Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
Chivalry is, “A medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code; the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak. Over time, its meaning has been refined to emphasize social and moral virtues more generally. And the Code of Chivalry, as it stood by the Late Middle Ages, was a moral system which combined a warrior ethos, knightly piety, and courtly manners, all conspiring to establish a notion of honor and nobility.”
The "ancient code of chivalry" of the 11th and 12th centuries derived from the military ethos of the crusades which would evolve into the late medieval notion of chivalry. The Ten Commandments of chivalry are:
- Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches and thou shalt observe all its directions (Believe the Church's teachings and observe all the Church's directions).
- Thou shalt defend the Church.
- Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
- Thou shalt love the country in which thou wast born.
- Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
- Thou shalt make war against the infidel without cessation and without mercy.
- Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
- Thou shalt never lie, and shalt remain faithful to thy pledged word.
- Thou shalt be generous, and give largesse to everyone.
- Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.
From the Early Modern period, the term gallantry (from galant, the Baroque ideal of refined elegance) rather than chivalry became used for the proper behavior of upper class men towards upper class women. In the 19th century, there were attempts to revive chivalry for the purposes of the gentleman of that time. Kenelm Henry Digby wrote his The Broad-Stone of Honour for this purpose, offering the definition: 'Chivalry is only a name for that general spirit or state of mind which disposes men to heroic actions, and keeps them conversant with all that is beautiful and sublime in the intellectual and moral world'.
Gallantry is, “Courageous behavior, especially in battle; polite attention or respect given by men to women.”
The focus of today’s article is on gallantry or what many state as chivalry, but not for it is actually gallantry, as to that polite attention or respect given by men to women. When coupled with such military gallantry of a type of morally and socially driven behavior that takes on significant meaning especially to those who serve.
Gallantry is that behavior men have freely given to women in the name of honor, courage and benevolence, etc., as traits of good, moral and just men in a society that gives it due to such behaviors as the very essence of what it is to be men and all that it entails with some emphasis in military bearing, behavior and courage.
The state of chivalry or better, gallantry, has come under fire of late. The downfall of true gallantry may come from many things but one is the effort of achieving equality in modern society. In that effort the counter effects of such endeavors has resulted in the loss of gallantry as it would be applied to women where the women, some of them anyway, have lost that feeling of honor bestowed upon them through the actions of a gallant man.
Chivalry and gallantry have permeated our societies through out history. Granted, in reality that chivalry and gallantry may have been applied along side some more nefarious agenda driven goals of men but in its very essence it has been about honoring the women of our society. Bad things always happen with humans but the need to hold to our gallant and chivalrous nature should be held near and dear to all of us as it makes society better overall.
In a recent article written somewhere it has come to light that some may now believe that men MUST come to the rescue of women in the arena of conflict and violence as it pertains to the types of violence some would apply to women who don’t meet certain standards in a belief system strong with religious traits. Men, a few, have questioned to almost lost state of male gallantry where at one time the protection of those held dear in our societies as not so necessary.
Considering all the social conditions set upon us regarding conflict and violence outside a military state of conflict would make taking some sort of chivalrous and gallant action to protect others, in this case women, who are not a part of the family circle would and could result in repercussions that would, could and have driven men of gallant honorable nature to turn the cheek the other way and ignore the plight of “Others.”
Is this a result of the overzealous charge up the hill of supposed equality? Did they actually achieve equality and did they actually seek out the type of equality that would be beneficial to the group in question as well as create a win-win type connection that would allow for gallantry while not giving the impression of dominance or subservience, etc.? Can and are women equal and what is it that would make them equal for the diatribe often argued with psychological and physical aggression with out any leeway for mutual discussion and benefit achieved truly?
Why would anyone assume after all the aggression and force used to get what they think they want then be set aside arbitrarily so as to push their own protection and safety back onto the other gender because true equality means the other gender must also provide their own protection in all areas and at all times. Isn’t this just another wedge driven in to divide the genders into separate factions with only self-soothing agenda’s over the more social needs of a surviving society?
It comes down to “damned if you do and damned if you don’t situations” that are untenable to anyone who would through the honor of chivalry and gallantry to protect even the most othered person, regardless of gender, farthest outside of the individual circle of family and tribe. If men are going to be now forced to protect while being criticized for how the go about it and the persecuted for taking that action while labeled as “discriminatory” toward women just for being gallant and perceived as creating inequality is just plain wrong.
“YOU CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS!”
I do believe that genders can achieve a type of equality while recognizing that the two genders are in reality not equal. Maybe it is about removing any inferences of gender when it comes to certain social needs such as equal pay for equal work. Equal pay if all other things remain equal should exist for every human and gender should never be a part of the equation.
Maybe it is our inadequate efforts in direct violation of nature itself. Maybe it is about failing to recognize those traits of both genders where those that are equal are accepted and those that are simply different due to nature are also recognized, i.e., recognized as unique but equal traits of that gender while not being unequal when compared to others regardless of gender.
In truth, even it chivalry and gallantry are still alive, I would guess these traits in men are suppressed out of necessity, out of survival. In truth because of the loss of such traits we have actually created an environment where our very survival as a society in jeopardized and endangered. It is no wonder others are looking to us to conquer, we are slowly eroding our very nature and ability to come together as one so our combined strength will allow us to survive and our future survival in definitely a possibility unless we can change.
THEN AGAIN, WHAT THE F^%$ DO I KNOW!
In closing and an aside statement, reading the chivalrous codes above it seems we could live by those codes while maintaining a human equality while still allowing for the hierarchal state nature requires toward status and position as a strong unit toward survival similar to the family unit also about survival of the tribe and species. Code 1 & 2 thou can and should be changed from Church one’s “Beliefs.”
Yes, I realize my blogs and articles are more often about karate, martial arts and self-defense so this last paragraph is about chivalry and gallantry in the dojo. We tend to give lip service for the sake of the mystique and uniqueness such things give to our practice but in truth when you look to the principles involved it does speak to theories and philosophies and the second suits this type of honorable trait but it can be that something both genders in the dojo can assume.
When we speak of chivalry and gallantry it does not actually have to be about men toward women, it can be shifted toward a human trait of society where everyone regardless of gender live life with honor, courage and a code that is chivalrous and gallant. Yes, these things have been militarily oriented but since humans now serve in a military way they both can now equally assume a chivalrous and gallant nature toward all humans. This effort to assume all the threats against a gender or humans or our society regardless can now be protected by those who choose this gallant and chivalrous way and that means even in karate and martial arts disciplines. Maybe that is why a concerted effort these last few decades has been toward implementation of karate and martial arts to become intricately interwoven into the military mind-state, i.e., courage, honor, integrity, moral rectitude, chivalry and gallantry, etc.
We in the dojo don’t have to give lip service to things like bushido codes for there are and were such chivalrous and gallant codes of those who would protect societies in all probability since man first gathered in the plains to hunt and gather. The dojo is just a microcosm, a small unique social collection of like minded folks, who would learn, teach and live such codes making them an intricate part of their teachings.
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