Book 45 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title - Words are a great compass, but values and how to be a knight can only be learned through experience

Book - Rules for a Knight by Ethan Hawke

Book Description: Rules for a Knight is a novel written by Ethan Hawke and illustrated by Ryan Hawke. The story takes place in the 15th century and is written in the form of a letter from the novel's protagonist, Sir Thomas Lemuel Hawke, to his four children. A knight, fearing he may not return from battle, writes a letter to his children in an attempt to leave a record of all he knows. In a series of ruminations on solitude, humility, forgiveness, honesty, courage, grace, pride, and patience, he draws on the ancient teachings of Eastern and Western philosophy, and on the great spiritual and political writings of our time. His intent: to give his children a compass for a journey they will have to make alone, a short guide to what gives life meaning and beauty.

Reflection: This was a short and magnificent story about a father passing down a blueprint for his children on what really matters most in life based on his lived experiences. I think, as father's and parents, we all dream of writing a story like this to pass on to our children as a compass of sorts as to how to live a virtuous life. Our challenge, how to distill down an entire lifetime of living into words that can guide my loved one's path after I'm gone?

We want to see those that we love succeed and thrive in life, especially our children. When we can't be there physically to teach them at some point, words are all we have left to sum up all of our lived experiences in life to pass on. We think to ourselves, if I can go back and do it all over again, what advice would I have told myself to help illuminate my path and make this whole life thing just a little bit easier possibly for them? I've tried this exercise so many times in the past and I always keep coming back to the same answer...nothing! There is literally nothing I, or anyone, could have told my younger self that I would have made even the remotest amount of sense to my younger self. If I couldn't tell myself stuff that would help, what makes me think I can tell my son or daughter anything that will matter and be a relevant impact to their future lives? They haven't lived what I've lived, seen what I've seen, or learned what I've learned yet.

Truth is, we don't learn or values and rules of how to be a knight by reading a story...we learn it by living. I want my kids to live, learn, and experience their own journey's. That is why I really enjoyed this book so much, not because of the rules, but because it was filled with stories of Sir Thomas' life and how he came to learn his rules of how to be a knight. When I write a story like this for my own children someday, I want it to be filled with stories of my life and lessons learned so they can hear about their dad and how his journey of how he came to learn his own rules on how to be a knight. I want to encourage them to discover their own rules and be an inspiration to let them know that it is okay and fun to share your story with your loved ones.

One day, it will all make sense and they'll look back fondly on my rules as they sit down to write their own. Hell, they may even agree with some of it...who knows? Ultimately, my words are just a compass to retrace my own path. They need to live their own lives, learn each and every day for themselves, and fill their own life with stories to write down and pass on to their own children someday. At the end of the day, we don't learn our rules of how to be a knight and our values from a book...we learn it from living our life.

Question: What are your rules to be a knight you've discovered on your own journey so far?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Rules for a Knight

YOML Bookstore - Rules for a Knight Ethan Hawke