Honor

"... among these..."

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  These are the three unalienable Rights called out in our Declaration of Independence.  But they are not the only unalienable Rights.  The text clearly states "among these," meaning the Rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are a selection, a subset of all the unalienable Rights of mankind.  In addition to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, I find there to be three other Rights that are unalienable, Rights that are, again, universal to humanity itself, endowed upon us all by our Creator:  Love, Honor, and Humor.

Unlike love, honor is not easily defined.  Love is something everyone understands, something universally recognized through the same name.  Honor, however, is the most elusive of Rights that we as humans possess.  You may have heard of a warrior's honor, a man's honor, a woman's honor, a lord's honor, king's honor, honor among thieves and more.  What do all of these have in common and how does this relate to America?

The answer is quite simple.  Honor is our equality.

Honor is about respect and dignity, recognized in ourselves and others.  Our toils in this life, all the hardships that we endure simply by being born give each of us a measure of honor that no one can take away.  This honor is a realization that every human being on the planet treads a path, a path in pursuit of happiness wrought with hardship and difficulty.  Those who undertake this journey with all the perils and possibilities show a measure of courage and bravery deserving of respect.

This is our equality.

Honor cares not about the color of your skin, your gender, or your sexual preference.  Honor doesn't care about your job, about your wealth, or about your position in the economic hierarchy.  Honor doesn't care how expensive your dress was, how well endowed you might be, how many friends you have, or if you won a popularity contest.  Honor is as indifferent and uncaring about all of these as a bullet in motion.

And for that, it makes us equal.

When we speak of a warrior’s honor, we may think about samurai, knights, or even our modern military.  Within all of them is a code of being with tenets such as courage, righteousness, benevolence, sincerity, respect, loyalty and wisdom.  These relate back to all of us as human beings in how we hold ourselves and how we treat others.

When we speak of a man’s honor, we speak of his dignity and worth, of the trials he faces and how he approaches them.  A man’s honor is measured by blood, sweat, and tears through valiant effort to do good no matter how many times he may err or come up short; such effort to know great enthusiasms and devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause.  A man’s honor is measured in how much he loves, how much he cares, and his empathy for the hardship others like himself encounter.

When we speak of a woman’s honor, we speak of more than her sexuality or her pride.  We speak of her strength of character, her boldness and resolution, her determination to face all tasks head on.  A woman’s honor is measured by her courageous effort to do right no matter how trying the times may be; such effort given to passion and zeal, who spends herself in a noble cause.  A woman’s honor is also measured in how much she loves, how much she cares, and her empathy for the hardship others like herself encounter.

Honor applies to every profession, every individual.  All it takes is a recognition.  A smile and a head nod, a sign that you see the other person, really see their heart for what it is: that of another human being striving to make the most out of this life.  We all have hopes and dreams in this pursuit of real happiness to be granted us in this life through our true liberty.  My postulation is that such ideals help form the backbone of America.  This honor I speak of is a universal principle, an unalienable Right integral to the foundation of our great nation, existing in the heart and soul of every individual on the planet.  Let us recognize and respect it no matter where or how it may manifest.  This is my dream, my vision for all of us

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