Knights Code of Chivalry

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Goodnight. 

Now-a-days it seems that meeting people with any sort of honor or integrity is few and far between. In these modern times, especially on the internet, we seem to have come to the conclusion that the individual is more important than those around him/or and selfishness has become a virtue. Today I'd like to discuss my view on chivalry and what it means to have honor.


Knights Code of Chivalry described by the Duke of Burgandy:
The chivalric virtues of the Knights Code of Chivalry were described in the 14th Century by the Duke of Burgandy. The words he chose to use to describe the virtues that should be exhibited in the Knights Code of Chivalry were as follows:

Faith

Charity

Justice

Sagacity

Prudence

Temperance

Resolution

Truth

Liberality

Diligence

Hope

Valor

http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/knights-code-of-chivalry.htm

Now, we are not all knights, and we can't be. We have our lives to live, but there is a lot of power in these words that make up the knights code of chivalry. I ask that you explore this list and see how much of it applies to you, how much does not, and why?

faith

   [feyth]  Show IPA

noun

1.

confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another'sability.

2.

belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that thehypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3.

belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: thefirm faith of the Pilgrims.

4.

belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit,etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

Confidence and Trust are two very important key words in this definition. I point them out because part of what motivates us as humans to lack moral standards is a lack of confidence in ourselves and others which leads to a lack of trust. Everyone expects everyone to screw them over so their idea of defending themselves is having a good offence by screwing everyone else. That right there is a vicious circle. It takes a stronger man to take a hit than it does to give one.

char·i·ty

   [char-i-tee]  Show IPA

noun, plural -ties.

1.

generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, orhelpless: to devote one's life to charity.

2.

something given to a person or persons in need; alms: Sheasked for work, not charity.

3.

a charitable act or work.

http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/human-rights-maps-118-world-giving-index-a-map-of-charity/

Personally, I feel that charity is self explanatory, but I was told once that I should not waste my time and money on people who are jsut using me. Regardless as to whether or not those whom you are charitable to take advantage of you, your charitable actions are still charitable actions. You are not those people. Their actions do not define who you are. It is not your place or anyone else's to judge you as stupid for being generous. It says a lot for a person who can see their enemy's actions against them, yet still honor their enemy's as equal humans.

jus·tice

   [juhs-tis]  Show IPA

noun

1.

the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, ormoral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.

2.

rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness ofground or reason: to complain with justice.

3.

the moral principle determining just conduct.

4.

conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; justconduct, dealing, or treatment.

5.

the administering of deserved punishment or reward.

Many people like to think that Justice means, "beat up the bad guys," when really it jsut means that you respect the laws of the land. Putting evil behind bars does fall under the category of justice, but there is so much more to it than that. Imagine a lawyer who puts a man behind bars for killing a child in a car accident caused by his decision to speed as he drives, but then on the way home that lawyer speeds home in his expensive car. Where's the Justice in that?

sa·gac·i·ty

   [suh-gas-i-tee]  Show IPA

noun

acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment.

Sagacity is one that I tend to adhere to the most, but I am still conflicted as to where my reactions should go from there. As I meet people I have a talent for knowing exactly who they are as humans. I take great pleasure in honoring and surrounding myself with truly good people who have good hearts, then I am not so accepting of those who clearly seek only for themselves. That is very cruel and unfair of me and I should be more accepting, but 9 times out of 10 I am correct about their person and do not regret rejecting them from my life. I feel no honor in pushing these people away, yet I do it anyways. Perhaps if I was more accepting of them, they would not feel the need to be selfish and cruel, or maybe they enjoy being selfish and my actions have no effect on their code of conduct.

pru·dence

   [prood-ns]  Show IPA

noun

1.

the quality or fact of being prudent.

2.

caution with regard to practical matters; discretion.

3.

regard for one's own interests.

