Honor
Is it not worth defending?
There was a time in America when personal honor was regarded so highly by men of importance that it was, in a way, intertwined with violence.
We can, I think, picture the historical conversation:
“You, sir, are a liar!”
“That’s it! You have insulted my honor! I challenge you to pistols at dawn.”
“Accepted! Potter’s Grove at dawn.”
Then of course, the next morning, the fellows would wander out, with their friends in attendance, and try to shoot each other.
While that scenario may seem fantastical today, it wasn’t in our history. Famously, we had a Vice-President of the United States kill a Treasury Secretary of the United States in a duel. We have also had a President of the United States who was quite famous for his dueling. It was a real thing.
Heck, we even put said President on our money.
Of course we don’t run around today challenging each other to duels.
And without a doubt, that’s a good thing.
But what isn’t a good thing is the general lack of regard for our own personal honor that seems so prevalent in our society today.
Earlier this week, I wrote about a bribery scandal taking place in my little community.
An individual’s reaction to being offered a bribe is, in my view, a very clear and strong indication of how highly he values his personal honor, and indeed, whether or not he possesses personal honor.
A man without honor, sitting in a bar, upon being offered a bribe might react something like:
“It was 6:30 or so by that time so we made our departure from the Limit where C. Kelly reiterated his request to be taken care of, and I replied I would take care of him as I wanted to remove myself from the situaiton. -Spelling error preserved from original document.-1
A man with honor, upon being offered a bribe would instead I think, react very strongly and forcefully.
Because being offered a bribe communicates some very powerful things:
It communicates that the person offering the bribe believes his target to be without honor.
It communicates that the person offering the bribe believes his target to be for sale, and cheaply for sale at that.
Perhaps most strikingly, it communicates that the person offering the bribe believes his target to be profoundly dishonest.
And all of those are powerful insults to an honest person with honor.
In my life, I spent some time as a City Councilmember. I spent some time as the Mayor of my City. I spent close to two decades working for my State’s Legislature. Heck, I was even President of my Homeowners Association once.
In all those years, I was only once offered what I believed to be a bribe.
My response was not to:
“I replied I would take care of him as I wanted to remove myself from the situaiton.”
Rather my response was immediate, loud, and nearly violent.
Not actually violent, because I am not a violent person. But, I yelled. I drove the man out of my office, down the corridor, and out of the building. There was nothing quiet or discrete about it.
Did I act properly given the circumstances?
Yeah, I think I did. I perceived a man calling my honor and honesty into question, while making a lame effort to corrupt, in some small way, our government.
I don’t think that we should do violence if someone questions our honor by offering us a bribe. It is a good thing that men of substance no longer go about dueling.
But, personal honor makes for a just society. We must cultivate it within ourselves or we will surely fall into degradation.
https://chronline.com/stories/you-take-care-of-me-i-take-care-of-you-document-details-alleged-bribery-attempt-by-pud,369385
"Of course we don’t run around today challenging each other to duels.
And without a doubt, that’s a good thing."
Is it, though? Is it really?
I'm of the opinion that civility, honesty, and consideration would be much more prevalent in the world today if the legal doctrine of "fighting words" were brought back, and if people where aware that they might be forced to back their words with their life, or fold, apologize and have their reputation ruined.
👏👏👏