On My Honor
When I was a kid, I first
encountered the word honor in the
first line of the Boy Scout oath. “On my honor, I will do my best to do my
duty, to God and my country and to obey the Scout laws.” At eleven, most new
scouts have some idea of how to interpret things like country, laws, even God,
but very few have any idea where to go to find honor. When we’re young, we
really haven’t made much of a name for ourselves. Our reputation, or honor, is
something that is still fairly future tense. When I was young, my good name was
only mine by birth. I was just borrowing it from my parents. They had earned
their “good names” through their own efforts. I inherited them.
My first real understanding
of honor came during my enrollment at Culver Military Academy. The academy
endorsed a cadet-governed honor system, the essence of which was contained in
what was called the honor code: “I will not lie, cheat, or steal; and I will
discourage others from such actions”. Away from home and on our own, we were
beginning the work of building our very own good names. The honor system was
designed to reward us, with trust, for being honorable men. First, we were each
offered the benefit of an honorable name. If we followed the code, our
reputation, or honor, stayed in tact. Whatever we said, (The Lieutenant ate my
homework)...was believed completely and without question. Our word was received
as gospel as long as we lived within the system. However, a violation of one of
the three elements of the code meant our reputation had been damaged, and as one
man’s honor affected the whole school’s honor, punishment was required. An
honor code violator could be punished through the assignment of guard duty, or
may, if the offense was egregious enough, be dismissed from the academy. The
worst punishment however, was the public acknowledgment that one was
no longer a man of honor, and therefore suspect in every regard.
The academy practiced what we call today a “zero tolerance” for
dishonorable acts. Since those days, I have made every attempt to maintain and
build on my good name. I have no real idea how I’m doing, as a man’s
reputation is something that is best seen by those who know him. My life has
been filled with dishonorable acts all right, but I’ve never lost sight of the
importance of being honorable, and I am influenced in the pursuit of it. I
wonder how many parents or schools are teaching young people about honor today.
Are children learning what it means to build a name, to live in a house where
there is a zero tolerance for lying, cheating, and stealing? Perhaps parents
ought to pick a day and say, “From today forward little Davey, your name is
your own, and it is a good one. From today forward it is up to you to maintain
my trust, by showing that you are an honorable person.” I believe that
children who are rewarded and punished “on their honor” will, ultimately,
grow to be honorable ladies and gentlemen who will bring honor to
themselves, their parents, and to their country.