Rohan Shriram
CCIV 153
Honor Code
Honor is the set of ideals that guides our actions; it is our internal compass that leads us according to the path that we feel is moral. While the world might be vacillating and throwing our way different situations, honor remains steadfast and gives us direction that allows us to act in a manner that we ourselves feel satisfied about. Honor is thus, a key player in our actions, and our actions are an integral part of our identity. Though honor is abstract in the sense that it consists of each person’s ethical code, it must also adhere to the society a person lives in, and should contain certain principles such as respect, honesty, compassion, sacrifice and integrity.
The notion of honor existed in the ancient cultures that we have studied throughout this semester, and exists in today’s world too. Personally, I desire, and try to lead my life in a manner that seems honorable to me and to the society around me, and I do this in various ways and for various reasons. I try my best to honor my parents by doing the best I can in every sphere of life, since they are the ones who have given me the means to study in a different nation, be exposed to a different culture, as well as a variety of opportunities, and I should honor this. I try to honor people around me, especially my friends, and this means that I stay a loyal and devoted. I also try to carry out my day-to-day actions honorably, and I do this by doing things like being honest and upright.
No man is an island, and so it is with a persons honor. Honor is heavily dependent on what a person’s society thinks of that person, and an example that highlights this concept well is that of Tiger Woods. Tiger Woods was earlier seen as one of the sporting legends of our time, and was adored by fans due to his impeccable character on and off the golf course. When it was discovered that he had a string of extra-marital affairs, society almost instantly shunned him, and he lost much of the positive persona he had built for himself. Nothing essentially changed about him as a golfer, and he remained the same player on the course. What changed was the people’s perception of him as a person. The people started viewing him as a dishonorable man, and this lead to his downfall as a positive influence on the people. Honor is tied to the people around us.
Violence in today’s world is seen as less honorable because the glorification and the romanticizing of wars decreased greatly since the early 20th century. This said, there are still wars in the world, and soldiers are very respected and honored people. I feel that violence in today’s world, as a means to achieve honor for non-soldiers, is something that is not too likely, since violence is looked down upon in many instances. At the same time though, I feel that violence is part of human nature, and we will always have violence present in some form in society, be it books, movies or even sports.
Honor is a complex word, and it encompasses many great human characteristics. Though many of its constructs have changed, I feel that honor exists, and that there will always be room for it in society. Honor can never be a dated concept, and it is an integral part of what make humans human.