X. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
This rule is absolute. Always you must be the champion of what is right, what is good and stand against evil. This will never be an easy thing, both because cowardice is easy and because at times it is not easy to tell what is right and what is wrong.
However this can be made all the easier with a few simple ideas as guide; the first thing that is absolutely wrong is rape, the next thing is the humiliation and degradation of others and murder, along with the denial of the Lord’s word and of the rights of your fellow man as observed within the constitutions or social contract of the nation you find yourself in.
So long as you observe these basic ideas, you shall rarely if ever find yourself in the wrong and never on the side of evil. In turn, if you observe them in other countries such as say Japan (that is if you travel there) you will doubtlessly find yourself on the side of what is right and shall be respected and appreciated by the noble people of that lovely nation. The same goes if you find yourself within the boundaries of say the United States, or France, and so on.
The ideals of virtue, valour and truth in the face of wickedness, cruelty and lies and ignorance must always be observed and must be honoured. Always these ideals must be observed to be a champion of righteousness, as one aspires to be. This is no easy accomplishment, as many of the finest men and women in history have proven themselves to be prone to error also. Take for example the likes of Robert the Bruce who slew his rival in a church, or the likes of Marcus Aurelius who condemned Rome to suffer the terrible fate of having his son Commodus for Princeps. There was also the example of Harold II Godwinesson, who swore oaths too easily and allowed himself to be captured by William of Normandy.
But never forget that these men rarely if ever failed to prove themselves champions of what is right and good, against evil. Marcus Aurelius loved philosophy and truth, and devoted himself to considerable studies of stoicism and helped gift the world the Meditations. Harold II sought to protect England from Harald & William, while Robert Bruce fought to save Scotland from Edward I & II’s many genocidal actions against the Scots.
Remember the examples of these men, and of women such as the war-nurses of the two World Wars, and of Jehanne D’Arc, and how they never stopped fighting against evil.
Our ancestors of World War I & II, were tireless in their sacrifices and heroism, and in their desperation to shield future generations from the sort of depravities they endured out in the trenches. We must never forget their honour and bravery, and must therefore keep their memories alive. Must fight against what they hated, must keep their languages, literature, faith and sense of nationalism alive. To do otherwise is to give into evil.
To give into evil in this way is cowardly, and to turn away from the legacy left to us by our ancestors as mentioned. If they would have fought all their lives for what is good, then so too must we. Though, they were not formally knights as orders of knighthood had long since faded, none represented the values of chivalry better historically than the men of those two wars.
Heroes one and all, they fought that the likes of Hitler and his ilk might be punished for their wicked actions. They fought to liberate France, Italy, Germany and Poland from the very worst that humanity has ever offered in the West. If they failed to finish the task is not something they ought to be blamed for, but rather a testament to the difficulty of the task put before them. Only reason one may say they failed, lies in the continued survival of the likes of Stalin & Mao, but truth is that their fight was over. Truth is they tried to carry it on in the Korean War, and it proved that the tide of history was too much despite their heroics. It is for this reason, we must never take on more than we can accomplish.
This is why one must be willing always to interweave one’s fate with those of others, so that together you might do what is right and aid one another. That said, if one must defy a group do so. Groups as all know are more likely to oppress the individual than a singular individual would, and the reason for this is that ‘hive-mind’ as termed by Royce is something to be wary of and suspicious of, and is the cause of more moral compromises throughout history than anything else.
Being a Champion of Good also necessitates keeping an open mind and heart, and also having having considerable critical thinking skills. Just as it also necessitates having a pair of eyes working, and always glancing about for wrong.
What one should remember above all else, even as one keeps one’s eyes carefully on one’s surroundings is to respect however the private space of others. What one might assume to be evil, could well be simply one’s own ignorance, this is why always ask for clarification and more information wherever you go. Never assume someone to be evil, never be complacent in keeping in mind one’s own ignorance and the limitations of oneself.
You are only mortal, and therefore can never know everything, it is for this reason one must not leap to conclusions. Fending off the darkness in men’s souls, requires a calm mind and a certain warmth for all those around oneself as much as possible. Avoid those who might seek to anger or humiliate you, humility and temperance is required otherwise you will be tempted towards wrongness and getting into a quarrel that does not concern you.
The fastest way to do evil, is to do the opposite of this, or to associate oneself too much with a miniature social group or with a certain ideology. Never forget the evils of communism/socialism were inflicted on the helpless because men over-associated with their chosen group. Also remember that some such as Oliver Cromwell used faith to justify his depravities against the Irish, just as the Ottoman’s did the same in Bulgaria.
Faith can be the source of good, just as nationalism. Yet even these can be tainted or tempted into evil, as in the above two examples. It is for this reason that one must always temper them with reason and openness towards the nationalism of others (within reason of course, as too many might come to you proud of their nations and hateful of yours, leave them be and avoid them). Doing the right thing can thus be summarised as inspired by a clear-mind, a kindly heart, humbleness and love for one’s neighbours.
I think this knightly code will pair with your essay quite nicely!
https://substack.com/home/post/p-147273307
A weathered armor,
Battle scarred body and mind -
A bountiful soul.