As we step into a brand-new year of infinite possibilities, I’ve been contemplating the possibility of a return to chivalry. Can chivalry make a comeback? I think about what a different world we would be living in if basic human kindness was the norm. How healing it could be to follow up 2017 with an outpouring of authentic respect for one another.
For me, chivalry is about going back to the basics of being courteous and considerate, being conscious of and attentive to others. Chivalry = human kindness. I feel that chivalry is something that every child should learn at a young age. If fathers modeled chivalry to their children, what a paradigm shift we would experience! I can only imagine that their grown men and women would be attracted to men and women who treated them with kindness and respect. It would be considered as normal behavior, not something “extra” or “special.”
Chivalry is a virtue that is sorely needed in our modern world in my opinion. Good behavior should never go out of style or be compromised. The International Fellowship of Chivalry-Now (IFCN) has said that “the virtues of chivalry offer more than pleasantries and politeness. They give purpose and meaning to male strength.” In Vogue’s Book of Etiquette, they write, “The fact that men are relaxing somewhat from this agreeable attitude is one of the sorrows of modern life.” Granted this etiquette bible was written in the 1940’s, but numerous blogs written in the recent past reflect on the top 10 to 20 acts of chivalry (aka kindness) that are important in relationships.
Yet, what if we could go even deeper—and, go beyond chivalry in 2018? Seeing the Divine in each other…loving and respecting each other as sacred expressions of the Divine. If we brought this consciousness to our interactions and relationships, we would be going beyond male and female dynamics, gender, race, political divisions, feminism…we would be going to the heart center…a place of pure love. What an adventure this would be—relating from this space.
In my spiritual quest, which was initiated by years of physical pain from a sports injury combined with oppressive emotional pain because I couldn’t find relief internally and externally, I came to discover that space. My passion for music was a natural progression in my healing journey. Music gave me an outlet to start sharing some of the insights that I was experiencing and to share a positive message in the world. I’m on a mission to pay it forward by creating music that inspires and motivates others to overcome their challenges. I invite your comments here and please visit with me at http://mysilentbravery.com/ In becoming a columnist for The Good Men Project, I have taken another step forward on my spiritual adventure into my not-so-silent bravery.
How will you practice chivalry and going beyond in 2018? Share with me here!
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You Might Also Like These From ‘My Silent Bravery’
What Men Want Women to Know | 2018…Beyond Chivalry | Getting Back to Giving | Yours, Mine and Ours… |
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Photo courtesy of the author.