The Seven Cardinal Virtues
Chastity - Abstaining from sexual conduct according to one's state in life; the practice of courtly love and romantic friendship. Cleanliness through cultivated good health and hygiene, and maintained by refraining from intoxicants. To be honest with oneself, one's family, one's friends, and to all of humanity. Embracing of moral wholesomeness and achieving purity of thought-through education and betterment. The ability to refrain from being distracted and influenced by hostility, temptation or corruption.
In opposition to Lust.
Temperance - Restraint, temperance, justice. Constant mindfulness of others and one's surroundings; practicing self-control, abstention, moderation and deferred gratification. Prudence to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time. Proper moderation between self-interest, versus public-interest, and against the rights and needs of others.
In opposition to Gluttony.
Charity - Generosity, charity, self-sacrifice; the term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving. In Christian theology, charity—or love (agäpé) -- is the greatest of the three theological virtues.Love, in the sense of an unlimited loving kindness towards all others, is held to be the ultimate perfection of the human spirit, because it is said to both glorify and reflect the nature of God. Such love is self-sacrificial. Confusion can arise from the multiple meanings of the English word "love". The love that is "caritas" is distinguished by its origin – being divinely infused into the soul – and by its residing in the will rather than emotions, regardless of what emotions it stirs up. This love is necessary for salvation, and with it no one can be lost.
In opposition to Greed.
Diligence - A zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work; decisive work ethic, steadfastness in belief, fortitude, and the capability of not giving up. Budgeting one's time; monitoring one's own activities to guard against laziness. Upholding one's convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching (integrity).
In opposition to Sloth.
Patience - Forbearance and endurance through moderation. Resolving conflicts and injustice peacefully, as opposed to resorting to violence. Accepting the grace to forgive; to show mercy to sinners. Creating a sense of peaceful stability and community rather than suffering, hostility, and antagonism.
In opposition to Wrath.
Kindness - Charity, compassion and friendship for its own sake. Empathy and trust without prejudice or resentment. Unselfish love and voluntary kindness without bias or spite. Having positive outlooks and cheerful demeanor; to inspire kindness in others.
In opposition to Envy.
Humility - Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. It is a spirit of self-examination; a hermeneutic of suspicion toward yourself and charity toward people you disagree with. The courage of the heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, tedious or unglamorous, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved. Reverence for those who have wisdom and those who selflessly teach in love. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's own self. Being faithful to promises, no matter how big or small they may be. Refraining from despair and the ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation.
In opposition to Pride.
The Chivalric Virtues
Honesty - To be truthful and forthright. To bear true witness for and against friend or foe, and even to self-incriminate if one is in fact guilty of bad behavior. To abstain from exaggeration and aggrandizement. To commit no lie of omission, but to always present information in a way that conveys an accurate picture. Not to be confused with always telling everyone everything, but rather the absence of misleading. If one declines to share information, one is entitled to do that but should openly state when this is the case.
In opposition to Deceit.
Courage - To face danger and hardship bravely. To be brave in the face of not only physical danger but peer pressure and moral challenges. To have the fortitude to stand up for what is right in the face of opposition be it physical or otherwise, but especially to fight for what is just against physical aggression. To be willing to risk life and limb without fear. Not to be confused with recklessness.
In opposition to Cowardice.
Wisdom - To be prudent and with good sense. To soberly reflect on decisions and act with good judgement, defined as decisions that will promote what is right and just. To avoid recklessness, foolishness. To embrace a strong and well defined moral compass devoid of confusion and ambiguity, and wed it with practicality that effectively translates moral directive into applied action.
In opposition to Foolishness.
Courtesy - To be polite whenever possible. To respect authority and rank, and render apporpriate salutations and protocol. To be considerate and respectful of the wishes of others and the considerations of propriety. Not to be confused with blind obedience or foolish politeness that excuses or enables wrongdoing.
In opposition to Rudeness.
Guardianship - To use whatever moral or physical power one posseses to protect the weaker and less capable from injustice. To advocate the cause of the more vulnerable and defend them from violence and exploitation.
In opposition to Exploitation.
Duty - To faithful perform any moral task set before one. To execute one's responsibilities and requirements punctually and effectively, with the uppermost effort and vigor. To never shirk responsibility or be negligent in one's professions and enterprises. To bear true service to one's obligations and leaders.
In opposition to Negligence.
Piety - To always keep the laws and ways of God uppermost in one's mind. To always harbor a sincere and true belief in the Christian way. To remember that the purpose behind all morality and behavior (including the authority of virtues) is servitude to God and never deviate from God's moral imperatives.
In opposition to Secularism.
From this we derive the picture of a highly idealized man (it should be noted that the first 7 virtues are those originally espoused by early Christianity and early Church, and are still prized even among non-Catholics; the second set is my attempt to distill still further "knightly" values). It should be noted that central to the Christian faith is the notion that holiness (as far as humans can obtain it) is not through being flawless, but rather in sincere effort toward the reformation of sin into virtue. Jesus alone was all of the things above at once. What matters is the constant effort toward them. Virtue and holiness are not destinations that can ever be attained so much as directions of travel.
Knighthood as an actual status is an anachronism not seen today. The ideal of the knight-errant, the crusader, appears to be largely forgotten except in popular culture as ingredients for stories and the like. I compiled this list purely as a personal interest, there are no modern knights and I am not suggesting something like that could ever really be reformed. There are such things as Christians still though, and in perspective that should be enough. One need not be riding a horse and owning a castle to be Galahad. In the modern sense even the smallest scale can serve the noble ideal because virtue is not measured in proportion to its impact so much as the sacrifice and intent of the one performing it. Virtue and the service to others do more for the one performing said virtue than the one receiving.
It is not in the scope of this minor scribbling to fully expound on virtue, knighthood, chivalry, or medeival history. Suffice to say simply that the "chivalrous ideal" (that real life knights rarely attained or even strove for, to be honest) is not an ideal that need be totally dead. Shorn of romanticism, we can distill real values and precepts from it that are in fact in accordance with Biblical wisdom and can be applied to even us lowly proles in our small and obscure little lives.
