|
One out of Ten In the following excerpt from the Tao Te Ching, we find profound insight relevant to Chivalry-Now:
Although polls vary, we see people regularly siding with one of two major ideologies at about 30% each. (Both see the other as “followers of death.”) Another 30% seem apathetic toward everything but their own petty concerns. That’s nine out of ten people altogether! And their mixed loyalties, of course, have a direct influence on the way our democracy works. The most valuable lesson to be learned from this, however, is not directly mentioned, but stares at us nonetheless, begging to be noticed: THE REMAINING 10%! It suggests that one out of ten people is NOT limited to the dictates of political ideologies. They are NOT wasted by apathy either. One out of ten understands that freedom is more than just a lack of outside restraints. It is a quest upon which our lives depend. It is a response to life that is free from pettiness and prejudices. It is the use of mindfulness that makes one free. It is purposeful. It is a degree consciousness that lifts the mind away from the “gross level” and thinks for itself. Of that 10%, only a few rise up to their potential, despite their unsuppressed glimpses of higher truth. Why? Because a quest only becomes a quest when one purposely chooses to partake in it. Medieval romances say that only one in a thousand have what it takes to be a Knight. While the ratio was clearly higher for common warrior knights, the true Knight was a much rarer species. In today’s world it is appears to be the same. It takes work to be a real Knight. There is nothing shallow about it. It takes an open mind in a world that prefers to keep minds closed. It takes the kind of resolve that is not based on ego, fantasy or mere convenience, but on the greater good. It takes deeds as well—and no excuses. It should come as no surprise that Chivalry-Now attracts people who sense themselves to be one in ten. Its purpose, however, is to invite them (you?) to surpass that by becoming one in a hundred, or one in a thousand.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
