Since it is so likely that
children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights
and heroic courage.
C.S.
Lewis
A couple of days ago, I came across
a news article about how a group of boys proved that being an honorable man is
not always a matter of age, but one of choice. These three teens,
members of the school basketball team, stopped a game to confront someone
bulling a member of their cheer-leading squad, a girl with Down syndrome. From
there, the story just becomes truly inspiring, a perfect example of becoming a
White Knight. Interestingly enough, the school’s mascot IS a Knight.
Stories like these are really not
that rare, men standing up to do the right thing, no matter the cost or the
risk to themselves. From a 90
year old veteran willing to go to jail for providing meals to the homeless,
the store
clerk who was fired for stepping in to help a woman who was being attacked,
to 3
young men who died in the Colorado Shooting while shielding their
girlfriends from the bullets. All of these are inspiring stories about men stepping up and doing
what’s right, no matter the risk. They are also sad stories as in many cases
these men pay the price of their good actions.
In the old days, the White Knight would
step in and do what’s right. (We also hear the term Knight in Shining Armor.
This isn’t talking about a Knight whose armor isn’t battle worn. Shining,
Silver, Argent, and White were interchangeable terms referring to honor,
purity, and virtue, hence Knight in Shining Armour.) They didn’t do it for
glory or gain, as both pursuits were viewed as vile desires. As the days of the
knights faded, the term was used to describe anyone who champions a righteous cause,
a passionate advocate. (In the business world, a white knight is a company that
saves a business from being bought out in a hostile takeover.)
Today? The “Internet White Knight”
is used as a pejorative term to describe guys who “rushes in to save a damsel
in distress expecting some kind of a romantic reward in return.” This meaning
was actually assigned by “guy” sites and forums as a way to shame any man for
not following the “guy code” of devaluing women. It became a way to shame men
into not standing up against others within the group. The modern idea that
chivalry is bad came from the same sites that promote debasing women. Let that
sink in for a second.
Gentlemen, you have to understand
that every time you do what’s right, you are showing the world what has to be
done. Your good deed exposes other people’s indifference. And that bothers
them. So instead of stepping up, they will try to knock you down because it’s
easier. The world isn’t a nice place when indifference, shaming, selfishness
can run rampant yet charity and good will are punished. This isn’t something
new, as it has always been this way.
That is why a good man HAS to be a
Warrior. He has to be willing to walk the path that isn’t easy. Nobody is born
a warrior, as nobody is born without fear. Anyone can choose to be one a
warrior, as anyone can choose to stand up in spite of their fear. You choose it
when you refuse to stay seated. You choose it when you refuse to back down. You
choose it when you stand up when knocked down. You choose it because if not
you, who?
