Charity

Charity is an interesting concept to me. After all, why is there a principle about humans selflessly giving to others? I suspect that charity originally has religious roots. Then I wonder, do most good concepts have religious roots?

The belief in charity is a value that most have, although people can interpret charity in different ways. Charity can be seen as kindness toward fellow friends, or the generosity to give away one's own wealth. The principle of charity is a personal issue to me, since I value the people who are most helpful to me and at times try to be the same way. 

As I research the origin of the word 'charity, I hope to find out about the concept of the word when it was first used, how the concept has evolved, and the several usages of the word. I hope to be inspired and perhaps  surprised at what I may find, and gain a better understanding of how people have interpreted the meaning of charity over time.

Chivalry

At first, in the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, chivalry stood for knighthood. However, by the early twelfth century, chivalry started to stand for the philosophy, manners, and values that knights should possess. These characteristics came from feudal obligations, commands of the princely court, and the instruction by the Christian Clergy. From 1235-1315, it was said that “The right reason to become a knight is to do right; the wrong reason is for advantage and rank.” A knight had to be: 1. Fit 2. Of a good family 3. Sufficient wealth 4. Wise 5. Generous 7. Loyal 8. Brave 8. Honorable. His ethical duties include 1. To follow the Christian faith 2. To protect his lord 3. “To protect the weak (women, children)” 4. To exercise continuously by hunting and jousting 5. To judge and supervise people’s work 6. To chase robbers and other evil people. A knight had to abstain from 1) pride 2) lechery 3) false oaths 4) and most of all, treachery (i.e. deceiving his lord, sleeping with his wife, and ceding the castle.