The Great Battle

There is a great battle that rages every day in the souls of men.  There are three combatants in this battle:  the loins, the heart, and the mind.

The loins are base and savage.  They have no conscience, and will stop at nothing to get what they want.  Their mission is conquest, and in their gluttony and pride, they burn whole cities in order to satisfy their lust.

The heart is a brave and noble warrior.  It charges into battle without fear, and fights to the death.  It is surely the strongest of the three.  But, when wounded, or forgotten on the battlefield, the heart becomes much different.  It reaches out to anyone who will offer help, friend or foe.  This often leads to dangerous alliances and treachery of the worst sort.

The mind is a master tactician, seeking to control both the loins and the heart, although it understands neither.  From time to time, the mind attempts to give guidance to the others, but this does not often succeed.  However, when in control, the mind is almost as fearsome a warrior as the heart.  When working together, the mind and heart are a nearly unstoppable force.

As for this old knight errant, my own battle goes on.  I do my best to balance the forces, in hopes that someday, there will be peace among the three.