Franchise occupies the last place on my list of virtues, which is
intentional. Knowing the other eight virtues is critical to
understanding Franchise. Franchise is the virtue of practicing the
other eight virtues without any though of profit or personal gain.
Franchise is the purest motive, selflessness in every action.
In modern terms, Franchise is the polar opposite of "what's in it for
me?". This is not to say that when practicing the virtues one is
wrong to consider personal or spiritual growth, which are the real
essence of practicing the virtues. Becoming virtuous for virtue's
sake alone is the goal. To be virtuous for the sake of having others
notice you being virtuous, or to win acclaim and renown lacks Franchise.
To cite a real world example of this, let's briefly examine the Knightly
Virtue of Largesse. Largesse is sharing
with others within the prudent
bounds of one's resources. Making a
charitible donation to the United
Way is one form of Largesse, which
in some lists of virtues is actually
called Charity. If you made that
charitible donation out of a genuine
concern for your fellowman, you
are also practicing Franchise. If,
however, you made that donation for the
tax break, that is the "what's
in it for me?" part of your generosity,
and singularly does not display
Franchise.
As you think on this virtue, it is clear to see that this is the most
important of the virtues, as
one's motivation for being virtuous is as
important as being virtuous itself is.