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Permanence is an Illusion We should not deceive ourselves with the misleading illusion of permanence. History recounts the fall of one civilization after another. Some were destroyed by wars. Others ruined by blind, internal conflicts caused by greed, a lust for power, and a general apathy that failed to preserve what really matters. For each virtue there is a corresponding vice. Sometimes several. And while virtue inspires noble advancements and the benefits that come with them, its shadow-side works insidiously to tear those advancements down. Perhaps it is a weakness of human nature, a weakness nourished by such disparate traits as hubris and ignorance, envy and denial, all empowered by popular complacency. We are witnessing this fall today-so busily engaged in our private concerns or our addiction ro entertainment that we scarcely notice its looming threat. Look around. Wars no longer end, but lead to further outrage. Politics has become so extreme that the central value of truth is no longer considered. Greed continues to spawn a kind of madness that distorts our values with a disdain for other people. Conscience no longer provides us with an effective guide to determine right from wrong. If Western culture is to reclaim its purpose, it is up to us to make it happen. It doesn't matter what your age is, or your gender or religious faith, or where you were born. Education or wealth never assured a person's virtue. Ideology is a false prophet that inhibits free thought, and therefore freedom itself. Chivalry-Now is a call for rebirth and liberated action. It does not seek converts or followers. It hopes to inspire our innate principles of conscience instead, rejecting the chains of subservience forged by politics and greed and spiritual lethargy. It calls for the kind of autonomy that heroically separate us from the misdirected herd, and the strength to speak out for truth and justice. It presents us with the depth of our own ideals, and the certain knowledge that no enemy of truth can long resist their flourishing, be they local enemies or terrorists halfway around the world. The only catch
is that we must make them flourish first. That is our responsibility.
Let us accept that duty with the enthusiasm that it deserves. |
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