Working Within Limitations

Earlier tonight, I asked the DM of the D&D game I play at the comic book shop if it would be possible for me to play a paladin in the upcoming campaign, and I got the impression that that might or might not work out, depending on the finer details of the campaign and the choices that I and the other players make during character creation. I might still be able to play a paladin, but I might not.

But you know what? That's okay, I can still play a Lawful Good character of any class, and I can still act like a paladin in real life. I can still get all the paladin practice I need, whether I play a paladin in the next campaign or not.

In life, we shouldn't let our circumstances and limitations stop us from doing them best we can with what we're given. Sure, I'd prefer to play a paladin in the campaign, but I have other options that are almost as good. I can still play a character that acts with honor and morality. Heck, even in the pirates campaign, I was able to shape my character into having some sense of honor and of devotion to his goddess. Sure, she's the goddess of piracy, but Krusk's devotion to her can still act as a model for my devotion to God.

I saw a post on Facebook recently that said, in essence, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." That's basically all we can do. I can't put a paladin into a story where a paladin wouldn't fit, not without hindering everyone else's fun. We're all trying to play this game together, and that requires cooperation, which sometimes requires compromise. I might not be able to be a paladin this time around, but I can still (probably) be a Good character, and that'll probably be good enough. In any case, I can still act like a paladin in real life, which is far more important anyway.

So, I might not be able to play a paladin in the next campaign after all, but that's fine. I'll work within my limitations to make a character that's a paladinic as I can make him, at least in spirit. Similarly, I cannot literally be a paladin in real life, and I also lack the will-power to act like a paladin all the time, but I can still try, in spite of my limitations, to be as much like a paladin as possible. Regardless of our abilities and opportunities or the lack thereof, we can all use what we have to do what we can, and that's all that God can ask of us, and it's all that we should ask of ourselves. I won't fret about doing the impossible. I'll just do the best I can.