Where have all the White-Knights gone?
The motif, “Where have all the good men gone?” Or “Good men are hard to find,” will typically arise from women and girls who have either recently gone through a hard breakup, had their feelings hurt, or desire to be with who they perceive to be their “perfect man.” The question also surmounts from a desire to possess what we call a “knight in shining armor” or a “white knight.” These men, figuratively, shine like the sun, are strong and gentle, firm and kind, protective and empowering. These knights stand tall against the landscape, tower over boys who have yet reached any kind of maturity, and are willing, and able, to rescue the darling princess. Yet, when the modern woman looks along the horizon, it appears to be that Camelot has been bankrupted and robbed of her brave and shining knights. It seems that all the “good ones” are taken! The only knights the modern woman sees are those who have been battered, bruised, and hardened by fights and battles – all of which are unappealing to the eye.
So where have the “White-Knights” gone? They’re sitting at home on their parents’ couch, eating their hearts out, not working, watching porn.
That seems too harsh, but it is exactly true. Those who would be considered to be “White Knights” are those who simply have never had to stand or fight for anything. Their armor has rarely, if ever, been adorned for battle against an enemy. They are lazy, shinning their armor at home to appear brave and powerful while the good men go to war. According to the US Labor Force, men’s participation in the workforce peaked in 1949 – over 50 years ago. Since the fall of 1949, men’s participation in labor has steadily declined to now just below 70% engagement. Numerically, that’s nearly 30 million working-age men not working.
There are multiple factors contributing to this number including, unemployment insurance, day-trading stocks and cryptocurrency, and simply living off of family members. According to the Pew Research Center, “The share of young adults living with their parents is higher than in any previous measurement (based on current surveys and decennial censuses). Before 2020, the highest measured value was in the 1940 census at the end of the Great Depression, when 48% of young adults lived with their parents.”
They’re also creating and ingesting pornography at an insane rate. According to Fight The New Drug, “In 2019 alone, the equivalent of nearly 6,650 centuries of porn was consumed…” You need only take 5 minutes to read the effects of pornography on a young adolescent’s mind (some are first watching pornography at 10 years old) to understand how evil and destructive it is.
I will begin to conclude by saying two final things. First, let me restate that the reason you cannot “find” a knight in shining armor (ladies) is that they are at home being ungodly and unproductive. Allow me to direct your gaze toward the knight coming home from the battlefield. He left the comfort of home to go and fight and kill his sin, he’s won some battles and he’s lost some battles. He’s got some wounds, some scars, and some aches – but he keeps on fighting. His armor is not gleaming like the sun, but it is battle-worn. His armor, now, is a reflection of what his King, Jesus Christ our Lord, has directed him to go and do. He, like his armor, has been tested and proven to be true. Ladies, forget about the “White-Knight” in shining armor and adore the battle-hardened.
Second, and last, men. You must take up your armor, as is commanded by our King in Ephesians 6, to go and fight the good fight. This does not mean to join the military, get into the gym every day to look like Thor, or wear a 3 piece suit. What it does mean is this: Pick up your Cross and follow your King. First, you must do all things to the glory of Christ. Whether you are a hedge-fund manager, a plumber, a solider, or an office clerk – you work for and toward the glory of Jesus Christ. You are to work and work hard.
Second, read and know your Bible. There is no other book worth your soul that you should know front and back. You do not need a Ph.D. to devote and submit your heart, and mind, to the Scriptures that will continually instruct you, guide you, correct you, and conform you into the image of Jesus Christ.
Third, and lastly, live a holy life. Forsake the things of the flesh by devoting yourself to the service of Jesus Christ. Forsake and kill your sin, and while you do so, do not minimize your sin. Know the cost of your Salvation came at the cost of crucifying Jesus Christ on your behalf. This will be a long, hard, and tumultuous battle, but it is promised by the King, “To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” (Rev. 2:7)
