Steven Symes

The symbol of a knight in shining armor is a powerful one in our society, but I’d argue it’s not always what it initially appears. Many people think they want one of these supposed heroes to ride into their life and rescue them from their deepest, darkest problems, whisking them away into a life of luxury and relaxation. This is especially prevalent among women who seek an eligible bachelor who will provide their every need and want. After all, they’ve been conditioned by fairy tales and other stories into believing that is their birthright.

I have a genuine question: why does anyone think a knight in shining armor can or will save them? After all, if a knight has slain any fearsome dragons, his armor is going to be battered to a fair degree. The metal will have lost some of its shine, thanks to soot accumulation, not to mention any scuffs and discoloration, plus a good amount of dirt and blood, especially if the knight hasn’t had time to wash his armor off.

In other words, knights who wear perfect, shining armor obviously haven’t slain many dragons, if any at all. They don’t know what it takes to overcome the serious problems life presents because they haven’t faced many or any of them. This might be due to lack of experience, something you could forgive of a younger knight. Worse is the old knight who proudly wears pristine armor and can’t be bothered to slay dragons, save in the fantastical stories he tells to those huddled around the fire at night.

There are many sayings about things being too good to be true. A knight in shining armor coming to your complete rescue certainly seems to fit the bill. If I were to need rescuing, which I guess at some point we all do, I’d rather have an experienced knight with battle-worn armor at my side. Plus, I’d still be fighting to slay that dragon since there’s nothing truly attractive about purposely behaving as if helpless.

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