philosophically speaking, do you believe the true role of the Martial artist is?

Martial lends itself to spiritual consciousness because of the

historical links to Taoism and Buddhism. I think some people who are more inclined to intellectual

pursuits tend to get into the spirtiual aspects, but not the majority.

Taoist adepts do "soul travel" and have for a long time.

Intriguing question. I think you are right in all regards. Martial arts are different from just mere exercise as they require much more mental focus and spiritual focus to accomplish the higher levels of those arts. When speaking to my students I try to continually remind them that my goal for them is to accomplish that which they thought they couldn't do. But in order to do that they need to seek those higher parts of the martial arts in order to realize them. The only way to do that is to apply great amounts of mental, spiritual, and physical energy that I am willing to say is absent from just regular exercise. However, one can still do martial arts without actually doing anything extra except for the physical parts. I do not believe those that do that are actual martial artists.

I should also mention that the difference between any one just doing something and actually being something is found in the amount of mental, physical and spiritual energy they apply to it. That being said the difference between someone being a runner and someone that runs is that a runner does it because they find their self in the activity whereas the other person does it for exercise and views it as nothing more than a minor inconvenience they must pass to achieve a physical goal. The runner (and in the same way the martial artist) does what they do because it is who they are, to them it is more than an activity, it is a lifestyle, a part of them. If they didn't do that they would be missing a part of their self.

Oh, absolutely. I complete agree with that. I think that's the fundamental aspect of all of the traditional/classical martial arts. Me personally, I train so I can better myself. It's my life long challenge to just see how far I can push myself and where I end up before my end. It's sort of an obsession, though a healthy... I believe.

I think everyone has there own plain that they live in and some people ascend to higher levels and goals. Take for instance when you graduated in 1st grade and to when you graduated 12th. Big difference, huh? I know some adult aged people who give 1st grade mentality a bad name... this is there level/plain. Martial arts is no different. It's a talent and a way of life that we've accepted.

I don't know about the "good of humanity" thing, though. I believe in being civilized and having respect to people, but humans by nature are selfish beings. We always, ALWAYS look at ourselves before anyone else. However, what's good for the majority of individuals, then that's what's good for "humanity". That's all a bit off topic though.

Philosophically, the role has evolved. In ancient days, the warrior's role was to protect the kingdom. It wasn't about the individual. They may have competed to keep up their skills, but their goal was to protect the kingdom. That hasn't really changed today, as today's warriors are a different kind of martial artist. It's just that today, we have the concept of warrior (soldier) AND a martial artist - two different kinds of people.

Today's martial artist does not protect the kindom or tribe, they seek to better oneself.

Were a person to follow a truly traditional martial art, then yes, then physical, mental, and spiritual development is the goal. Of course, one can go to a gym, meditate, and go to church and accomplish the same things without ever giving a thought to hitting someone or breaking a board. But you asked what is the role of the martial artist, not the martial art.

Because of the varied philosophies of various martial arts, and with varying definitions and opinions as to what exactly a martial art really is, it's hard to say.

I chose taekwondo and aikido, not because of any spiritual development nor because of any philosophy, but for reasons that have little to do with your question. Are they martial arts? That's debatable, too. But the expectations of each's practitioners are quite different.

In my style of WTF taekwondo, the role of each is to further the sport of taekwondo. I need to think more about what Aikido's philosophy expects of me. I know what I want to say, I don't know how to write it yet, I may come back and edit my answer if I come up with the words.

A thoughtful question deserves a thoughtful reply. I started training in tkd as an adult, so I have experienced a major shift in my life. I am still me, for better or worse, but I have changed. I believe that we can inspire others to succeed. In class, when students see us do something that they consider to be impossible, we prove that it is possible. They can take that knowledge out into the world and apply it in ways that we have not imagined.

Artisting Martials, of course.