Here we have another perspective which shows that knightly honor is actually an aberration and debased form of honor that is ultimately superficial in nature - being that it is premised on mere words and can be remedied with mere violence.

This is focusing on the outer levels of things and is clearly already a degeneration of the superior honor of the ancients that is held by a man independently of what those of lesser spiritual stature say.

"A man's whole conduct may be in accordance with the most righteous and noble principles, his spirit may be the purest that ever breathed, his intellect of the very highest order; and yet his honor may disappear the moment that anyone is pleased to insult him, anyone at all..."
- Arthur Schopenhauer

Knightly honor ultimately amounted to nothing other than might makes right. If you can win in combat then you're correct. This sounds based on one level, and on that level, it is.

Yet, this is not all there is, and we can see how this type of honor lacks the transcendental dimension - you end up with very debased individuals recognized as being honorable.

So there are certainly flaws in this, but that doesn't mean we throw the baby out with the bathwater. Duels can and do serve a function, and trial by combat shouldn't be understood as an altogether degenerated thing.

There is an orientation within society to be upheld afterall which one could conceive of as Dharmic and that is ordered by certain boundaries.

Spare the rod, spoil the child. Spiritual children need guidelines they respect (brutal canings at the hands of aristocratic Southrons).

Like anything, it's a standard that serves a function, but that can, of course, be abused and become corrupted.

It shouldn't be a surprise to us that honor steadily became more degenerated through the centuries which culminated in modernity with abolishing it altogether.

In a Letter to his Friend Stefan; 16th July, 1910 (Otto is 13 Years Old)

"Only follow your Daimon, always, always follow your inner voice. If it tells you, compels you, to write a poem, then do it, and do not be led from the right path by the mere stupid talk of inartistic people.
And the right path lies within oneself.

Then secondly: you seem to assume as axiomatic that we are prodigies. That is not at all true. Prodigies are creatures brought up in the unnatural air of hot-houses, who spring up quickly, decay more quickly still, and then are justly forgotten. Prodigies are nearly always rotten and hollow on the inside and beautifully painted only on the surface. I'd rather have a short life like Alexander's, but one that is great, glorious, full of battle and honor, useful to mankind, than a long and insignificant one. Always obey your Daimon!"

Otto Braun

"Dreams are froth—from eternity."
~ Ernst Jünger

WHAT WE NEED, PICK YOUR SPOT ON THE TEAM

1. Dudes to get in to places of the Security state everywhere in the world.
2. Dudes that proliferate our culture through all the various forms (books, podcasts, art, etc.) and MMA/Gymbro brotherhoods.
3. Rich dudes GIBSING monies to our boys trying to make culture to sustain the control of #1 dudes (stop being cheap).

The reason why Commie/Liberal Revolutions were successful is because BEFORE aggro action was taken there were decades of cultural proliferation and effusion. Conservatards couldnt contain Liberalism/Communism bc they relied only on force which served only to prolong the inevitable. Fascism rose because of cultural underpinning that gave rise to political possibilities in the 20-30's. (Think iceberg model).

Pick your spot and do your part!

“‘Let us leave this small and barren country of ours and take possession of a better’ [said the Persians to Cyrus the Great]. ‘There are plenty to choose from—some near, some further off; if we take one of them, we shall be admired more than ever’…

“Cyrus did not think much of this suggestion; he replied that they might act upon it if they pleased, but added the warning that, if they did so, they must prepare themselves to rule no longer, but to be ruled by others. ‘Soft countries,’ he said, ‘breed soft men. It is not the property of any one soil to produce fine fruits and good soldiers too.’

“The Persians had to admit that this was true and that Cyrus was wiser than they; so they left him, and chose rather to live in a rugged land and rule than to cultivate rich plains and be slaves.”

Herodotus, The Histories (c. 430 BCE)

(Image: Cyrus the Great [c. 590 - c. 529 BCE], king of Persia)

The anesthetized, sterile, SAFE world of modernity. It is nothing other than absolute domestication and stagnation that saps all vitality and will from men.

If there isn't the potential to be seriously injured or killed, then that just ain't it hoss. This is the problem with all of the emphasis on safety and standardization – the mind doesn't function the same way when you know the outcome.

I don't want to walk on trails that are plotted in the National Park brochure. I want to go out into the bush with the homies in search of new lands and hidden treasure and at risk of a gruesome death by the hands of foaming at the mouth savages.

When a situation is unknown from the beginning, when you're going into uncharted territory, the mind is functioning on a different level. Whatever is happening within you is changing you as a man. Your brain is literally being rewired.

When young boys are able to engage in legitimate adventure, it does something to them, it brings something out in them, that simulation simply cannot replicate and we are worse off as a people because of this lack.

Since everything has child locks and training wheels on it, the last real bastion of vitality for the white man is criminality and the military.

The last man will be inevitable as long as we fear the chaos and refuse to acknowledge the need for this sort of outlet even within a highly technological world. It wouldn't be impossible to account for this, you'd just need based grandads running things instead of hovering mothers.

The ironic thing is that the obsession with things being safe defeats its own purpose, which is to prolong and secure life – but why prolong a bland and lifeless existence?

Not only why but HOW? What motivation is there to secure a flat, dampened existence? It is the paradox of removing vitality from life and expecting it to perpetuate itself.

At that point it becomes a downward spiral of entropy to the shrill, ringing tune of "Be careful Timmy!!"

ᚼ
Have you learned to build anything?
Have you learned to make anything?
Have you learned to fix anything?
Have you learned to grow anything?
Have you learned to cook anything?
Have you learned to learn?
Have you learned to teach?
Have you learned to listen?
Have you learned to speak?
Have you counted blessings?
Have you poured an offering?
Have you paid reverence?
Have you earned respect?
ᛟ

The English writer, philosopher, and occultist Colin Wilson passed away on this day ten years ago. I was also honored to call him an acquaintance. Please read my obituary for him that I wrote at the time, which also serves as an introduction to his life and work: https://counter-currents.com/2013/12/a-heroic-vision-for-our-time/

Colin was vital for transforming me from a materialist into one who seeks to understand reality in its completeness, and taught me that one should never hesitate or feel embarrassed about embracing that which is unpopular or goes against the temper of our time. He was also a towering presence who left a mark not only on everyone who read him, but especially those he knew personally. Enjoy the eternal peak experience, Colin.

Dueling maintained a foothold in the American South until the end of the War Between the States but saw its most extreme popularity in the years following the Era of Good Feelings. The most famed Southern duelist is President Andrew Jackson, who is said to have fought in well over one-hundred duels.

The culture of honor in the American South has always lent itself to provide the perfect foundation for a thriving dueling culture, and a great many disagreements were resolved by duel. Contrary to popular opinion, dueling was rarely a brash and impulsive action, and was usually scheduled time in advance, often over a week before.

The procedure was simple. The parties would arrive at the agreed upon location alongside their second. Their seconds, men employed under them, would ensure fairness and referee the duel. Pistols were draw, aimed, and only fired when command was given. Unlike the West, dueling in the South was a matter of accuracy and precision — not speed.