By Meistergedanken
As a concept, honor has certainly dropped out of sight in modern society. It is seemingly a quaint, outmoded idea that only lingers on in references during matrimonial ceremonies and in military settings (reminding me of how when I was a child I often confused the words “marital” and “martial” – there’s a joke in there somewhere!). Teens aspire to be considered cool, or hip, or popular, or even funny, but they seldom yearn to be perceived as honorable.
To me, Honor is a Virtue, like Loyalty, or Courage, and as such possesses inherent value. But not only that, it is the supreme Virtue and towers over the others because it provides a framework for behavior that can serve as a guide in situations fraught with uncertainty, peril or temptation. Hence, we often hear of a “code of honor”. Honor is also a great aid in facilitating self-control, and the stifling of base impulses, and thus is a particularly masculine trait.
The lone man stranded on a deserted isle has no need for honor. But as soon as men interact with others, particularly those not part of our families or circles of friends, the need for it begins to arise and swiftly grows urgent. The need for fairness, for civility, respect and trust manifests itself, and this need is satisfied (or left unfulfilled) via behavior and action. That is why a given man is said to act honorably (or dishonorably, as the case may be). It is rare indeed that a man is described as thinking honorably. And honorable feelings? Emotions are irrelevant. The honorable man acts a certain way not because of how he feels, but because he recognizes it is the right thing to do, and his reason allows him to conclude this. The unavoidable emphasis on action again tells us that honor is a masculine trait.
Linguistically, we rightly speak of honoring commitments, and honoring contracts. This nicely encompasses the generally separate worlds of family and business that consume the bulk of a man’s time, and where it behooves a man to comport himself with integrity. Where responsibility or trust is required, a modicum of honor is vital in maintaining it.
I think that in the eyes of many, honor is inextricably bound to reputation. For example, the daughter who brings shame upon her family negatively impacts the family’s reputation, thereby dishonoring them (how to equitably address this dishonor is another matter entirely). Thus, it is in the anonymous throngs of large urban centers that honor withers away. No one knows you, so reputation, unless you run in certain professional circles, is just not part of the equation. In this sense we can see that urban environments are fundamentally artificial and unwholesome, breeding grounds for rampant suspicion, isolation, and alienation. It is a paradox of the human condition, then, that as honor weakens in cities, law enforcement becomes more important, even as it becomes less effective and more problematic.
On the other hand, one can make the argument that honor concurrently has a personal, as well as a public aspect – and that this dimension is perhaps primary. Who has not heard of “keeping true to oneself” and adhering to a personal code of conduct? It is an important distinction to keep in mind that the Law is imposed on us from without, while Honor is imposed on us from within. The honorable man thus is characterized by self-determination and exercises his freewill within the constraints of the code he espouses. It is a self-regulating system capable of producing a harmonious ethical balance.
Honor is integral to the epic ongoing struggle of the Modern Age, ushered in by the Industrial Revolution: of the personal versus the public, and of the individual versus the collective. The latter has been gaining in ascendency for some time, but the increasing complexity of technology, communications and information systems, the global economy and all the rest merely means that a complete collapse becomes ever more likely, if not inevitable. As such, I would argue that not only is honor not obsolete, but it is more important than ever.
Honor, at least the public component of it, diminishes in influence in societies impartially governed by law. Conversely, it remains strong in chaotic societies, where one’s justice must be seized, because no officer of the court is available or can be trusted to procure justice for you. This recognized fact, through “guilt by association”, has unfortunately imbued honor with the distasteful taint of barbarism. Regardless, as society begins to unravel, as more police get laid off, as prisons become unaffordable, as the government becomes increasingly impotent, and as the population becomes increasingly disaffected, the rule of law will correspondingly weaken. Perhaps a benefit of this is that honor will once again become prevalent and paramount in the social interactions between men. I think it is time we deliberately cultivate a sense of honor, so that when the moment comes, we will not turn into complete savages during society’s imminent graceless denouement. When the dust finally settles, we will poke our heads above the rubble and say, “now what?” At that time I hope it will be instinctive for us to extend a hand to our fellow man and offer the assurance of decency.
