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Words from the Warlord

May A.S. XVIII

It was with astonishment and sadness that I first heard of the violence and brutality that took place down in Arizona. The astonishment, because the wars we have had with Atenveldt have always been good ones. Sometimes we won, sometimes they won, but we have always enjoyed spirited and chivalric combat with our neighbors in the Sun Kingdom. But the sadness, because that sun is dimmed by the unchivalric, barbarian, even vicious behavior of certain groups within Atenveldt.

I refuse to hold to blame the Kingdom itself or all of its members. I know of many whose honor and chivalry is beyond reproach. Also, I have been led to understand that some Westerners had a part in the violence. There may have been, in addition, contributing factors such as dust, heat, etc, which exacerbated the situation. But the fact remains that dishonor triumphed in the Great Desert War. We who care for and love the ideals that built the SCA not only lost, but our hearts were brutalized. In short, because of the antics and foolishness of a relative few, we have all lost, badly.

In a previous article, I wrote of the factors that have eroded the ideals we strive for: extreme competitiveness, polarization into good vs. evil, victory at all cost. It seems that that article was particularly apropos to this war, although I never dreamed that it would be. As had happened in the past, mixing the sides on the second day of the war undercut the polarization seen on the first day. I still feel that it need not be so. I still have hope that we can have a kingdom was that can avoid turning into a street fight. But if we can't; if we have to resort to turning our wars into team games to prevent a few hotheaded jerks from ruining the SCA, then so be it. Maybe we aren't worthy of our dreams. I pray this is not so, but maybe it is.

But this is a warning sign on the road we travel. Just as is the behavior noted by King Thomas at a tourney in which a very pregnant lady was forced to carry heavy burdens across the field and no one lifted a hand. Or the behavior noted Lady Helyn Brownberry in a previous GULL article, in which several men (I hesitate to call them gentlemen or lords, for they were neither in that moment) watched and refused to help a lady who had to set up the province pavilion alone. Finally, a few ladies helped her. Another signpost is the recent harassment, via phone calls at 3 am, of a person who has contributed more than most of us by someone who apparently didn't approve of this person's presence in the SCA.

The point of all this is that while individually, each of these signposts is deplorable, together they begin to establish a pattern. If we were merely a stick fighting club and nothing more, it wouldn't matter. But we in the SCA have set our goals on something higher. We have tried to find a more gracious way of living, both with ourselves and with others. If we want to live with callous brutality, indifference, or selfishness, we can get that anywhere. We don't need it here.

But the signposts are there to read, and these are only the latest. I truly hope we heed them. It is a beginning if we and the good people who live in Atenveldt denounce what happened at the War, and take steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again. But on a deeper level, each one of us must strive for greater self-realization, to recognize that barbarian that lurks within each one of us. We must redouble our efforts toward chivalry and honor.

It is not enough to appear chivalrous to the public eye, but also to be chivalrous, even if no one ever notices. Each one of us should strive to be a knight in his or her heart, and not just leave chivalry to the Belts.

If we can, then maybe we will heed the signposts to disaster and avert the slow strangulation of our dreams by the callous hands of our indifference.

-- Thomas Buttesthorn

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