Honor...

Honor…
A brief look at honor, pieced together from quotes of people of some renown throughout history.

“The most tragic thing in the world is a man of genius who is not a man of honor.”
― George Bernard Shaw

“To be wealthy and honored in an unjust society is a disgrace.”
― Confucius, The Analects

“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
― George Washington

“The greatest way to live with honour in this world is to be what we pretend to be.”
― Socrates

“Our own heart, and not other men's opinions, forms our true honor.”
― Samuel Taylor Coleridge

“A person less fortunate than yourself deserves the best you can give. Because of duty, and honor, and service. You understand those words? You should do your job right, and you should do it well, simply because you can, without looking for notice or reward.”
― Lee Child

“‎It isn't enough to stand up and fight darkness. You've got to stand apart from it, too. You've got to be different from it.”
― Jim Butcher

“The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others will wish to join us.”
― Hubert H. Humphrey

"bItuHlaHbe'chugh bIquvlaHbe'."
― A Klingon saying

"Si non convenit, noli id facere; si non est verum, noli id dicere."
― Marcus Aurelius

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWCvi-XvQuo

Everything which is of use to mankind is honourable.

Fiodor Dostoievsky, Crime and Punishment

It all seems philosophically sound. But honor is one of those things that I feel is an invention of the human ego. How is it even real? What is the benefit of acting "honorably"? And how is one dishonored, except by only saying that one is?

Everything I learned about Honor, I learned from my online gaming family (alliance )La Cosa Nostra. It's simple code: "Silence, Honor, Loyalty" is tricky in its simplicity because it can and has been interpreted many ways.
When I was first accepted into the Family, honor meant respecting those who had been in the family longer, signified by their higher rank, but as I was around longer and myself ascending further through the ranks, honor began to mean doing the hard but right thing. I guess what I'm trying to say is that honor is fluid and much like this thread demonstrates, different for everyone

Socrates wrote: The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.

George Washington wrote: It is better to be alone than in bad company.

Niccolo Machiavelli wrote: It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.

Thomas More wrote: If honor were profitable, everybody would be honorable.

H. L. Mencken wrote: Honor is simply the morality of superior men.

And possibly my favorite:

George S. Patton, Jr. wrote: If a man does his best, what else is there?

I agree with Streen. Honor is a construct, not a naturally occurring thing. All honorable things that can be found in nature can be explained through phenomena. Take, for example, a mother or father who protects his/her young. This is all hormonal and instinctual. When someone does something honorable, it is a complex thought. It goes beyond the simple needs of a human being. It is social and personal.

Does this make its value any less? Of course not. We have decided that honorable action is something to be desired. It is idolized in medieval culture (knights and such). It is found in chivalry that exists even today in some contexts. I wonder, then, what value do I place in honor?

I tend to not like to beat around the bush. I prefer my friends and companions to be "real" with me. No good manners or anything. But, I do appreciate the consideration of my feelings. That is honorable, in a way, is it not? If I have a friend who opens the door for me, or even a random person, I am happy. If I hold the door open, in consideration of somebody's feelings, then I find my actions honorable and good. Whether or not it strokes my ego, I don't mind too much.

There's a balance, then. Don't have "fake" honor, used to bolster the self. But, be genuine in your want for others' comfort, and you'll be fine in my book.

Streen wrote: It all seems philosophically sound. But honor is one of those things that I feel is an invention of the human ego. How is it even real? What is the benefit of acting "honorably"? And how is one dishonored, except by only saying that one is?

Agreed. To some people it's apparently a great honor to commit [strike]suicide bombings[/strike] [strike]sacrifice for a greater cause[/strike] all sorts of stuff.