King Arthur
I feel like King Arthur. Or at least the Arthur portrayed by Clive Owen in the movie King Arthur from 2004.
Arthur had a certain morality about him, a personal code if you will, that he lived his life by. He believed that other people shared his ideals and that the civilized world also shared that view. He embraced values such as honor, honesty, respect, sacrifice for the common good, loyalty, commitment, fearlessness and the belief in doing the right thing, among a host of other things.
There came a point in the film where he found out his idol, a philosopher in Rome, had been executed for his teachings on the values Arthur held near and dear. He was told by a boy that the world he thought existed, outside of the uncivilized outpost of Britain, only existed in his mind. In the end however, Arthur was rewarded for his value structure. He defeated the evil enemy, saved Britain, married Guinevere and became the king. Sure its a movie, but its historically accurate.
What's this got to do with me?
Like Arthur, I try to live my life by a certain code. Honor, honesty, commitment, loyalty. These are but a few of the values that I shape my thoughts, speech and actions around and hold myself responsible to.
Every waking moment of my life I bear witness to events, conversations and people with no such ideals. Worse yet, they embrace the values that are directly opposing of mine. Deceit, greed, dishonesty, betrayal. I see people everyday go against their word, lie and commit acts that would make me feel so horrible about myself if I was the one doing them. Apparently, you're not cool unless you lie, cheat and deceive. You won't get that nice paying job or that hot girlfriend if you're not a complete tool.
Like Arthur, I've come to the realization that the rest of the world and the people in it do not hold themselves up to a set of higher ideals. I just hope that also like Arthur, I will be rewarded in due time.
