“My knights are sworn to vows
Of utter
hardihood, utter gentleness.”
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Idylls of the
King”
I
have no shining armor and no one calls me a knight, but still, it’s easy to see
the value in the vows “of utter hardihood [and] utter gentleness” that Tennyson
speaks of. At first, the vows may seem at odds, since hardihood, or strength, might
seem the opposite of gentleness, but then I think of the seaport near our
house, where the gentle harbor water is strong enough to support schooners and
submarines. Softly flowing streams are strong enough to slowly dissolve the biggest
boulders in their path, which tells me that a gently spirited person can be as
brave as a rock-hard warrior. Hardihood is toughness, and true toughness knows
the power of gentleness. When you’re truly gentle, you can join hands with the
truly heroic. You can be a secret knight of your neighborhood, a sweet-tempered
but forceful fighter for peacefulness.
No comments:
Post a Comment