The nick-name "prude" is very much related, but also very much exaggerated. I, myself, am guilty of this slur. Being prudent is not a bad thing. Jsut like all other actions in life, when adhered to excessively it can become something bad. Self-concern is still important and jsut because you care for others, does not mean that it should be ignored.

tem·per·ance

   [tem-per-uhns, tem-pruhns]  Show IPA

noun

1.

moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.

2.

habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite orpassion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors.

3.

total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.

This ties in with previous posts of mine. Excessive use of anything is never a good thing. Whether it is video games, alcohol, weed, a collection, eating, or religion. All of these things and more require temperance to remain an emotionally healthy practice.

This definition is a good example of something I truly do not enjoy about our present civilization. As you can see the definition continues to over focus on alcohol specifically. Words like "Temperance," "Tolerance," and "Awesome" are all abused and over focused and have become misleading even when used properly. ...but that's off topic... or is it?

res·o·lu·tion

   [rez-uh-loo-shuhn]  Show IPA

noun

1.

a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usuallyafter voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club,or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2.

a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to dosomething.

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything."? These are truly powerful words. I would rather one friend who argues my points with conviction, courage, and honor, than a thousand friends who say yes to everything I say and do. Do not be a push over. Do not let others tell you how to live your life. Do not let others control your emotions. You are yourself and you should always be yourself. Take the opinions of others in consideration, but never forget that you are your own person.

truth

   [trooth]  Show IPA

noun, plural truths  [troothz, trooths]  Show IPA.

1.

the true  or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out thetruth.

2.

conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of astatement.

3.

a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or thelike: mathematical truths.

4.

the state or character of being true.

Truth is one of the most difficult yet most important factors. Truth can leave you vulnerable emotionally, physically, and intellectually. It allows those who seek to harm you an easy route straight to your biggest weaknesses. During the Marvel Civil War Spider-Man finally chose to reveal himself and it quickly resulted in the death of Aunt May. His honesty lead his enemies straight to his front door. I use this as an example because it truly is the most difficult thing, for us as humans, these days, to allow our weaknesses to be seen. That does not mean that showing weakness is bad.

lib·er·ty

   [lib-er-tee]  Show IPA

noun, plural -ties.

1.

freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.

2.

freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.

3.

freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction,hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking,speaking, etc., according to choice.

4.

freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint:The prisoner soon regained his liberty.

Liberty is one of the core concepts for our country as presented by our founding fathers. Someone once told me that our founding fathers were terrorists. I then replied that if it wasn't for those terrorists, you wouldn't have the freedom to call them terrorists. This is another point of moderation vs excessive. Too much government is a terrible thing because it tells people how to live their lives instead of giving them a core guideline on how to respect each other and remain equal.

dil·i·gence

¹    [dil-i-juhns]  Show IPA

noun

1.

constant and earnest effort to accomplish what isundertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind.

Without diligence, none of this is possible. You cannot maintain morals and honor without wanting to and trying to.

hope

   [hohp]  Show IPA noun, verb, hoped, hop·ing.

noun

1.

the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that eventswill turn out for the best: to give up hope.

For hope I would refer you to a previous post.
http://rumandwolves.blogspot.com/2012/02/to-trudge-and-to-hope.html

val·or

   [val-er]  Show IPA

noun

boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially inbattle; heroic courage; bravery: a medal for valor.

I think Valor is one of my favorite concepts. Now-a-Days when someone talks about courage they are primarily referring to defending against evil or enduring hardship, but I'd like to note that this idea of Bravery or Valor also applies to telling the truth, sacrificing your own wants to give to charity, and developing resolve and standing for something. Without Valor you are jsut a nobody being a nobody. This is the easiest of the terms in the code and one that supports all the others.

I honestly wish that there was enough room in the day to elaborate on all of these concepts as I'd like to, but I hope this is enough to get you started on understanding why these virtues exist and exploring your own feelings on them. With that said, I'd like to end with a man whom I found deeply inspiring and long for the days when our culture can embrace this as a proper sense of nobility, chivalry, and honor.



...and as always, remember: Enjoy the full moon, not all of us can. <3