Today I had an interesting email from one of my Urban Warrior students who accepted The Urban Warrior Challenge, but had a query relating to my wording. Jim from Utah wrote:

"Hi, Sensei,

I have a question. In a recent article, you said the following:

Many people have asked me to define an Urban Warrior. Well, there you have it. Mental power combined with a constant honing and development of the Ten Skills. That is what constitutes a true Urban Warrior. That is the way of life he follows.

But in TUWB, you kick off with a massive discussion on the art and science of building all the resources possible. Shouldn't this be included in the definition of an Urban Warrior, too?"

Good question; thanks for giving me the chance to straighten this point out, Jim.

I included an extensive section on resources in The Urban Warrior's Bible, because preparation is enormously useful. Tools, weapons and operational equipment can really give you the edge in a disaster scenario. For this reason, I'd feel I was remiss if I didn't teach my students all there is to know about building resources.

But the truth is that all the equipment in the world is simply the icing on the cake for The Urban Warrior. His true worth lies in his own attributes; both those inner qualities of Urban Warrior spirit, and his hard-earned skills and abilities (i.e., The Ten Skills).

You need to cultivate this attitude, Jim. You never know when your equipment will be taken away from you, so you can only ever depend on it as a secondary resource. As I point out in TUWB, your most valuable resource is you! I know I could blindfold any one of my personal students, bundle them into the trunk of a car, and dump them naked three hundred miles away, only to have them watching me from a rooftop with a full wallet and a new wardrobe six hours later.

Survival in any context is about stacking the odds in your favor. So wherever you can, cultivate your own resources. But being a true Urban Warrior is about honing body and soul, not all the junk that surrounds that.