Paladins

Paladins

"No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

No man is an island' John Donne (1572-1631)

Every man has a purpose under the stars of heaven and to defy his or her own destiny is foolish. Some men have become inspired warriors of the temple. Some live with pen and paper but history will reveal that most men live by the sword and their weapons of choice are common.

Many people will swear that life is an eponymous adventure. A life where you seek your own brand or identity and closely scrutinize it or compare it, willingly or not, to the lives of others.

Because life is divided between good and evil, light and darkness, we take a role to identify it with such realistic elements around us. At times, we are both warrior and cleric in nature giving freely what contains in our soul. Life demands that of us, we clearly have no choice in the matter.

Chance has controlled much of what we live and experience and sometimes, we cannot explain why we did or what we have done in our lives except to call it our fate or destiny.

We combine carefully the will of the heart so that our roles in our own lives and the lives of others can be balanced to the tune of justice and fairness. In some sense, we have become warriors, whether we like it or not, for, at one time or another in our life, we represent to society who we are and create the brand we are yearning for as a part of our calling.

A calling card, a name or brand that tells other who we are and what we do. Something that is unique to your contributions to the world, your community or your family.

In troubled times and darkness, we are the Paladins of the world. A knight, warrior or combatant aspect that is commonly related to the days of kings and knights around the large wooden table where chivalry was born. Some of the rules are fictionalized while others are created in most practical non-fictional and real circumstances.

Nothing is perfect, and everything is done to meet the challenges of the times we are facing. Chivalric behavior is dying and needs to make a comeback but society is harsh in judgment and toxic in behaviors. It will not succumb to goodness without a good fight or a good character to wage the battles.

To be a good guy, a person who wears the white hat and combats the daily rigors of darkness and evil, we have become weary of the toils and sweat brought upon us by wars and skirmishes that are often fought on the morality of the times and the values of the past.

As it may be, we carry on the flag of morality and chose to never surrender. We are, in essence, the bodyguards of the righteous and the slayers of evil. That’s what Paladins do and that is who we are. Patriots with the desire to combat evil – the bearers of the cross but soldiers in deeds.

The religious aspect is never easy. To be a believer in a non-believing world can be cruel in enduring the constant assaults on character and beliefs. We are targeted for our principles and behaviors. Some view us as a knight in shining armor while others consider is their enemy of life. For them, hate and discourse is their main favor – it is how they chose to live. It’s like a flashback to the days of darkness where fear and plagues ran high emotions of middle ages and revolutions.

Those days were filled with deception and lies to gain power and influence. No different today where there are alignments and entities of corruptive men and women who chose to follow the disorder and chaos of greed that rules their desire to rule the world around them.

Many of us have the free-will to choose to be the representatives of the bold and courageous historical Paladins whose purported role was to be someone’s bodyguard or protector. To shield them from harm or evil and to be the right-handed soul or fist of God. Mere mortals, they are many who have taken up the sword of justice and defend all those who protect the believers of Christianity or other right-handed crusades of justice and freedom.

In life’s simple terms, a Paladin is thus a simple warrior, a Ronin, or a very strong-willed and charismatic character without a master. He or she travels near or afar and protects the weak and frail from the harms of doom and evil.

A soldier in the fight against Satan, a Paladin must be skilled and proficient in the use of weapons of the tongue and of the sword. In most cases, it carries no specific message but to prevent the diabolic spells of evil to consume those who are innocent and weak. They are here to shield us against the stimuli of darkness and diabolical formations.

Some say that a Paladin is gifted with special powers. Blessings from the days of Merlin and knights of the round table of the Renaissance days. Folklore has us believing that they carry special blessing or magical capabilities such as healing, protection and countering evil.

This myth goes as far as claiming that they can also protect you from the undead or unliving. Admitting that this is sheer nonsense, there are truths to what they can do to keep us from harm that are sometimes unexplainable or logical to the human mind. No matter what you think, they are the real warriors of righteousness and the true protectors for humanity to exist in peace.  

A stretch of the imagination perhaps, but in life, nothing is impossible if you believe in what is called black magic or exotic potions. Neither a priest or cleric in possession of religious capabilities, he or she travels afar and alone to those who need their protection.

Hence, therefore, a Paladin is first and foremost a warrior, skilled in the weaponry necessary to defeat the evil. A militant defender of our way of life, a crusader for our rights to speak and to live with the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Their faith in God protects us as their role of protector sometimes drifts into the scopes of the cleric, they are still and always remained, the faithful warriors who are there to keep us safe from maltreatment, death, and perils.

So, a Paladin stands for what is good and order. A structure in our life on the straight and narrow road to follow to salvation and eternity. A spellcaster by nature, myth or design but merely a mortal influence and not the creator or maker.

Their presence is to merely give us a chance to decide between right and wrong, and the lawful good of mankind. A chance for a nearly perfect alignment with the divinity that possesses us. A redeemer, a confessionist or source to ask for forgiveness of those trespassed against us.

Their presence is pure and without the toxic poisons around us. They do not lie, possess false interpretations of the law and moral values. They are possessors of strength, wisdom, and inspiration. Their weapons of goodness are stealth in nature and you must be fully aware of their presence in order to receive their blessings and gifts that will protect you.

Their work is based on your alignment with God and the parables of good nature. The golden rule and all those promulgated verses that are written to enhance your life and to give your body and soul the strength to fight evil. So are the burdens of the Paladins.

There is no room for breaching their code of conduct. In life, there is the presence of a man or beast. It is the code of conduct for the Paladin to offer you the path of the lawful good and prevent the loss of your individual goodness in the world around you. It’s up to them to soak up the toxicity of the world and give you fresh air to breathe and the strength to carry out your purpose.

Thus, it is true that when all is said or written about the powers of the Paladins, they are our champions of justice. Unlike the characters of the Marvel series, they are mortal, and they are real. They are the destroyers of evil and tear down the walls of their evil opponents that attack you.

In some cases, they must be holistic and heal your spirits as they are damaged by the diseased curses that assault your soul. They know that without your strength, your morale or your spirit at the top of your finest condition, you cannot defeat the darkness and lose the benefits of all the good things that surround you.

Most of their abilities are similar to but of a lower level than the cleric's abilities. They are mere agents of the angels who care and nurture your earthly needs and desires and wants.

A Paladin is not chosen or hired to do the biddings of God. This warrior is inspired by the actions of those who stood against the walls of evil. They do not claim to be a knight a shining armor or a soldier of fortune. The mere requirement for a Paladin is to act on their own and give what they can to make your life better or safer.

A coat of armor, a code of conduct and a command presence in someone’s life are all that is required for the Paladin to help another. A chance to align or re-align the rules that govern your lifestyle and change your life from disorder to order.

But beware, there are those who are the anti-Christ and “anti-Paladins” who utter the complete order opposite to the proper rules we are given to live by. They are bringers of darkness and despair.

The villains who have worked so hard to destroy the goodness inside of you and cause chaos in your life. Whereas the Paladin is charismatic in a charming or trustworthy way, an anti-Paladin's charisma came from the roots of fear as human beings are easily frightening or manipulated in behavior.