While I’m no anthropologist and don’t pretend to be I think there is much to be said about a society that holds honor as its underlying creed or core. Throughout time societies that have done so tend to be more stable and longer lasting than societies that do not. When honor is upheld, “honored”, and most importantly of all enforced. It completely changes the people living in that society.
Looking at the modern world I’ve often asked myself the question “Why can’t we have nice things?” what’s the underlying factor that keeps society from being stable, prosperous, and it’s people happy (well as stable, prosperous, and happy as a human society can be). And while I don’t think there’s anyone factor I know that the lack of honor has a huge impact on it. When honor can’t be enforced chaos reigns.
When a society devolves from one based on honor to one based on “dignity” it no longer is fit to last according to nature and will inevitably fall. A topic for another time but one that fits into what we’re talking about today. I don’t think most people understand how fragile “civilization” (in the good form) is. How precious good things are.
The Importance Of Honor
Without honor, chaos reigns. With honor or more importantly when honor can be enforced then good things have a chance to grow. Otherwise fuck it. One thing that happened in the “civilizing” (the bad kind) of society was getting rid of duels. Duels offered men ways to enforce honor and have certain expectations of one another. It provided backbone for an honor society and a way for honor to be enforced. Someone says something?
Instead of getting arrested and potential jail time for enforcing one’s honor in modern society, one could instead enforce it in a healthy and productive way. These also served as examples to others of the consequences of violating honor. So many of the problems we have would clear up. Of course the powers that be know this and thrive off the chaos but for regular men and women it is important to know such things.
Sometimes it’s disheartening to watch every good thing there is on this earth be corrupted and destroyed but it’s also important to know that there are things to fight back against this. There are things that fight back against such decay and darkness. And honor (enforced honor) is one of the most important things. I’ve always wondered why in schools they don’t allow kids to box/fight somehow to resolve differences then are confused when more dangerous and unregulated violence (we’ve all seen the group head stompings) take place.
Good Things Can Exist In An Honor Bound Society
Most see honor as restrictive, but that’s the clever lie. Honor is actually freeing. It allows for noble and good things to actually flourish and grow. Otherwise, like I said before, fuck it. Just fuck it, because good things ain’t happening and this world goes over to the darkness. And no not darkness in some cool edgy way but darkness in the shitty way. The really shitty way, like really really shitty.
It’s funny to think something like saying “You’re mother’s a whore.” could once be fighting (to the death) words whereas now most individuals mothers, sisters, and probably grandmothers are/were whores, at least in the sense that is meant by the phrase. It goes beyond that as well applying to men, families, bloodlines, and all sorts of things but you get my drift.
Honor was given to man by the gods so that he’d have some redeeming thing. Something to tether him beyond that as the lowest of beasts (which man can become because of his reason). To become “a little lower than the angels” in not in some laughable sense but in the real deal way. Like the jokes about why everyone used to be so polite in the South, because everyone was armed. Bring back honor (enforceable honor, otherwise it’s a laughable joke) and you bring back good things in a large part.
