Living with Honor – Or Not

Honor is a word that isn’t used much in contemporary society. Some may even consider the use of the word to be old-fashioned or unrealistic. So, what exactly is honor? Honor involves the courage to do what is right no matter what the circumstances. “Doing the right thing” often requires some form of personal sacrifice, such as leaving an established career to join (or rejoin) the military after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, on American soil.

The courage to act honorably comes from strong personal convictions

The courage to act honorably comes from strong personal convictions. When George Washington became the first president of the United States, some were urging him to use the title “His Highness the President,” but Washington preferred to simply be called Mr. President. Washington understood how very wrong it would be to use any title implying royalty after just fighting a war to free America from the tyranny of King George III. While George Washington is remembered as a great leader and a founding father of our country, it is sometimes forgotten that he was also a humble man who prayed daily. He was not caught up in power over anyone; he just wanted to do whatever needed to be done to ensure our Great Republic would have a successful beginning. I would say George Washington was an honorable man. A person who lives with honor also keeps his or her promises. Keeping your promise means you do what you say you are going to do. Politicians make a lot of promises while they are campaigning, but very few actually keep those promises. On September 23 -24, 2013, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas actually kept his promise to those who elected him by talking on the Senate floor for 21 hours about the reasons it was important to defund the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Whether one agrees with the arguments that Senator Cruz posed for defunding Obamacare, I believe he is to be admired because he kept his promise to his fellow citizens to defund or overturn Obamacare. Very few individuals in modern-day America are willing to stand behind their promises, especially if it is inconvenient or involves any degree of personal sacrifice. When a person keeps their promise, it generally means that person is trustworthy. A trustworthy person “walks their talk,” as they say in the Twelve Step recovery programs, by doing what they said they are going to do. Keeping our promises to ourselves and to others helps to build strong character. Keeping our promises also signals to others that we are honorable.

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A person of honor does not lie, steal, or cheat

A person of honor does not lie, steal, or cheat. A person of honor demonstrates personal integrity and even grace under pressure. Unfortunately, we live in a time when there seems to be a severe shortage of honor among us. With the advent of the 24/7 news cycle and social media, we are assailed daily with reports of politicians, world leaders, financial institutions, large and small businesses, disgruntled employees, and government workers not conducting themselves with honor. We have many recent examples of individuals, elected officials, and businesses not acting honorably. When President Biden signed a record number of Executive Orders in his first two weeks in office without giving any serious thought to the consequences of his actions, he was not acting with honor. Cancelling the XL Pipeline already under construction was not only done out of hatred for his predecessor, Donald J. Trump, but it was done with callous disregard for the thousands of pipeline workers and small-town business owners who depend on the revenue from pipeline construction to stay afloat financially. Pettiness is never honorable, especially the pettiness of leaders in powerful positions, whom others depend on to do the right thing. Similarly, the recent actions of the United States Supreme Court in refusing to even look at the evidence provided regarding potential fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election was less than honorable, in my opinion. American citizens were counting on the highest court in the nation to bring deliberation and clarity to the legal arguments posed by the many lawsuits about the many alleged unconstitutional changes to the state election rules in seven states.

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Is honor disappearing from American society along with civil discourse, freedom of speech, and belief in God?

Ironically, judges are referred to as “Your Honor” because by virtue of their appointment, they are thought to be honorable individuals. Again, in my opinion, there is nothing honorable about refusing to look at evidence or review the merits of lawsuits alleging illegal activity and/or fraud within our constitutional election process. By refusing to hear those lawsuits that the Supreme Court called “moot” because the election is now over, the highest court in the United States did nothing to restore American citizens confidence in our electoral process. This cowardly action on the part of six of the nine Supreme Court justices, coupled with the Biden Administration’s blatant disregard for the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law, should have every patriotic American questioning their honor. Honorable people do the right thing; they don’t sweep the facts under the rug or ignore issues involving the authority and integrity of the U.S. Constitution or state constitutions. If President Biden, his appointed officials, and certain Supreme Court justices can’t be trusted to act honorably in such important matters, how can they be trusted to protect the United States Constitution and the rule of law? Is honor disappearing from American society along with civil discourse, freedom of speech, and belief in God? I believe one’s actions always speak louder than words.