Honor.
Integrity.
Respect.
Personal Courage.
To anyone who has seen the movie The Social Network (I highly recommend it), these moralistic values might seem outdated ideals of an old-fashioned past – not realistic or grounded in today’s ever-changing, highly networked, open, get-it-done-now world of action, movement and 24/7 connection.
I was reminded of these words and their power on 11/11 – Thursday of last week – the day the Unites States honors its Armed Services veterans, also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)
You see, there still are young people and old who live by those words and others like Loyalty and Selfless Service.
Truth is, while we don’t walk around like Boy or Girl Scouts reciting our oath before every meeting, and while we are not like Army recruits who have these words drilled into their heads until they can recite them in their sleep – they are no less important in our business or personal lives. And mea culpa is that we don’t train with them enough ourselves.
And, there is one more word that rounds out the 7 – that word is Duty – listen:
“Life is not so important as the duties of life.” – John Randolph
To me – Duty is the summary thought. Let’s apply it to our work lives.
Think about this:
Business is not so important as the duties of business – as articulated in the Army Code – Fulfill your obligations. Accept responsibility for your own actions and those entrusted to your care. Find opportunities to improve oneself for the good of the group
And, my readers know my view – what we do at home, we do at work and visa-versa.
Seems to me, as simplistic as it might sound, the world and our lives would be a better place….
What do you think?
That bit about Duty resonates. You might find what the Bhagwad Gita says about Dharam (aka Duty), interesting!
Honor. Integrity. Respect. Personal Courage. Loyalty. Selfless Service. Duty.
If most people followed these 7 morals, the world might be a better place. People would take responsibility and things would get done more quickly and efficiently with care and thoughtfulness. Unfortunately, too many people are not held accountable for their actions in the workplace or at home. Perhaps if they were, this country wouldn’t be in the financial mess it’s in. I think “Trust” should be added to the list: without trust it’s hard to achieve many of these ideals.
(Sanskrit: “Song of God”) One of the greatest of the Hindu scriptures, constituting part of the Mahabharata. It is written in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince Arjuna and the charioteer Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu. It was probably composed in the 1st or 2nd century AD, later than much of the epic. Concerned over the suffering the impending battle will cause, Arjuna hesitates, but Krishna explains that the higher way is the dispassionate discharge of duty without concern for personal triumph. The Bhagavadgita considers the nature of God and ultimate reality and offers three disciplines for transcending the limitations of this world: jnana (knowledge or wisdom), karma (dispassionate action), and bhakti (love of God). It has inspired numerous commentaries over the centuries, including those by Ramanuja and Mohandas K. Gandhi.
This post strikes a chord for me. My family is old, large, blue collar. We’re truckers by history (I’m the only one of the 6 brothers who wasn’t) and the idea of honor is something our family has tried to live by, something I try and instill in my sons, my employees.
It’s not an easy task maintaining it in the face of those who are not and, and even harder to be truly mindful of your own actions, when it is all to simple to tweak your self narrative to make yourself think you are acting honorably in every situation.
It is an old-fashioned idea to many but, I agree, a piece that is conspicuous when absent.
Anyway, got me thinking, thanks for posting it.