I cannot tolerate this age. And I will not. I might have tolerated you and your Catholic Church, and even joined it, if you had remained true to yourself. Now you're part of the age. You've the same fleas as the dogs you've lain down with. I would have felt at home at Mont-Saint-Michel, the Mount of the Archangel with the flaming sword, or with Richard Coeur de Lion at Acre. They believed in a god who said he came not to bring peace but the sword. Make love not war? I'll take war rather than what this age calls love.
In Walker Percy’s book "Lancelot," the protagonist expresses a deep frustration with the contemporary world and its values. He feels a strong disconnection from the modern age, criticizing institutions like the Catholic Church for their failure to uphold their original principles. He suggests that the Church has compromised its integrity and adopted the flaws of the society around it, leaving him feeling out of place.
The protagonist yearns for a time when faith and belief were clearer and more fervent. He romanticizes historical figures and eras marked by conflict, suggesting that these times held a stronger sense of purpose and conviction. He contrasts the current era's notion of love with the idea of war, implying that he prefers the intensity of battle to the hollow sentiments often promoted today, revealing a deep longing for authenticity and sincerity in belief and action.
