Personal Codes of Honor

[Quintessence]

Personal codes of honor are basically the standards of behavior you choose uphold that guide how you behave in life. It can have a moral, ethical, or virtuous cast to it, but I am curious how many - if anyone - on RF have taken the time to compose their own personal code of honor. It is quite a project to do the think work required to create such a code, but it is one that I found tremendously worthwhile when I did so several years ago. It really makes you think about the kind of person you want to be in the world and how you want to interact with your broader environment.

To give an example of what I'm talking about with codes of honor, here is a code developed by a Pagan group:

• I will consider my pledged word sacred.
• I will respect all others’ rights to freedom, safety, privacy and differing opinions.
• I will take care, in my personal behavior, to consider the feelings and comfort of others.
• I will respect the life of this planet.
• I will seek to repair what I have wrongly damaged and to heal those whom I have wrongly harmed.
• Honesty is valuable. I will remember this in thought, word and deed.

 

[Storm]

Hmmmmmmm......

I've never articulated mine, though I definitely have one.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Never thought to crystallize it...Guess I'll start now:

1. Don't get caught.

So far so good!

 

[The Sum of Awe]

1. Don't get hurt.
2. Be pleased.

 

[Kathryn]

Here is mine:

"Love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself."

Now, I have a few more points that I live by as well, but that's the main one. My others are:

"Leave each place better than it was when you got there."

"Never unnecessarily limit your options."

"Karma, karma."

"Don't ever pick up something that you can't put down."

 

[Quintessence]

Some of y'all I'm not sure if you're being serious or joking. I have difficulty seeing "don't get caught" as a virtue to anyone other than a criminal. >_<;

"Don't ever pick up something that you can't put down," huh? Does this apply to good books?

 

[Willamena]

1. Don't get hurt.
2. Be pleased.

Don't forget
3. Don't do anything that you'll live to regret.

(That "live to" part's important. )

 

[doppelganger]

Be ever watchful of the interior life where feelings and ego interact so as to vigilantly guard against the pernicious harms of self-delusion. Or put more simply - "know thyself." All other moral/ethical quandaries will naturally be resolved by that practice.

 

[blackout]

Be ever watchful of the interior life where feelings and ego interact so as to vigilantly guard against the pernicious harms of self-delusion. Or put more simply - "know thyself." All other moral/ethical quandaries will naturally be resolved by that practice.

The Self I Know says "This One ^"

 

[dawny0826]

FH and I have had some discussion about the nature of God that have influenced my personal "moral code" to an extent. Though he doesn't fully embrace the concept of God, he believes that if there was a God, God would be one of perfect compassion and perfect reason.

For me, I suppose my code would be as follows:

1. Strive to project love and kindness in my actions
2. Per the aforementioned - act in compassion and reason - per the example of God
3. Seek forgiveness for my wrongdoings and strive to be a better person for the benefit of those in my life
4. Strive to understand others
5. Bless others as I am, indeed, blessed
6. Be a lawful citizen

There are other important "codes" that impact my morality, but I think these are the most important to me.

 

[Gjallarhorn]

Some of y'all I'm not sure if you're being serious or joking. I have difficulty seeing "don't get caught" as a virtue to anyone other than a criminal. >_<;

"Don't ever pick up something that you can't put down," huh? Does this apply to good books?

I don't like being a hypocrite, so having a moral code seems to make that more trouble than I care for. So along with "don't get caught", I should add "don't be a hypocrite"...then again being a hypocrite can be useful...

 

[Caladan]

We are to be powerful, beautiful, and without regret.

 

[Quintessence]

I don't like being a hypocrite, so having a moral code seems to make that more trouble than I care for. So along with "don't get caught", I should add "don't be a hypocrite"...then again being a hypocrite can be useful...

Ah, I see. It's interesting that you say that, because at the bottom of my own code I have this very important statement:

"Remember thou are only human. Strive to uphold the Code; do not expect thyself to uphold it with perfection."

It isn't that one aims to be a hypocrite, it's that you're human, you're not perfect, and you will inevitably screw up. I don't personally view that as a good reason to not have standards for myself. The point is not to be perfect or avoid any and all possible hypocrisy, but to do the best you can and strive for the ideal in spite of setbacks and failures.

Of course, that phrase is also there because I am my own worst critic, always. It reminds me to not beat myself up excessively. Or it tries to remind me. >_<;

 

[Reptillian]

Lol, I've been trying to recreate the Klingon Code of Honor using quotes from Worf on Star Trek. I add to the list whenever I watch a Star Trek episode involving Klingons...which isn't all that often.

It's a long term work in progress, but here's what I've got so far...

