Tarnished Armor (Updated from 5/12/2014)

 

"Look, your worship," said Sancho; "what we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the sails that turned by the wind make the millstone go."

"It is easy to see," replied Don Quixote, "that thou art not used to this business of adventures; those are giants; and if thou art afraid, away with thee out of this and betake thyself to prayer while I engage them in fierce and unequal combat."

-- "Don Quixote" (Chapter VIII)

Is it the feeling of self-betrayal when you get close enough to suddenly realize your knight’s “shining armor” is a bit tarnished - that “Mr. Perfect” is flawed?  Is it when your hopes of finding someone more perfect than you melt away to reveal another human being with frailties? Or, is it when you suddenly step back from all the noise to realize they've been screaming how “they aren't all that,” and you know it's probably true, they aren't?  It always helps, though, when they're trying to make you understand, they aren't what you hoped. 

Self-betrayal is the feeling you get when you realize you have been engaged in selective ignoring. Hearing and seeing only that which fills in the perfect picture you want to see.  Does any of this make it wrong?  No.  It makes it all part of the ongoing tragic comedy we call life, and it isn't nearly as interesting from the cheap seats as it is from the orchestra section, and it is even better if you’re on stage and involved.  

Women aren't alone in this, oh no!  Men suffer, from the same distorted perceptions, when looking for the "perfect" woman.  Save the cost of buying that sports car at sixty, as it won't help.  Everyone can see that you're a sixty-year-old adolescent, hoping against hope that you can get it up if a woman says yes.  Take the money and a woman your age, and book a cruise to the South Seas.  She might not love you in the manner you're hoping for, but if she can dance and carry on an intelligent and interesting conversation, what the heck!  And, if she becomes a close friend, life is almost perfect.

"You can't make a woman love you if she don't."

-- Anonymous

Even the aged Don Quixote had issues. He was a man looking for honor, love, excitement, and chivalry, and, all the while, he was fruity as a bat cake. In the end, we learn so many lessons from this story. Lessons about expectations, judging books by their covers, and unrequited love. The lessons we learn about tilting at windmills evidence our penchant for battle with those things that exist only in our minds.

I see myself longing for the knights of Arthurian legend and realizing, instead, we all have much more "Alonso Quixano, Don Quixote de la Mancha" in us.  We all tend to view our world with distorted perception, striving to realize more than we are, only to discover, if we are lucky, what we always have been.  

Men can try to be something they aren't or imagine themselves to be something they are.  If our armor is a bit tarnished, do we need to look for armor that isn't?  "He, who is without sin..." are few and far between, whereas "people in glass houses" are a dime a dozen.  Most of us are flawed, and many are tilting at our imagined windmills.  Who among us is really that perfect?  Maybe "Mr. Right" isn't a white knight after all.  It may be he has a bit of color, a chink in the armor, a slight imperfection we might call "being human."

So, I think, maybe, we could learn that when your "knight in shining armor" has a touch of tarnish or a chink in the armor, it might mean they've been taking on the "giant" windmills. A brave endeavor. Are they perfect?  Absolutely not... but who is?  They are probably more colorful and much more interesting to be around.  Love, if it's there, will find a way.  If not? Then try to have one hell of a time while the adventure lasts, and enjoy the exciting life you have, this time around. Maybe the next life will be different.

Maybe not.

"Mr. Right is coming, but he's in Africa, and he's walking!"

-- Unknown 

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions offered. After over twenty years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com