Chivalry is one of those concepts that is distorted and maligned. Most people seem to confuse chivalry with male chauvinism. Opening a door for someone went from being just a courteous thing to do to implying that the door-opener thinks the door-openee is weak and couldn’t open the door themselves. In some ways, feminism killed chivalry.

I’m certainly not implying that feminism is a bad thing. If not for feminism in all its forms, I might not be able to vote, hold a job, wear pants or even write this here thing I’m writing now. Womenfolk still have a long way to go before we’re seen as equal in everyone’s eyes. We still don’t even receive equal pay for equal work right here in the United States and there are some cultures where women are far worse off than that.

Male chauvinism is alive and well, while chivalry seems to be a thing of the past. It should be the other way around. When people think of chivalry, we tend to think of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. We think of some stodgy, upright man wearing metal and riding a horse. That’s not surprising since medieval knighthood is where the concept of chivalry derived, but it’s not the only example. The Japanese samurai have their Bushido code. In lowest common denominator terms, Bushido bears a marked similarity to the code of the medieval knight.

According to the dictionary, chivalry has several definitions: 1) the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. 2) the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, esp. courage, honor, courtesy, justice and a readiness to help the weak. 3) courteous behavior, esp. that of a man toward women.

When I think of chivalry, I tend to think in terms of the second definition, but I think of it more broadly than just in terms of the ideal qualities of a knight. These are the ideal qualities of all humans. They are the qualities that make up the concept of humanity. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice and a readiness to help the weak are qualities that we all should have. They are excellent standards to live by. They are goals that we should all be working towards, collectively, as a species, but we seem to be moving farther away from chivalry all the time.

Chivalry doesn’t have to mean male chauvinism. It doesn’t have to imply that women are the weaker sex. It can mean paying attention to other humans around us. It can mean striving to make this world a better place for the next generation. It can mean fostering justice and equality, and doing the right thing. It can simply refer to a sense of common courtesy and the little bit of selflessness displayed when someone holds the door open. This kind of rare behavior toward fellow inhabitants of this tiny blue planet should be encouraged.

So, do I think chivalry is dead? I hope it isn’t. I will say that I wish the bastardized, chauvinistic definition would die out and chivalry would again be what it should be – a standard to which all humans should strive. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice and a readiness to help the weak are qualities that we should all exhibit a little more regardless of sex, gender, color or creed.