Gentlemen and the Chivalric Code

Time: 8:40 a.m.
Location: Small gas station in Gluckstadt.

As i step out of my car and wander in a morning stupor toward the double doors to this fine establishment, i see an older woman stepping out of her car (sporting a morning haze uncannily similar to my own.) As she slowly approaches the door behind me, i open it and hold it for her to enter first. This Ladies and Gentlemen, is what's known as common courtesy, and it currently wavers under the immense weight of people's own selfish intentions. She Smiles at me, and slowly waddles into the store, hopefully noticing that Chivalry (for all intents and purposes) is not completely dead.

Gone are the values of days past, where women and the elderly were respected and valued as almost seperate (read: important) members of society. In today's modern world, they are being merged into the common rat race that is everyday life. Personally, i'm not sure who is to blame for such a disgusting deflection of hundreds of years of romanticist ideals. Many women scream for equality with men, not realizing that equality doesn't just pick and choose certain areas of life to apply to. Should women be treated differently? Yes. Should it be in a demeaning way? No, not at all. Here is why:

The Chivalric Code
Years ago my mother bought me a book called The compleat Gentleman: A modern man's guide to chivalry. Looking back at this moment, i'm still not sure if it was one of the best (or absolute worst) turning points in my life. Trying to uphold this specific set of ethics in today's world is equivalent to setting sail on a sinking ship. The author goes into great detail about how true gentlemen stick to a set of guidelines. Put simply, it entails strict loyalty to a simple set of ideals.
1) God
2) Country
3) Family
4) Protection of the innocent

Not too hard to understand, right? The stories of King Arthur probably give you the best retro-spective view on the whole ordeal. Men sitting at a round table, with a queen who sits two steps above it. These men are my personal heroes, willing to sacrifice themselves in order to preserve and protect the innocent. In times of war, women and children were ushered to safety first. NOT for the reason that they were weak, but because they were more important. These ideals changed the world as we know it, and today they have been all but lost to the ever-turning pages of history. Often i ask myself, "is this the fault of men? slowly losing hold of their forefathers' ideals decade by decade until they see women as something more similar to objects than the precious souls that they are?" Perhaps connectivity and capitalism have a role to play in the downward spiral. I simply don't know.

Now i know what you're all thinking. "buuuut jaaaared, if you don't know the answer then who does??? answer: nobody. Luckily, it doesn't really matter where along the lines the entire ideals of romanticism fell apart. Chivalry is dying, and it will continue to do so. Sadly, There is nothing that can be done to stop it from its tragic fray. However, there are still a select few of us who can teach these ideals to at least some members of the younger generation, In a futile attempt to at least change the lives of someone.
Perhaps there are still some women out there who can respect being treated well, as opposed to complaining about courtesy and begging to become another face in the matrix of a cruel and competitive world. It just needs to be made known, that chivalry sets men and women apart. Not to belittle the opposite sex, but to admire it. I believe that true gentlemen have a higher respect for women than most men who see them as equal. It's a wretched misunderstanding by the extremists of the feminist party, who see it as another group of men trying to put women down. When, In all reality, it is the exact opposite.