The Progression of Logic with the Paladin Way.
TOLs = Topics of Letters
It’s starts with the most important question.
What is the meaning of human life? TOL
Answer: To live well according to the judgement of your Creator. (Objectively true)
What are you to do with your gift of life?
Jesus said: Love god and love people.
But what if that doesn’t make you happy? It will.
Living through love means living virtuously.
How do you love people?
Want the best for them.
What part of “the best” can we control? Just ourselves. SO what is left to do?
Live well through living virtuously which will inspire others. The work has already been done to figure this out.
How do you inspire others? How do you fill them with spirit?
Inspire= in spirit, to fill with grace. The only way is to live it: demonstrate it by living virtuously. Jesus did it, fathers do it, athletes do it, heroes do it.
If Inspiration comes through demonstration of love, what does that look like?
Virtues.
Aquinas identifies four cardinal virtues—justice, temperance, fortitude, and prudence (practical wisdom)—and also three theological virtues—faith, hope, and love. The cardinal virtues are acquired, we develop them over time by choosing certain actions for certain reasons, and by training ourselves to take pleasure in what is truly good. This is the Paladin Way: train yourself to love the good.
Prudence secures the good of practical reason through right practical judgments; justice effects or executes this good in actions through good choice; fortitude protects the good of reason by allowing us to hold firm to it in the face of difficult circumstances; and finally temperance preserve the right judgment of reason against sensual desires that can cloud them or render them ineffective in choice. Acquired virtues orient us to the imperfect happiness of this life.
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What does God judge as living well? TOL
Well, what did he tell us to do? Love God and love your fellow man (citation needed)
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How do you love God? TOL
Be grateful through recognition and appreciation of his love and be happy. The thing that delights fathers most is to see their progeny happy. (Objectively true)
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How do you live a happy life? TOL
See the second half of how to live well” love your fellow man. (alternate Citation needed)
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But what if that doesn’t make you “happy?” TOL
It will, but it’s not obvious at this stage of the progression and you must have Faith (Citation needed)
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Assuming we have faith that loving your fellow man will make you happy how do we do that? TOL
We want the best for them. We appreciate them as siblings and hope THEY are also happy.
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How do you make someone else happy? TOL
Trick question: you can’t, but you can demonstrate what makes YOU happy and inspire them to do likewise. This inspiration is literally breathing life into their bodies.
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How do we inspire others so that they might find the same happiness you have? TOL
Lead a virtuous life for the sake of others.
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What is a virtuous life? TOL
A life guided by Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Faith needed here again.
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So assuming we lead a virtuous life (more on that later) we will make others happy?
Yes.
Interlude: The Hard Part: The Leaps of Faith. TOL
So there are two points where you must have faith.
You must have faith that loving your fellow man will make YOU happy.
You must have faith that others seeing you lead a virtuous life with make THEM happy.
This is the Great Leap of Faith. You must jump before you know know the other side is reachable. It’s not easy. This is perhaps the greatest challenge we face as humans: if I am good is it good for me and if I am good is it good for others? In the short term the answer will always be a resounding and obvious “no,” and it is because of this we usually fail.
SO WHAT NOW?
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So you can’t demonstrate that any of this will work. I may not be happy, I may not get anything in return, and I may waste my life following a fools errand, Why the hell would anyone do this?
Heroic Existence of The Paladin Way. TOL
A hero does not act heroically for pay, that is a mercenary which are universally reviled.
Because it is the very absence of security and reimbursement (self-interest) that makes for heroic action. If we KNEW it would work: if we knew it’s payment for a contractual obligation, then it would not be hard to do it. The whole world would slide into mechanical symbiosis. It is BECAUSE there is no apparent benefit for YOU that it is pure love: wanting the best for others. This is the Proof that you need. I cannot be sure this is best for me but I know it might be the only way to love someone else. True love, true heroism, true victory, true love of god comes from surrendering that which you know to be immediately beneficial to you in favor of wanting and willing what MIGHT be best for others should they be willing to accept it. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of this deal.
I will endeavor to inspire you, I will teach you, I will heal you, I will befriend you and I will die for you, and I ask for nothing in return in this world. Your part of the bargain is even more simple: you will see me and my actions and choose to be inspired or not. If you are not inspired then nothing happens and the chain of love is broken. If you are inspired then you will go forth and inspire others and the chain of love grows stronger.
The good news is that the leap of faith does not last long. You will see your love of the world reflected back on you as quickly as you see your own child look up at you with loving eyes after you gave them a hug. It is immediately apparent if you are watchful for the signs. But this validation is not consistently obvious. Sometimes it will be invisible for a prolonged time, and it is then that our faith is tested, and thank god for it: for it makes us stronger every time which makes our capacity for love even greater. Stay the course. There is no Plan B. God didn’t say do this unless this happens then do this. Be not afraid and be an instrument of love, ALWAYS.
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What do you call this heroic existence?
The Oath of the Paladin.
OK so let’s get specific. What are we to actually do while we keep the faith and follow the Way.
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What do I do?
Faithfully live a virtuous life in the hope that it inspires others to love.
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Enough poetry. Tell me what to do!
Be a juggernaut in your war with your enemy. Slash through the demons. Burn the devils with radiant energy. Laugh in the face of their pathetic weapons of temptation, greed, lust, sloth, vain glory, wrath, envy, and gluttony.
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Still waiting. What do we DO!?
We must dance between the metaphorical and the actual.