The 2nd Trust: I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth.

The 2nd Trust: I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth.

The purpose of this Trust is to is to properly arrange our life principles away from hypocrisy. The development of a strong, honest character, with true concern for other people, is essential to this to aim. We choose who we are by the principles we hold dear. Unfortunately, in today’s world, the importance of this choice is often ignored. When we ignore it, we fail to complete who we are, and open the door to devastating error.

Greed is one such error. It shifts priorities so that character development and philanthropy are pushed aside by an obsession for wealth, acquisition and power. It promotes ethical assumptions that dehumanize other people in order to justify its misdirection. It thrives on human weakness under the guise success and competition.

There is nothing wrong with money per se. Money and commerce make modern civilization possible.

The problem for individuals comes when our want for money beyond our needs becomes obsessive.

The problem for society comes when social morality is replaced by a culture greed. Values become shallow. Undeserving people are placed in positions of power. Democracies give way to thinly disguised oligarchies. The value of individuals is reduced to their ability to produce and consume. Under such conditions, the structure of society loses touch with its humane priorities. Everywhere we look, we are distracted by a churning kaleidoscope of competing ads that proselytize for a cult of mammon. Laws are enacted and costly wars started to benefit the few.

The 2nd Trust reminds us that priorities of conscience are fundamental to human nature, a progressive society, and any genuine pursuit of happiness. The development of character is more important than wealth because it develops who we are, rather than the accumulation of what we temporarily own. Concern for others is the mainstay of civilization, of living peacefully and ending suffering in the world. This is where our priorities must lie for the stability and advancement of us all.

A final point. A strong, noble character and concern for others are necessary prerequisites for today’s Knighthood. They compose the basis for our warrior ethic in the contest of fighting evil and winning people’s hearts.