The 9th Trust: I will abhor scandals and gossip - neither partake nor delight in them.

The 9th Trust: I will abhor scandals and gossip - neither partake nor delight in them.

Of all the 12 Trusts, this one is most likely to be ignored by people who think themselves honorable. Why? Because bearing false witness in the form of gossip and scandal-mongering is a well-ingrained vice in western society, and social media makes it easier than ever.

Our media environment is inundated by celebrities and pundits who thrive on twisting what is true and spreading conspiracy theories about people they don’t like. And they are richly rewarded by doing so. Political parties thrive from such conflicts, and many of remain attached to their ideologies. We are so used to this environment that we scarcely question its moral standing.

What we need to understand is how a violation of the 9th Trust is to affront to ALL the others.

For example, when you share that clever political barb on Facebook:

1) Your action automatically rejects the commitment of developing your life for the greater good.
2) You become just another hand feeding the beast of media and political greed that is tearing our world apart.
3) You have overlooked the noble aspirations of conscience.
4) You may be spreading a lie or misleading exaggeration, which detracts from your advocacy of truth.
5) From the safety of your keyboard, you are attacking people who are unable to defend themselves face-to-face.
6) Gossip and scandal-mongering are often related to prejudice.
7) By serving as a false witness, you disregard justice and fairness entirely.
This reduction of integrity makes you into someone whose love and loyalty will be suspect.
9) You are spreading gossip and slander, in disregard for the 9th Trust.
10) This is not the act of someone whose heart is generous.
11) When you treat others callously, you disregard your own mistakes.
12) And you are certainly not living your life with courtesy and honor.

You may believe that the target of your comments deserves it. Or you are just going along to pacify gossipy friends. Or maybe you feel empowered in fighting what you think is the best of causes, even when it is based on lies. And then, of course, the final dodge of irresponsibility: how can you divide a people who are already so divided?

Chivalry-Now calls us to be more than that.

When we succumb to the temptation of gossip and scandal, we are not following chivalry at all. We contribute to a system that does not want free-thinking individuals of noble character. It wants people who follow like sheep, reflexively spreading insult, fear and anger – entrapping people in the perpetual stagnation of mindless repetition. This runs against the spirit of Chivalry-Now, which is to move our culture forward to something grand.

If this Trust strikes a chord in your conscience, and we hope it does, please take it seriously.

This does not mean we cannot speak out against evil. Chivalry requires us to fight evil. It requires is that we do so as men and women of integrity. This means finding out what is true first, and putting it into our own words, expressed with a nobility of spirit. We must speak with the purpose of shedding light on truth, not attacking people to instigate hate.

If you want to be an advocate of Chivalry-Now, living by the 12 Trusts, ALL of them, is key.