The Klingon Code
1. Today is a good day to die.
2. Only fools have no fear.
3. The true test of a warrior is not without, it is within; that is where challenges are met and weaknesses are overcome.
4. Give your enemies honor and take no prisoners.
5. Warriors live for the hunt; the moment where life and death meet.
6. There is no honor in attacking the weak.
7. Questions are the beginning of wisdom, the mark of a true warrior; though a warrior does not ask too many questions.
8. Make your weapon a part of your hand, a part of your arm, a part of you.
9. Deceit is dishonorable.
10. Some use humor as a shield; they talk much, but say little.
11. Comfort leads to complacency.
12. The family of a warrior is responsible for his actions, and he is responsible for theirs.
13. Life means little without honor.
14. Be true to yourself.
15. To lose something, one must first possess it.
16. Destroying an Empire to win a war is no victory, and ending a battle to save an Empire is no defeat.
17. A warrior has no need to exaggerate his feats.
18. Do not expect others to solve the problems that you create.
19. Cowards take hostages.
20. A warrior is nothing without duty, honor, and loyalty.

 

[dust1n]

Be ever watchful of the interior life where feelings and ego interact so as to vigilantly guard against the pernicious harms of self-delusion. Or put more simply - "know thyself." All other moral/ethical quandaries will naturally be resolved by that practice.

Hey Dop, if you get a chance, do you think you can expand on this. I seem to agree with Camus on the subject that 'knowing thyself' is a futile practice. It can't yield anything other than various aspects, none of which can be added up to form a consistency or identity. I can pull up specific passages if need be.

 

[Me Myself]

-Aim to be as honest with myself as I can (Know myself)

-Always be honest with others, or at LEAST when it comes with things that they are asking you. Even if truth is painful, witholding it specially when asked is stealing another´s oportunity to better know him/herself

-In the other hand, protect secrets of those who ask you to protect their secrets to th best of abilities. Only posible exceptions when it becomes more hurting to them or others than not withholding them. In that case,say to the person you cannot withhold the secret, and why. Also give the person the oportunity of saying it himself/herself

-If I see anything that I truly and deeply believe will aid someone in their understanding or spiritual journey, it is my moral duty to point at it by word or action.

-Always be kind to strangers. To those who diserve it because they diserve it and to those who don´t disrve it because they need it, and they diserve to diserve it. Likewise, kindness does not mean compliance. Kindness means kindness.

-If a friend is in emotional need, throw everything off the window and go aid him. If a friend is in deep emotional pain, no mean look or any wording in any tone must hurt me when listening to them and being there for them. It is only the pain talking, and nothing is more important then than THEIR well being. They would and do do the same for me when I need it. All this, is just proper loyalty and love to a friend. If they just need to be with someone but in silence, then by God they´ll have my silent love and company with them. If for any reason it is truly imposible for me to go with them, talk to another friend intimate of theirs to go be with them in my place.


That´s what I can think for now of the things I generaly rule myself by. Maybe I´ll add up later.

 

[Penumbra]

That each thought or action is an expression of who I am, at any given moment.

That for each thought or action, if it doesn't express who I choose to be, I should discard it.

 

[doppelganger]

Hey Dop, if you get a chance, do you think you can expand on this. I seem to agree with Camus on the subject that 'knowing thyself' is a futile practice. It can't yield anything other than various aspects, none of which can be added up to form a consistency or identity. I can pull up specific passages if need be.

I'm familiar with the passages. Camus was talking about something different than what I am.

 

[Gharib]

We have many of these laws in Islam. I will mention some:

Love for others what you love for yourself.
Never break a promise.
Don't lie even if it means dying for speaking the truth.
Never turn away a beggar or a needy person.
Always fulfill the duty which you are entrusted with by another person.
Never speak ill of the dead.
Never backbite.
Never speak with a loud tone/voice in front of people of knowledge (Prophets, scholars)
Be dutiful to your parents and take care of them when they grow old.

There are many more. I can post more if anyone is interested.

 

[dust1n]

I'm familiar with the passages. Camus was talking about something different than what I am.

Well ya, but I was curious to what extent 'knowing thyself' would have legitimacy in determining one's own.. I guess honor. Camus's speaking of it appears to be a condition of unknown purpose for the human condition. As in, observing these various aspects can't be added to paint a picture of the human condition or of my condition (at least if I understood it right, which I never do. ) We can certainly draw out some of the aspects of ourselves, but how would we know we are deluding ourselves, and how could this search for interactions of our feelings and thoughts lead to a resolve 'of all ethical/moral quandaries'? Is there really no ethical dilemma that cannot be solved by simply observing how our emotions about the dilemma and our reasoning of the dilemma, and making sure that we aren't confusing them?