“In a world where everyone is out for themselves, some choose to live differently: with honor, gallantry, courage. They choose to go another way. These are their stories. Live with Chivalry.” Introduction to Chivas.com

People say that chivalry is dead. In a world popularly legitimized by a self-centered consumer ideology, it is easy to see this. Values can become dominated by desire rather than virtue. Morality turns into just another phrase, another pop-culture symbol of what we should be. But if pop-culture symbols are merely to be admired, then morality turns into a self-serving construct – a mental abstracts of amusement reflecting unconscious innate desires. To act upon morality requires a chosen effort and a striving for a higher standard of dignity, something that separates some from others which is measurable only by the actions of their daily lives. It’s an integrity, it’s an effort – it is chivalry.

Chivalry is alive and well today, whether we phrase it in traditional terms or not. While the roots of Chivalry stem from history, it is more than a lost idea. Living up to the best within us still requires respecting others, lending a helping hand, and determination framed in a network of self analysis. It requires a fierce determination focused by love; a love of humankind, self, and spirit.

WHAT IS CHIVALRY?

Chivalry is an act of spirit; a choice about the standards one chooses to live. These standards manifest themselves through intellectually diligent self reflection, and are displayed in an outward representation apparent by the moral framework one lives their life by. It is not self denial, but self care. To live with chivalry is to live with the strongest form of self respect and respect for others. It is a choice to set oneself apart, to control desires and to project effort from a consciously empowered and ethically informed self-directedness. Chivalry is a choice that requires strength and is rewarded with infinite forms of love.

HOW TO LIVE WITH CHIVALRY

1. Diligence: “If you fight enough for what you love, even time will help you have it.”

Diligence is working with never-ending care, zeal and trust, day after day. Vibrancy directs the human spirit through goals and achievements. The accomplishments of our ambitions and desires measure our impact on the world as a whole. View impossibilities as illusions. To achieve greatness requires more than motivation, it needs unstoppable will. This will to achieve creates our dreams, even those that seem beyond our reach. Sometimes dreams beyond reality are worth fighting for beyond measure.

2. Integrity: “Every detail matters, every matter counts, every count directs your life.”

Chastity is moral wholesomeness through purity of thought and action. It is a belief in love rather than a restriction. Our values define how we view our desires and filter our actions. A moral responsibility to life is inherent within existence. Our natural values give rise to moral standards powered by a promise of consistency. Chastity represents a balance between the fires of desire and the waters of love. It compliments diligence with integrity and acclaims that there are no exceptions to morality and faithfulness.

3. Temperance: “Success is about planning easy and applying hard.”

Temperance is self-control, moderation and mindfulness of others. It is not pleasure that sustains personal balance, nor is it an appreciation stemming from a lack of pleasure – it is temperance. Control of our emotional impulses regulates the depth of our direction. It  is the skill of knowing when to think, when to act, when to enjoy, and when to let go. This is intelligence for the heart.

4. Charity: “Some people are interested in people, others are interested people.”

Charity is generosity or the willingness to give. The true meaning of wealth comes from raising our consciousness to a greater level. With this comes an empathetic understanding of the human condition and an emotional knowledge of the scope of pain and suffering in the world. To empathize on our deepest level is not to simply share pain, but to share a brotherhood and sisterhood with all humankind. It is to give out of compassion.

5. Patience: “Time is money but patience is growth and intelligence is wealth.”

Patience is the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully and to forgive. All achievements, internal or external, happen in time. Nothing worthwhile is instantaneous, and without patience the heart will go mad in the wait. However, practicing patience gives passage to personal growth. Our hearts require times of stillness for quiet reflection; it is where we gain new insights come to terms with our lives. This results in a deepening of self and a greater perception of the world around us.

6. Kindness: “Being a friend is caring about someone always and knowing you can be cared for sometimes.”

Kindness is compassion, satisfaction and friendship without prejudice. Kindness is more personal than charity, it is about giving time, love, and attention to someone. It must be genuine and it cannot be faked. Kindness asks us to see others as worthy of our respect regardless of who they are.

7. Humility: “Plan for the things you can, dream for the things you can’t.”

Humility is respect, objectivity and giving credit where credit is due. Our personal sense of worth is vital, and we must love ourselves to love our lives. But without the balance of humility the self can become inflated. Humility is not seeing one’s self as less, but rather seeing one’s self in the context of what is real. It is knowing that what is real gives way to power, because it brings understanding, and only through understanding can we achieve our potential.

8. Justice: “Being fair to everyone is every man’s duty.”

Justice is honesty, equity and impartiality. This last virtue is the most difficult, and is the beginning of philosophy. This manifests itself in intellectual pursuits, causes, and things beyond the scope or our life that are present on a larger scale. It recognizes that the only true opponent in life is the degradation of morality, and that all people are of value.

The blended and aged scotch whisky brand, Chivas, made an example through their latest campaign of how a traditional value such as chivalry is more relevant and necessary than ever in today’s times. We strive to see a world where these virtues are put at the centre of everyone’s dreams, and at the core of every man’s and every business’s progress. In a sense, the human kind and therefore the human spirit hold the bettering of our world as a whole. It is up to each one of us to make that improvement happen starting with our everyday lives; today, and as our responsibilities grow in a constantly evolving world.

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