Between a Gentleman, a White Knight, and a Dragon.

There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.

-Napoleon Bonaparte-

I remember as a boy seeing my grandfather always wearing a medallion of St. George around his neck. When I asked about it, he proceeded to tell me how Georgius, a Roman Soldier, saved Emperor Diocletian’s young wife Alexandra from a Dragon; and for that he became a Saint. Maybe he noticed my confused face, or realized just how strange it must have sounded when he told the story out loud.

He became a Saint because he killed a dragon? But dragons aren’t real.

He smiled, as he did every time he would hit me with some great wisdom.

Dragons are real. We all have them inside our hearts. It’s our job to defeat our own dragon. That’s why I have this medallion so close to my heart, to help me fight my dragon.

At the time I didn’t really understand the depth of the comment. It was later, as I grew older, that it began to make sense. All men are capable of great things and all men are capable of horrible things. The monsters of legends are not vile creatures made up of nightmares, but men who have gone down a less than noble path. 

We see men wanting to be the hero of their stories, justifying their actions with noble excuses. Yet when you look at their real intentions, there is little more than arrogance, greed, or pettiness. Others think they deserve applause and adulations simply because they did a good act. You can tell who these men are based on their everyday actions. These are the men who use manners to “impress” women, and get offended when it’s not recognized. They are the men who act “morally” expecting some kind of reward at the end of their lives.

I am sorry, but if your intentions are not noble, neither are your action.

Being a Gentleman is about discipline, about self-control. It’s about doing actions because it’s the right thing to do. It’s about being a better man, for no other reason than just being a better man.

It’s about defeating your Dragon.