ANST - White Scarves as Peers?

[Galen W. Bevel]

Joel Schumacher wrote:

> What about an older man in the same shape who has entered the society
> more recently, is just as gung-ho and involved as anyone, but wants to
> be a knight?   He entered the society old, so didn't have a chance to
> fight in his youth like the old knight.  He can't move fast (same as the
> old knight).  He can't attack with strength (same as the old knight).
> It's pretty easy for somebody to say he can't become a knight because he
> can't fight.  But neither can the old knight, yet he remains one.
> 
> If you said the first man deserves the honor, why doesn't the second?
> He may even be more active than the old knight.
> 

> -Karl von Augsburg
> 

The accolade is given for proving your skill as a fighter, as well as
having all of the other qualities of a peer. It may be that the
gentleman who joined at a greater age had no chance to demonstrate that
skill.  It may have been that if he could have had the chance, he would
have been as great a fighter as your other example.  But, we will never
know, because he never had the chance.  To paraphrase my reply in a
earlier post, what dojo would give a Black Belt to someone who had not
performed the physical feats to achieve it, just because he was older
and had done a lot of good work for the dojo?  Or, to really reach out
towards the end of this limb...what college would award a degree (a real
degree, not an honorary one) to someone who, for whatever reason, was
unable to do any of the things required to earn it?  And always remember
that there are other avenues for the gentleman in question to achieve a
peerage.  If he's all that active, how about a Pelican?


The reason that old knights stay knights is because even if they can't
move as quickly as they once did, they are still a vast body of
experience and knowledge for the cirlce and younger fighters to draw
upon.  The man who joined later and didn't spend those years on the
Tourney circuit, doesn't have that body of experience, because he hasn't
_been_ there. True we have several people in this group who are older
fighters, who can't move like the younger guys, but have still spent
years on the tourney circuit.  I have friends who are in this
situation.  They joined older, had a real deficit to catch up on, and
may or may not make it to the level they desire...but should we award
them with the accolade because they are great guys and worthy of
respect, then turn to a younger man and say "sorry Bud, you gotta go out
and earn yours on the field?"  That would be supremely unfair I think. 
-- 
Galen W. or Rebecca Bevel
galenbv at ix.netcom.com
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