I recently took a brief,
excursive look at medieval concepts of chivalry and codes of honor, and their
application in contemporary society. It is an interesting topic made more so by
the fact that there are many who uphold similar values in the present day. I
must extend my admiration to people who actively seek to cultivate within their
lives honest values and ethics based on ancient and historical examples. It is
not so much dwelling in an idealized past but directly confronting the variety
of social ills that besiege us today. Amy Farrell comments:
"Look at the state of the modern human being.
Look at world governments full of corruption, nations ruled by despots,
religious fascists terrorizing innocent people. Look at our neighborhoods full
of gang crime... our schools full of violence, our prisons full to bursting,
our civil courts full of people blaming each other, our bodies full of drugs
and alcohol, our souls full of doubt and despair... Yes, but how can we change
this? We do it one human being at a time. We start with ourselves. We choose to
cast off the habits of selfishness, self-gratification, greed, laziness,
slovenliness, crudeness, cruelty, debauchery, dishonesty, arrogance, betrayal
and lawlessness that debases humanity... This discipline of self-examination is
the first step on the path of Chivalry...”
It is a very ancient
concept 'Change oneself to change the world.' We see a world degraded by corruption
but refuse to acknowledge that collectively we are responsible for it. The wild
notion begins to emerge that if we have failed in our diplomacy, if we have
offended or punished a people through some action... then we are attacked
ourselves We have failed to see that the error of our actions have caused an
abysmal reaction.
There must eventually come
a time, and I believe that we have reached that juncture, when, as individuals
we must make the world changing decision to practice honesty with ourselves and
others. Beyond any political, religious or nationalistic affiliation we can
adopt values as a standard which may be measured. Old fashioned though they may
seem, I think the traditional values of truth, honor, justice, valor, prowess,
loyalty, largesse, courtesy, noblesse, and humility can engender a society in
which compassion prevails against notions of oppression. It is simply not
enough to hope or pray for such conditions to arise... we must manufacture
them, and the most amazing thing is that they can be made virtually cost free.
All Rights Reserved / Copyright: David John Drew December 2013
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