The Medieval Period is most readily associated today, due in part to Disney films and in part truth, with the noble concept of chivalry. The era is represented mostly by stories of King Arthur and of knights who went on perilous journeys for the sake of a "damsel in distress," generally (ideally) a princess. While this is a misrepresentation of chivalry, it is true in part - respect for women was a large part, but there was also duty, loyalty, selflessness, honor, humility, and simply respect in general. It is a sad truth that these words are today merely that - words, ideals. As a whole, modern society does not recognize these concepts as being worthwhile.

As the double-edged sword of freedom becomes more and more available, society becomes less respectful of others, because we focus on ourselves - on our own personal success and well0being. This is a drastic contrast to medieval feudal life, where all but the king served a higher power. Consequently, concepts like loyalty, humility, and selflessness seem foreign to our modern society, which prides itself in its opportunity and independence. Even common courtesy - holding the door open for someone, letting another car pull out in front of you, saying "thank you" - is often hard to find today. We as a society simply do not have time for each other, and we are too selfish to make time.

As the world advances exponentially, even actions that were habitual or required of society just fifty years ago now seem irrelevant and even absurd. Table manners are saved for only the most formal occasions. It is almost alien to see a man open the car door for a woman (partly because this would now be an insult to the woman's worth and capability as a human being), and the notion of a man standing by the end of a pew to let a woman out is preposterous. Yet each of these was implicitly required of American society a mere fifty years ago. Today, many who were raised in this much more respectful era are distraught by the lack of morals we now have. This all stems from the over-drivenness of modern America - we have, in the name of progress, transformed a leisurely, respectful society into a remarkably technological yet rushed and selfish one.

One off the few places that anything like chivalry can still be found in America is in the military. Aspects of chivalry are enforced in all branches: "semper fidelis" - loyalty, "an Army of one" - selflessness, "not self, but country" - selflessness. But the military can hardly be considered as part of modern society; the main purpose of Basic Training is to re-socialize recruits - to transform them from products of modern American society into soldiers based on the knights of chivalry.

Obviously, technological advancement in society is for the most part good, as onemajor product is medicine and other such discoveries. The problem is not the progression, but the digression - the digression from a society made up of respectful members of honor and integrity into an overdriven, selfish one. True chivalry no longer exists.