[DFT] Fw: [ChivalryToday] Justice is an Essay Question

[Seanan mac Tighearnain]

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Justice Is An Essay Question
By Scott Farrell
©2003, Shining Armor Enterprises
www.ChivalryToday.com

Recently I was discussing the Seven Knightly Virtues with a group of
high-school students, and the concept of justice was raised. In
searching for examples of things that are "unjust," one of the young
men brought up the mid-term in his American History class.

"I studied hard for the test," he explained, "and I knew all the dates
and names. But when we got to class the teacher gave us an essay exam.
I got a bad grade because she thought I didn't express myself properly,
not because I didn't know the facts. I think that was completely
unfair."

The student made an excellent point about the Code of Chivalry - but it
was exactly the opposite of the one he intended to prove.

 From careers to relationships to hobbies, we face tests every day of
our lives. We work hard to learn all the names and dates and numbers,
and it would be nice if our tests were given in "multiple choice"
format. We could check all the right boxes, and our score would
precisely reflect our knowledge - nothing more, nothing less.

But the tests life throws our way are not multiple choice, they're
essay exams. In many ways, our knowledge is subordinate to the way we
conduct and express ourselves when dealing with others and handling
situations that can't be squeezed into neat little check-boxes. The
answers we give to those vague, inexact and subjective essay questions
on the test of life are what we call chivalry.

The Code of Chivalry does not reward those who simply check the right
boxes at the right time, because the truth of the matter is that
chivalry, like life, is unfair. Fairness is nothing but a scorecard -
you did this, so you get that - and keeping score is a petty concept.

Justice, on the other hand, is a grand concept. Justice means doing
your best rather than simply doing what is acceptable; it means holding
yourself to the highest standards in situations where others only meet
the minimum requirements.

Living by the Knightly Virtue of justice (rather than the more common
standard of "fairness") can be frustrating and restrictive. But like an
eager student, a knight in shining armor should never settle for merely
filling in a check-box when given the opportunity to answer the essay
questions of Chivalry Today.

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Readers are encouraged to pass this column on to others who are today's
"knights in shining armor" of the modern world: coaches, teachers,
parents, supervisors, police officers or celebrities. Please include
all attributions and copyrights when sharing Chivalry Today articles.
Copyright 2003 Scott Farrell and Shining Armor Enterprises. Visit our
website at www.ChivalryToday.com .


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