The Way of Chivalry-Now

How does one mobilize the great potential and best intentions of humanity?
     Some point to religion. Some point to meditation. Still others point to consumerism and a free market economy. Their answers overlook serious drawbacks of each approach.
     With religion we see tensions between various creeds, internecine squabbles, and a tenuous relationship with science.
     With the eastern approach, exemplified by meditation, we see a profound lack of scientific innovation and progress.
     In contrast, the free market produces phenomenal progress and creativity, but a profound lack of moral center as well, with profit placed in its stead.
     Each approach offers benefits and drawbacks that are pretty obvious. For some reason, however, we look to them as the only alternatives, despite their constant, and even pedantic, failure. When something like humanism injects new thought, it is deemed a threat and much maligned. The status quo will do or say anything to protect itself — even to the death of us all.
     Enter Chivalry-Now!
     We are not a religion. We relate to those who are religious, and those who are not. Our respect is for free thought, personal exploration, growth and ethical behavior supersedes our differences. We view and honor our relationship with Truth, whether we call it God or nature, as a direct experience.
     We may recognize the value of meditation, and even relate our vision of Truth to that of stillness, silence or mystical experience. Nevertheless, we know that the human mind encompasses thought, emotion, conscience, desire, spirituality and will — and we affirm these qualities as valuable aspects of human nature. We do not try to eliminate any of it, but rather channel it with moral authenticity. Anything less is an affront to nature.
     We value the proper functioning of a free market, but refuse to bow down to it as a source of moral authority. Profit motive has its place, but it is far below, and must be subject to, the core values of humanity. Anything less places greed as our prime motivation.
     What unites us, despite differing religious and nonreligious beliefs, is this: we believe in certain moral principles for the essential qualities that they are, not for where they came from (other than from ourselves). The good is not a product of reward and punishment, or contingent on some authority, however benign. To say that it is negates it as a viable ethic. What is good must be good in and of itself, otherwise it is not good. Our ethical duty, if we are true to ourselves, is to embrace it, support it, and speak out on its behalf.
     This is a simple and basic concept to understand, and appeals to our sense of right and wrong.
     We coerce nobody. We merely want to open people's eyes to their own inspiration. We don't hand out copious dogma, esoteric disciplines or formulaic methods of escapism. We encourage free thought, self-discipline, personal growth, exploration, discovery and courtesy. Our only stricture falls on personal responsibility — which is wantonly relinquished when we blindly follow somebody else's creed or vision. We find encouraging solace in discovering how similar our disparate visions of Truth are.
     Please forgive the following poor analogies, but Chivalry-Now is like an alarm clock to our collective conscience, waking us up from the dreary sombulence that drags us down. It is like a clarion call to our warrior spirit for action. It is a warning signal of impending doom, as well as a lighthouse piercing the fog of confusion with its beam of Truth.
     Chivalry-Now is new only in how it connects us to the vital past while incorporating everything in between. It presses each person to find Truth autonomously — which is vital to authenticity. In this respect, we honor life far more than those who ask us to set aside our integrity and follow someone else. Nothing blocks the perception of Truth so much as an intermediary, especially one who has a hand in our pockets.
     Truth cannot be translated and handed out in a pamphlet. It can only be experienced directly.
     This is the standard we bear. The rest is up to you.

Top

Special Features: