The White Knight of Today

I have a bit of a dillemna right now. I found out about a what's going on with a former bartender at the bar I go to on Wednesdays when I'm home. She is currently living with a boyfriend that completely controls her. She isn't allowed to go out by herself, have people visit or call her, or even talk to friends when her and her bf go out. The odd part is that the gal was a very intelligent and strong minded before starting to date this guy. She tends to like to be drunk and stoned as much as possible, which had killed her motivation and my interest in her.

My problem has two sides to it. The first one is that I have very strong feelings when it comes to controlling personalities. People who have to control people, particularly to that degree, have major problems themselves and take it out on other people. They are usually the people who are willing to hurt people to get what they want. If I knew this guy was beating her, I would have already found out where they live, gone there, and either gotten her out or if the asshole was there, I would have introduced him to what it's like to be on the receiving end of a beating. I'm not a violent guy by nature, but some things enrage me. More on this tomorrow since there's another whole rant here.

This leads me to my other problem. I want to be the hero, the knight in shining armor who comes in and saves the damsel in distress. Despite what it may seem sometime, I have a strong sense of honor, charity, and chivalry. It's not exactly the Knight's Code, but more of a code of honor that takes in account for the real world. In this situation, I want to find this gal and get her out of there even if it means I take her into my own home for a while.

I know I shouldn't even get involved here. Even if I rescue her, she still will have the tendancy to go back with someone destructive like this. If I'd take her into my home, I'm likely to not only piss off my sister (since we share an apartment) but also get my generosity abused in many ways. I'd most likely never get any money loaned out back, and possibly would get my stuff stolen, my liquor cabinet drank, or have to kick her out because she has no motivation to get her life back on track.

Dammit, I still want to help. If only the real world fit into my beliefs, instead of walking all over them. Unfortunately the way the world is "no good deed goes unpunished." I've taken a lot of punishment in my life learning this rule since I like to help and be the good person that I am. Chivalry is not dead, but it's on life support after being hit by that train called "Reality". The noble instincts that most of us share are forced to be quiet until tragedy strikes and it's socially acceptable to show them. The knights in shining armor of today have to stow their armor and pick their battles carefully. If they don't, they are hunted down like dogs.