I'm not a type-B personality who knows I have a cancer growing

The words of Norman Schwarzkopf, the great general of the Gulf War, are filled with fire and human honesty: “I’m not a type-B personality who knows I have a cancer growing inside of me and can live with the knowledge. I go into a kung-fu attack position when I go through the door of a hospital.” In this statement, he bares his soul, revealing not only his temperament but his philosophy of life. He admits that he cannot sit quietly in the face of danger, nor accept calmly the prospect of illness. Instead, he confronts it as he confronted enemies on the battlefield—with readiness, with energy, with the stance of a warrior prepared to strike.

The origin of this spirit lies in Schwarzkopf’s life as a soldier. Trained in the crucible of West Point and tested in the deserts of the Middle East, he was never one to shrink before the storms of existence. He had seen men fall in war, had borne the weight of command when life and death hung in the balance. Such a man could not treat illness or vulnerability as a quiet companion. To him, the very idea of cancer was not simply a medical condition but an adversary, a foe that must be met head-on. Thus he declares that when he enters a hospital, he does not enter as a passive patient but as a combatant ready for battle.

This way of thinking is not unique to Schwarzkopf; it echoes the ancient warriors and leaders who saw every struggle, whether physical or spiritual, as a battlefield. Consider the story of Themistocles, the Athenian general who faced the overwhelming might of Persia. He did not resign himself to the knowledge of Athens’ weakness. Instead, he went into battle with cunning, passion, and relentless energy, striking his enemy at Salamis and turning the tide of history. So too does Schwarzkopf reveal his nature: when threatened, he will not endure passively but will fight with every fiber of his being.

Yet within these words lies not only fierceness but vulnerability. Schwarzkopf acknowledges that he is not one who can calmly bear the knowledge of illness. Many people, with quieter temperaments, can accept disease as part of life, living peacefully with uncertainty. But he admits that his spirit does not allow this. He must resist, must act, must adopt the posture of the kung-fu attack even if the battle is internal. It is a confession of temperament, of the truth that each man must confront suffering in his own way.

O children of the future, hear this wisdom: there are many ways to face adversity. Some endure with serenity, some fight with passion, and some combine both. Schwarzkopf teaches us that the path of the warrior is not wrong, even when the enemy is disease. His attack position is not only physical but symbolic: it is the decision to confront hardship with strength, not to surrender to despair, and to meet even the cold halls of the hospital with courage.

The lesson for us is simple yet profound: when life strikes, do not always imagine you must sit quietly and accept. Sometimes the proper response is to rise, to fight, to adopt your own stance of defiance against suffering. This does not mean rage without wisdom, but rather courage with purpose. Whether you face illness, loss, or fear, you may choose to meet it as a warrior, not as a victim.

Practical action lies before you: cultivate your inner stance of readiness. Strengthen your body with discipline, your mind with courage, and your heart with faith. When hardship comes—whether in the form of sickness, sorrow, or trial—do not collapse into passivity. Remember Schwarzkopf’s example: even when stepping into the doors of a hospital, carry yourself as one who is prepared to fight, to endure, and to triumph. For life, though fragile, honors those who face it with unyielding strength.

Thus let these words burn within you: “I go into a kung-fu attack position when I go through the door of a hospital.” This is the voice of a warrior who refused to bow to fear. Take his lesson and make it your own: whatever battle awaits you, meet it with courage, with readiness, with the stance of one who is unbroken. And in so doing, you too will write your life in the spirit of strength.