HONOR? We used to speak of “honor among thieves” with some confidence that we knew such a thing was unlikely because thieves, by their very nature,would lie, cheat, steal and show show little concern for the feelings and property of others.
We seldom spoke of a kindred relationship which seems, now to have been in existence for some time, wherein “birds of a feather” - let us say -just for example, mind you several congress persons, officials, political leaders, and so forth,and we tempered our thoughts thinking that they, as our servants in a way, would not, knowingly,do us any harm.
The word “indicted” has a more serous meaning to the average one of us live our lives without ever knowing the actual experience of using such legalese terms. Notice the reaction when people hear of an indictment. In common usage it so most often taken to mean he or she has been “arrested” without having to go to jail. It can,however,however be seen as being ”bad” but to “too bad”. Some few, so designated individuals even claim to welcome the indictment because “it gives me a chance to show wherein the accusations are false, an show how honest I've been all the while!”
To me, the indictment, hurts! The individual who have been indicted for something - almost anything – is automatically guilty of having excited doubts and suspicions; raised some far-out and unanswerable questions, and provided a legal foundation upon which anyone can construct both real or imaginary barricades of demerits. All of this often can be - and is – exploited by our communications media eager to enhance the very nature of such conflict. They respond, often and at times with creative and quite original ingenuity, to the interests of their readers far and wide.
I have disturbing feelings that labels we have used for many years - such words as “honor”,“veracity” - even “truth” have changed quite a bit from Victorian times in which we are, oddly enough, often considered to be “living in” at the moment.
“Upon my honor” does not mean what it used to just a short time ago. The various honor codes have been diluted many times over and not honored as they once might have been in your own social circles. Think,for instance, of the many
fine points which you took a stand when you joined the Boy or Girl Scouts, your social club or church related group. Does a Code of Honor hover in the background every time you sing our national anthem or see our flag floating freely and forcefully in the winds of both good and bad times.
A.L.M. October 21, 2005 [c453wds]
