Book Review

I am currently concluding my reading of the book The Once and Future King written by T.H. White, a piece of Arthurian Legend literature based on the foremost writings on the topic by Sir Thomas Malory. I have read it several times throughout my life and only now, when I am beginning my fifth year in college, do I understand most--but certainly not all--of White's meanings.

It is the creation and blossom of organized civility of which White wrote about in his book leading the reader from Might vs. Right and finally ending with a rough-edged early justice system of old-day England. Recently I received an away message from a friend who had cleverly quoted part of another man's speech relaying to anyone who would listen his thoughts about why today's society has seemingly lost its way. The quoted part of this other man's sentence was his opinion that since people have willingly allowed the church [and along with it church-based morals], our society has disintegrated into what it is now.

Suddenly I had a thought after thinking about this man's opinion and White's writings. I thought, 'what must have the world been like before the church?'. And, a simple conclusion followed (funny how all conclusions are either very simple or come from the simplest of roots). People got along alright and had their own morals before the dawn of any organized religion. In order to get along, they simply knew that they needed to treat others in a specific way in order to receive something in return... and visa versa... thus beginning the age of the 'golden rule'. However, since it is in human nature (and in all animal nature for that matter) to be the best to ensure survival, people needed to 'look good' before others thus gaining status. It became necessary to write these 'golden morals' down. However, just as the people of King Aurthur's court became restless and bent on venting their lusts for fighting, the law of the land went sour. People became bored and relied on their old ways to humor them. Just as Shakespeare's work was mainly fictitious but written around historical events on a shrunken time table, so too are the legends of King Aurthur. And as history repeats itself, maybe our society has finally found itself in a civil unrest of bordom like the people of the court found themselves to be so many thousands of years ago.

To wrap this all up, I conclude with one thought that is this: our society is based on the one decision all people must make for themselves. This decision is something that cannot be taught or lectured on how to make appropriately. Each person decides their own destiny by how they govern and live their own lives through the choices they make--their first choice being whether or not to accept and live by the code of 'golden morals'.