Shining Armor

We live in a world where chivalry seems to be entirely forgotten. Folks cut each other off on the freeway. Gentlemen no longer rise when ladies enter a room or open the door for them. People often consider profit or convenience over courtesy. The list goes on and on. The world is a different place nowadays, right? It’s a free society, without all the legalistic restraints of the past, right? All the old fashioned stuff has gone completely out of style, right? I beg to differ. Perhaps I was born too late or just raised wrong, but I for one believe that chivalry should still be in style. I have a daughter who is a young adult and I think a man should open the door for her. That is what I expect for her and what I demand from my own son. I believe we should treat others with deference, according to lofty ideals which dictate that we should act justly. Courtesy and respect and honor should never go out of style. In fact, they should be cherished and nurtured and passed down to our children with reverence. Perhaps there no longer are knights in shining armor, but perhaps there should be. Oh, not the actual metal suits and white horses, but what about the ideal of shining armor. Maybe all of us, especially you men, need to gird ourselves in a shining armor of moral strength and purity, considering ourselves instruments of justice and chivalry. Am I asking too much? Isn’t that how you want your daughter’s husband or boyfriend to think of himself? Isn’t that what you hope for your son? Isn’t that, after all, what your wife really wants you to be? A gentleman, a defender, a valiant knight in this world of darkness and compromise. Perhaps, I wax altogether too Arthurian for some of you, but the world we live in could use more people of such a mind. Let not that common cynicism rule our hearts, nor should we settle for the selfish, heartless world so many of us have come to know. Rise up, brave knights, and take upon yourselves the shining armor of chivalry. Together, we might just make the world a better place.

Shining Armor
We have been told that chivalry is dead
That honor is out of date
And folks don’t want to get involved
Too shy, or proud, they hesitate
When others need assistance
And we could help in some small way
Indeed, what seems a modest kindness
Sometimes, might even save the day
In this modern world we find
Knights in shining armor rare
Where folks are all too busy
It’s nearly out of style to care
Yet, those who have a hero’s heart
Should not give in to dismay
For there are noble deeds to do
Throughout each busy day
There are ladies to protect
When they walk outdoors at night
Everywhere, some small injustice
Begging to be set to right
Children who need mentors
Lonely folks without a friend
Virtues to be cherished
And upheld without end
One needs but to be vigilant
And he shall discover then
There’s still a place for shining armor
And the world needs such men
By Frank Carpenter ©