A lot of interesting responses so far.
Kipling's poem (which was posted earlier) did a lot of the heavy lifting for me.
I find it interesting that when the word honour is discussed, so many people begin thinking of war/military leaders and fighters. I also thought of a few of these people: but those I think of as honourable have been those in my personal experience. These have been members of the Legion here in Canada. They fought when necessary, and now they work tirelessly to educate and prevent war. I have known men/women who will sit with me (who never knew war in my life!) , and answer every stupid question I have.
Also, members of the Canadian army who have gone to 'clean up the mess' of other countries. They have put themselves in horrible, mind-f*&^^% situations in order to help. I have a lot of respect for people wiling to do that.
There are certainly many men and women who are honourable who walk amongst us without any drama. They have never fought in a war, they have never had to put their lives on the line. Nevertheless, they are honourable.
In particular, I think of my step-father as a model of honour. He had endless patience. He knew when to keep his mouth shut, and when to speak. He found a way to balance expression of self and work for others.
I knew what he stood for, I knew what I could expect of him, and I knew what he expected of others (simple respect and honesty). He spent his life helping others. He was willing to do whatever was necessary in any given situation. That is honour. That is guts.
To me, honour is wrapped up tightly with personal dignity and integrity.
A man/woman with honour struggles continually to be an integrated and dignified human being: whether other people notice it or not.
Honour is an absolutely individual choice. It is not dependent on the circumstances or other people: though dishonourable circumstances can serve as a great opportunity for an honourable human to shine (or come into a leadership position).
Re: What makes a man?
BreatheThePoison wrote:What makes a man honorable?
first you'd need to define honor. also what honor is for a man or a woman.
