A Matter of Honor

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Originally Posted by Stormraven

I guess I need to clarify the question.

How do you define honor?

Your right superblaster, manners have changed, almost unrecognizably, which I think is part of what makes honor harder to define. Honor is simpler when there are clearly defined rules of behavior. But so much these days is "do your own thing" and seems to forget that no choice we make is without consquences to others.

And chivalry is another of those words that has lost a clear definition. :rolleyes:

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yep, you bout sum my view up. honour/chilvary are very much dependent on current societys ways\

interesting story about honor: http://www.knightsofsolamnia.org/honor.html

and the dry but interesting stuff: http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Honor/

Honor is something thats fading quickly nowadays. I wish this wasn't the case, but it is. What do i think honor is? Decency and Integrity.

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Originally Posted by FallenOne

Honor is such a complex notion. but i think the socrates quote helps a lot. Being what you appear to be, not living in deception, doing what must be done, despite the repercussions, doing what you say you'll do, despite what may interfere, upholding your virtues and values - even unto your death.

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Fallen, I like how you put that. But it got me thinking that there's a little more to it. "upholding your virtues and values" This also means that a person can be honorable in his own eyes but not necessarily in the eyes of society. What I'm trying to get at is that an Honorable person may not necessarily be a "good" person (whatever that means to you...).

Like someone mentioned before, in fights, a person is honorable if they don't pull tricks or nasty surprises (ie: weapons in a fist fight, 10 vs. 1, etc.) but what the two parties are fighting for are obviously a slightly different set of virtues and values.

I guess I just wanted to point out something that might have been obvious but honor isn't always a pretty picture that looks the same in everyones eyes.

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Originally Posted by angelan

I guess I just wanted to point out something that might have been obvious but honor isn't always a pretty picture that looks the same in everyones eyes.

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That's the truth.
Some of the greatest tragedies in both real life and fiction occur when two equally good people are set against each other by their ideals. And there is always the case of the honorable villian - in their own eyes they are doing what they believe to be correct.

I guess that's part of why politics irritates me so much, and gets so nasty. Everyone gets so caught up in their own viewpoints and ideals that they cannot honorably compromise that can't see and give credit to their opposition for having their own principles. After all, any one with a different oppinion is either a moron or lying, right? :rolleyes:

Thanks superblaster - good story!

Arucard - "This above all, - to thine own self be true; and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
It was a cliche then too, but hey, they become cliches for a reason right?

Yea i agree with you Angelan, there can be different interpretations, different versions and stories of the same reality.

Kinda like Stormraven was saying as well, the tragedies that occur with 'honorable' villains...

Its definitely something to think about though. Heh.. this may not have to do directly with honor, but it reminded me of certain situations.. or understandings rather.. like when you look at a large crowd of people, and for a second you realize just how many different stories are out there, how many different backgrounds and sequences of events had to come together for this one moment in time when everyone was there at a particular event together. like a giant web of fate.

ok that got way off topic.. but yea...