HONOR

Honor was once determined only by wealth and prestige. Later, the British military established an incredibly strict code of honor  that provoked way too much indignation and more than one duel. About the time of the American Revolution, with a new paradigm of governance not aligned with the past notions, honor became a moral and principled code that required no more than a handshake and one’s word. That same honor that drove the development of America now implies and requires responsible, truthful, honest, and conscientious individuals. To quote Camus: “I…know instinctively that honor, like pity, is the irrational virtue that carries on after justice and reason have become powerless.”

A person of honor maintains decorum and respects the rules of a community. A person of honor recognizes obvious conflicts of interest and makes things right even at personal expense. Too often, those in the wrong win. They play the game and game the system for reasons known only to them. They take advantage of the honor and trust of others, subvert common sense, and feed off ignorance and vulnerability. Such people are blind to the needs of others, deaf when others speak, and dumb in defense of misdeeds.