Trading in the Honorable

Honorable: That which rightfully attracts esteem, respect, or consideration; self-respect; dignity; courage; fidelity; especially, excellence of character; high moral worth; virtue; nobleness; specif., in men, integrity; uprightness; trustworthiness; in women, purity; chastity.

"Honourable" is a title for which men used to strive. To be called honorable meant something. In the case of entitlement, such as in Britain, the title is either inherited by birth or earned through great acts of service to one's country or fellow men. In democratic society the title is either attached to the position of a government official or used more loosely to describe someone who has shown honorable attributes, again through service to others.

To question a man's honor was an invitation to a duel, sometimes literally. The questioning of his honor caused the great naval hero Stephen Decatur to enter into a duel in 1819 which would lead to his death, though less than a year earlier he had denounced such practice as barbaric. Such a question caused former Union General Fitz-John Porter to fight his claim of dishonorable service for twenty-three years and seven presidencies until it was eventually reversed.

Example after example can be seen throughout history. Such cannot be said today. Men have traded the honorable for things far less. For money, for office, for fleeting sexual pleasure, name the vice and a glaring example of this trade can be pointed out in modern culture with little or no effort. At one time fathering children and then leaving them was seen as dishonorable. Making a commitment "til death" and then welshing would ban one from many social circles. Lying, cheating, stealing were actions that had consequences to a person's daily life and professional future.

Not so anymore. Such actions are often seen as normal by today's standards, especially if the action in question leads to advancement for the actor. If you study history, you can see examples of how we as a society have slowly but surely promoted such behavior, sometimes through action but more often through inaction, allowing dishonorable action to be overlooked and promoting the action as a consequence.

Does it matter? Will it have consequences for us as a people and a nation? Can it be turned around? One thing is certain; we are leaving behind a far weaker example of desirable attributes than our forefathers left us.