[DFT] Fw: [ChivalryToday] Diagnosis - Duty

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Diagnosis: Duty
By Scott Farrell
©2004, Shining Armor Enterprises
www.ChivalryToday.com

Today, we’re going to examine a serious problem: a case of
split-personality disorder. The patient in this instance isn’t a
person, however, it’s a part of the warrior’s code. Yes, tragically, in
today’s world, duty has become schizophrenic.

Duty is a word that is frequently mouthed by the characters in
Hollywood epics, usually just before the climactic battle or final
confrontation. But, in that context, it has become a somewhat hollow
term. Literary characters may speak of duty, and even make heroic
sacrifices for its cause, but we flesh-and-blood mortals require a more
quantifiable understanding of what duty is and how it is discharged.
Without that, we risk straying into misty, romantic, schizophrenic
territory where the concept of duty is more of a stumbling block than a
useful ideal.

How (as the analysts would ask) does this split personality manifest
itself? On one hand, we have duty’s personality among friends and
family — a personality based on exchange and reciprocity. This is duty
in the soldiers’ sense, which means recognizing and repaying debts of
honor. No respectable warrior would forget the actions of a comrade who
rendered aid, protection or support in time of need — whether that
means pulling a wounded buddy off the field or sharing the last few
swallows of water in a canteen with the members of the squad. When such
a friend finds him- or herself needing help, duty demands that we
return the favor in kind.

On the other hand, there is duty’s personality among the community, and
that personality is based on kindness and charity. This is duty in the
philanthropist’s sense, which means contributing to the general
welfare, and working for the benefit of society at large. Humanitarian,
altruistic endeavors are the mark of social enlightenment, an
indication of the realization that, no matter how comfortable or
influential you are, you have a duty to help build a better world for
generations to come.
The soldier’s duty is “obligation”; the philanthropist’s duty is
“service.” Both are valuable, admirable demonstrations of duty as it’s
understood within the Code of Chivalry, yet taken alone they become
obsessive extremes.

Focusing only on our duties of obligation turns us into opportunists,
willing to lend a helping hand only when there is some personal benefit
to be gained. Someone who always expects a quid-pro-quo for their
generosity may accomplish all sorts of productive, beneficial things,
but that is hardly the sort of person we think of as “chivalrous.”

Similarly, focusing strictly on duties of service makes us servile, and
while we should never outgrow our sense of humility and perspective, we
need not completely suppress our sense of discretion, prudence and
practicality in the name of duty and chivalry.

Like all cases of split personality, the solution here is not the
elimination of one or the other, but to integrate both parts of the
personality together. Obligation is a function of the knightly virtues
of faith and generosity; service is a function of mercy and nobility.
By combining both of these aspects — obligation and service — we create
a healthy, stable patient that we can properly call “duty.”

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What’s New at Chivalry Today?
- An interview with author Carol Pearson on “Archetypes and Everyday
Heroes”
- New additions to the collection of Chivalry in Other Words
- A look at Chivalry Today in the media
Please stop by and enjoy our most recent features, as well as the
hundreds of essays, stories and articles from the past that are always
available on the website.

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Readers are permitted and encouraged to share this article with others
as a way of furthering the understanding of the Code of Chivalry in the
modern world. Scott Farrell's seminars on chivalry and the knightly
virtues are available to businesses, schools and civic organizations
throughout the Southern California area; more information can be found
on our website. Please include all copyright statements and
attributions when forwarding Chivalry Today articles. Copyright 2004
Scott Farrell and Shining Armor Enterprises. Visit our website at
www.ChivalryToday.com .