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Why do you want to be a Knight?

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Sir Michael:
     I want to be a knight to help protect and serve others and to try to set a good example that one man can make the world a better place to live in.  Also Jesus set the greatest example for me to follow.

Justin:
I wish to be a knight because I believe that honor, courage, and chivalry, are truly important values to have in ones life. To me, a knight is someone that others may look up to for guidance and inspiration. Someone who has proven that they are chivalrous and walk down the right path whenever possible. I would like to be someone like that. I feel that I live by positive values everyday. Therefore, if possible, I would like to become a knight someday.

jason77:
I know this thread is old but I've been thinking about this very question myself. I grew up in the martial arts and being 40 years old I still practice martial arts. The martial arts have always been the bedrock foundation of my own personal growth and development. It is therein that I made it through some tough times as a kid and later as a teenager and it blossomed into the basis of my own philosophy and spirituality. Martial arts is a path of violence and to me violence is the one constant which holds the universe together. The creation of the universe was violent, the birth of our own planet was in chaotic violence, early man survived and thrived through violence, our current nations were founded in violence, I lay my head and sleep well at night without fear of an intruder because most people fear the violent enforcement of the law, I also don't fear confrontation because I have spent my life training to embrace violence. I understand that violent people only understand violence and therefore it is my imperative to be better at it than them. A Knight understands violence and is prepared to live it when necessary. However, a Knight follows a path of Chivalry (whether it be romanticized or not) which tempers violence with acts of dignity and demands one to live in integrity towards his fellow man. Chivalry is a path of using violence in a productive manner instead of violence being a mere chaotic self-serving endeavor of exploiting others. I embrace violence but channel it through the chivalric ideals of justice, obedience to the rule of law, service unto others, protect the innocent, etc. For me, Chivalry is the perfection of one's character thus my personal slogan is "Vincit Qui Se Vincit - He who conquers, conquers himself." Similar to the Samurai's code of bushido the Knights code of chivalry can be the catalyst for physical, mental and spiritual development. The way of the Knight is strength in restraint and it is violence reserved for just cause. This is why I identify with the Knight and why I strive to embody just that.

Matthew of the Isles:
Following Jason's example, I believe I'll engage in some thread necromancy of my own.

In Plato's The Republic, Plato, through a proxy form of his master Socrates, describes an ideology for discerning the nature of people through ascribing metallic qualities to their souls, gold, silver, iron, slag, you get the idea. While Plato didn't mean this analogy as a literal description of human nature (in fact, he was downright cynical in its deployment) the general imagery, with a little tweaking, can still be useful in terms of contemplating self-improvement.

The path of chivalry is not an easy one. It brings us face-to-face with our own flaws, and demands of us that we beat the slag out of our characters to the best of our ability. It's the process of becoming, dare I say, "refined." That's the work of the Code, the process of internal character development that translates into external action.

The work of the kit, I believe, is to express the results of that internal process. The character refinement of vigorously adhering to the Knight's Code is inalienable from the person undergoing that process; a knight is a knight, even in the nude. My mother's people developed tattooing as a way to bring one's internal self to the fore, as a way of demonstrating one's personality to the community for all to see; I see the development of a knightly kit as a similar (though slightly less permanent) process.

So, to sum up this slightly lengthy, rambling post, I wish to pursue Knighthood (a) as a way to improve my character, and (b) to express myself.

jason77:
Matthew - I do like your sentiments concerning the development of a kit with a corresponding development of character - very metaphysical  ;)

Likewise I see the learning of swordplay to be of similar quality. The sword is an archetypal symbol deeply embedded in the human psyche. Its most perceptible imagery is in its power of protection, to distribute justice and preserve honor. The double edge of a sword (true and false edges) demonstrate the potential to wield its power with integrity or deception. The manufacture of the sword itself is a process that combines the elements of air, earth, fire and water thus it represents a balance of powers, unity, and wholeness which happens through an alchemical process of purification. There is a lot that can be said about the process of production of the sword to its subsequent skillful wielding in the hands of one who has spent a lifetime learning its power.

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