From the pen of Aveloc, Ferrum Rex
It has come to Our ears recently, a hue and cry for further laws and boundaries that amount mostly to defining our “Rule 0:” Be Excellent to each other. And this I am loath to do as, for in doing this I damage one of the pillars of the Empire itself. To inculcate into Our citizens a deep and abiding understanding of personal responsibility; for without striving toward this ideal we are nothing more than another beer and rattan club.
Every law/rule that we require limits our ability to enact and understand “Rule 0” for the essence of true responsibility is found in right action without the constraints of “law.” But what is it to “Be Excellent?” I have asked many and a modern definition seemed to center around empathy and compassion.
However, it has been my experience, whilst trying to "be excellent," that ofttimes it requires something more than compassion and empathy to achieve the aforementioned goal. For these, like good intentions, are often misleading and tend toward egoistic bias; good intentions, while always helpful are never enough on their own and axiomatically bad on many occasions.
This said, I believe that compassion, empathy and intentions are themselves a part of Virtus/excellence … just not all there is to it by a long shot.
Excellence can be found in “Virtus” called more commonly “Virtue” and what is seen as Virtus varies with the age and location of the culture. For the warriors of the Empire it can be seen most readily in our actions on the field, for any citizen it can be found in actions such as refusing the repetition of a lie, the creation of beauty, or through the dedication of service. Each in their own capacity. Excellence is pushing your own limits and in doing so bettering your community with both effort and example.
All Luminaries (those who have received a Tyros, Arx, or Manus Lumen) ought to be both representative and champions of this ethic. As Luminaries we can be either an example or an excuse. If you don't choose to be an example of excellence, you will be used as an excuse to justify the baseness of others. They will say "Well, Sir Aveloc does it, it must be all right.” The choice is yours, and you show your decision by your actions. Example or excuse, each of us must choose.
I believe that being excellent may be as simple as being personally responsible for all of your exercises of power/actions … and being observant and functional enough to clean up after yourself and others when necessary. Taking the betterment of the realm as your personal responsibility. Excellence is an attitude, a state of mind, an emotional conviction that I as an individual am alone morally responsible for all of my acts.
However, this is only one man's understanding and so I do not expect it to stand unchallenged as a definition for us all. I consider it rather an exhortation, a call to action in defining for each and every one of us to find out what the limits of our excellence truly are or can be and then pushing them just a bit further.