First Knight

[Prince Malagant (Ben Cross) is the bad guy.   Lady of Leonesse, Guinevere, is going to marry King Arthur (Sean Connery) soon]

This clip has so many things to teach us about how to live in our culture.  I know often it reminds me of wanting to be the hero I long to be. One of the first things that it teaches us is that Arthur invited Malagant there to listen to what he had to say.  If you notice it was only after Malagant refused to listen to Arthur's arguments that the conversation ended.  Malagant refused to leave his "worldview" and look at Arthur's.  Arthur continued to talk, and listen to his opponent.  So often in our world today in debates, whatever the issue may be people cease to listen to each other, and it becomes only a battle of emotion, not of the subject at hand.  

If you noticed Arthur responded adequately to all of Malagant's questions, however sometimes he re-framed them, which is sometimes what we ourselves need to do in our conversations, and debates.  Arthur talks about how there are "laws that enslave men, and laws that set them free. Either what we hold to be good, and right, and true, is good, and right, and true under God.  Otherwise we are just another robber tribe." This point is critical,  justice comes from something outside himself, in this case God, and things discovered to be true.  Justice is not just a subjective reality, it extends well beyond the self.  Guinevere says it well, "what justice?! you know no law higher than your self!"  Malagant believes in his world view alone.  If we follow the morality, justice, law (same interpretation here) then we are just forcing our opinion, our morality on others.  Rather we are called to discover what is true, objectively outside ourselves, which God is definitely a good source for what is good, true, and right.  

Another source topic, or issue that Arthur speaks, is "where is it written, beyond Camelot live lesser people, people to weak to stand up for themselves, let them die."  Arthur talks about how we have a right to defend the defenseless, the weak.  If we know of their plight, and we have the means, we have a responsibility to defend, and help them the best we can.  It is not a matter of their laws, or our laws, it is about a law that transcends you and me, it is outside ourselves.