diane
Mastromarino For an Extra-Special Teen.
WRITING CHECK LIST:
Write from your own passion, truth and personal experience.
Find your authentic voice and do not be afraid to use it.
Read whatever you write out loud to yourself at least five times after the first draft.
Have someone else read your final draft out loud to you at least once.
Your writing should sound conversational when read out loud. If you can speak, you
can write.

Give yourself one sleep cycle before reading your paper again, doing yet another
edit, then turning in your final edit.
Never assume that your audience knows anything about what you are writing
about. Be specific by giving supporting details.
ENGLISH 101 and 102 Students Only: After we watch The Matrix in class and
read Platos Allegory of the Cave in class, do the following writing exercise in your
journal and save this writing to share in class and to use as inserts for your midterm
paper.
Read Platos Allegory of the Cave. It is available on the internet. Watch The Matrix
again. Compare and contrast Plato to Peaceful Warrior and The Matrix. How are
they similar and how are they different. Notice Dans difficulty in distinguishing the
dream state from the awakened state the same way that Neo cannot.
ALL STUDENTS: READ THE FOLLOWING QUOTES AND USE THEM IN YOUR ESSAYS.
YOU MAY ALSO USE THEM TO ANSWER TO QUESTIONS AND REFER TO THEM FOR
USE IN YOUR MIDTERM AND FINAL PAPERS:
The following quotes are from Socrates (Nick Nolte in Peaceful Warrior)
You can live a whole lifetime without ever being awake.
There is no higher purpose than service to others.
People are afraid of whats inside and thats the only place theyre ever going to
find their answers.
The trash is anything thats keeping you from the only thing that really matters
this moment here and now. And when you are in the here and now you will be
amazed at what you can do and how well you can do it.
Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you can come to your senses.
One must learn to meditate in every action, let go of pride, addictions and knowing
everything.
The only true courage is absolute vulnerability.
Find the love in what you do.
There are no ordinary moments Theres never nothing going on.
The habit is the problem. One must become conscious of ones choices and
responsible for ones actions.
How do you know that Im not your own intuition speaking to you right now?

Death is just a transformation. The sad part is that most people dont live at all.
The accident (tragedy, loss or obstacle) is your training. There is no stopping or
starting, only doing.
If you dont get what you want you suffer and even when you get exactly what you
want you still suffer because you cant hold on to it forever.
The gold is a craving (an addiction). You dont surrender your dreams. You
surrender what you will never have control and accept that you are something
exceptional anyway.
Happiness is in the journey, not the destination.
What time is it? Now
Where are you? Here
What are you? This moment

http://www.peacefulwarrior.com/faq/who-is-socrates

Who Is Socrates? How much real is he?