Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

D. Joseph Jacques draws from 30 years of social work experience, philosophy and the study of Arthurian Literature in order to reinstate the moral identity of the western male.

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The Deeper Quest

O-BOOKS

Contents

Preface....................................................................................1Part 1: Esoterica–The Quest for Knighthood...........................................5Introduction...............................................................................6Chapter 1: Opening One's Mind..............................................................9Chapter 2: The Foundation of Chivalry-Now..................................................16Chapter 3: Stoicism–The Earliest Flower..............................................24Chapter 4: Aletheia–Truth............................................................29Chapter 5: Areté–The Highest Virtue.............................................40Chapter 6: Telos–Inner Aim...........................................................47Chapter 7: Ordo Mundi–Order of the World.............................................66Chapter 8: Reason–The Glory of Humankind.............................................82Chapter 9: Nature's Law : The Fusion of Conscience & Reason................................107Chapter 10: Existentialism–Freedom & Responsibility..................................119Chapter 11: Kairos–The Right Time....................................................136Chapter 12: Kairos–Part 2............................................................155Chapter 13: Mystic Realities–Grail Consciousness and More............................158Chapter 14: Today's Challenges–An Exceptional Approach...............................175Part 2: A Practical Guide–Applying Chivalry-Now to Everyday Life.....................181Chapter 15: The Franchise of Knighthood–Noble Stature................................182Chapter 16: Today's Knightly Behavior......................................................185Chapter 17: Chivalry & Politics–Rising Above Partisan Politics.......................204Chapter 18: Knighthood.....................................................................220Epilogue...................................................................................243Part 3: Appendix...........................................................................245Supplement 1: Chivalry-Now Survey Results..................................................246Male Comments–Summary................................................................252Female Comments–Summary..............................................................256Supplement 2: Quest Questions..............................................................260Supplement 3: Reference and Review.........................................................263

Chapter One

"... it is not permitted that we should trifle with our existence."

So wrote Edmund Burke, the 18th-century, Irish/Anglo father of modern conservatism.

Although he was not referring to the quest as we define it, he amply expresses its serious intent. As living beings, the finite existence that we own should not be trifled with. Like the parable of the talents told by Jesus, in which we are condemned by the careless non-engagement of our lives, we are charged by what can only be described as a sacred mandate not to waste ourselves. What good are we if the miracle of our lives does not contribute to the world's betterment?

Life is existentially relevant for each of us, despite its confounding mixture of sadness, joy, mediocrity, challenge and final limitation. It is vitally important that we take that seriously – all the more because each of us represents a unique perspective. Living correctly is the only proper response for a being who is capable of thought, purposeful deed and moral reflection. Edmund Burke acknowledged this in another warning that we still hear quoted today:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Around the same time that he wrote that, thousands of miles away, a radical insurgent named Thomas Jefferson spoke his mind as well:

"... I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny of the mind ..."

Where did the severity of this hostile commitment come from? Jefferson tells us elsewhere, giving us a glimpse into what generated the energy of his life's work:

"I sincerely believe in the general existence of a moral instinct."

You might question why I cherry-picked quotes from political icons of opposing ideologies.

I did this to clearly illustrate, up front, the nature of the quest. No one owns truth in its entirety. No one can contain it. Bits and pieces show themselves where they will. It neither submits nor limits itself to the conjecture of anyone. Traditionalists like Burke and radicals like Jefferson, both virtuous men despite their conflict of opinion, demonstrate the eclectic nature of Western thought. Truth resonates piecemeal from many diverse perspectives. When we fail to recognize that, we shut ourselves off from the totality of truth and veer toward error and fanaticism. On the other hand, when we open our minds to diverse opinions, we uncover our greatest strength.

History shows us this as well. From gadfly philosophers like Socrates, to impoverished saints like Francis of Assisi; from church doctors like Thomas Aquinas, to humanists like Albert Einstein; from idealistic giants like Abraham Lincoln, to madmen like Frederick Nietzsche – we find sparks of value in them all. Incorporating truth into our lives wherever we find it is by definition the nature of the quest. That is and always has been the greatest strength of Western culture. Freedom of thought and the discovery it instigates is where authenticity begins.

Despite many claims to the contrary, truth does not come to us in a neatly wrapped package. In order to be real, it must be found fresh and new by each individual. That living relationship is what the quest is all about. It provides us thrilling clues and illuminating fragments that add significantly to our unique journeys, and glimpses of mystery that transcend formalized religion. Science may approach but never encapsulate it. In the political field, to suggest that truth is bi-partisan or non-partisan misses the point entirely. Impartial, objective thought can never be bound by the constrained and circular reasoning of partisanship.

We must never allow the truth we seek, the values we adhere to, and the virtues we extol to be distorted by dogmatic ideologies, distractions of convenience, or two-dimensional ideas of patriotism. Either we approach life directly, with existential awe and spiritual/humanistic reverence, and learn from it, or we get lost in the trappings of illusion.

* * *

One of the important lessons we learn from our journey is that most of the problems we face are of our own making. As individuals and as a society we often ignore that simple fact in order to avoid responsibility. Unfortunately, by not admitting our personal involvement, we sustain and even propagate the problems that we suffer.

There are, of course, problems that are not directly of our making, such as disease or natural disasters. Our philanthropic response to such tragedies is often quite generous, heroic and immediate, rescuing the needy, healing the sick, rebuilding what was lost.

While more people die from car accidents,...