A noble man compares and
estimates himself by an idea which is higher than himself; and a mean man, by
one lower than himself. The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which
is the way in which a vulgar man aspires.
Marcus
Aurelius
With this post we end this Chivalry
centric week which, to my surprise and enjoyment, has had some rather positive
reactions. (Note to self, make more themed week posts) For closing, I thought
it might be a good thing to touch on a topic that is often related in a
negative aspect with chivalry. That is the immediate social relation between
chivalry, classism, and elitism.
Let me start by saying the
following, they are right… up to a point. Chivalry originated as a code of
ethics for members of the Warrior class or the Nobility. Keep in mind how the
world worked back then, your life was pretty much determined by the social
class you were born into. If you were born to artisan parents, you pretty much
were going to be an artisan. If your parents were from the Warrior Class, you
were going to be a warrior. You pretty much followed in your father’s footsteps…even
if you didn’t want to. It’s not like you had much of a choice. So, if you
followed chivalry back then, it was basically because you were born to the Warrior
elite or the Nobility and chivalry was pretty much thrusted on you.
As society advanced and it’s rigid black
and white class system started to take shades of grey, we see the ideas of
chivalry seep into all social classes as a way for men to better themselves.
The philosophy of the “lord’s son” was now something that any man could use to
mold his life. As travel and education became more and more accessible, some men
would no longer let their birth limit what they could achieve, so they expected
more from themselves in all aspects of their lives.
Thus we have the ideal of the well
rounded man, the superior man, as something any man could aspire. And that
created an elitist mentality, a mentality where men chose to become elite. You
see, greatness isn’t something that choses you. You CHOSE to be great; you
CHOSE to be the kind of man others can look up to. The lonely people who see
this kind of elitism as a bad thing are those men who pray to the
cult of averageness and condemn excellence.
As for classism? Base and honorless men
can be found anywhere, as can Virtuous men; from the executive suite to
sleeping in the streets. Financial success doesn’t make you a devil, just as
financial challenges make you a saint. Last I checked virtues, character,
respect, and determination don’t come with a monetary price tag on them.
You chose the kind of man you are,
and expecting more from yourself isn’t a bad thing. My advice to you? As cliché
as it might sound; always chose to be better a better man than the man you were
yesterday.
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