Introduction
Honor has always been one of the most valued qualities. Traditionally, it had been associated with noble people who had to act in a particular way to be honored. Today, the given concept can be applied to all people regardless of their status or position in society. However, it does not mean that the idea has undergone drastic alterations. On the contrary, the term honor remains unchanged as it is one of the critical values that has been used to evaluate peoples actions and that is still associated with a particular behavior, pride, honesty, determination, and the desire to do the best to achieve a certain goal and be honored by the society.
Main body
The traditional definition of the term honor given by dictionaries states that it is great to respect for someone or the feeling of pride and pleasure that appears when respect is shown to you; or a good name or public esteem (“Honor,” n.d.a; “Honor,” n.d.b). However, the description reveals only several of the multiple possible meanings associated with the given concept. Besides, my personal definition of honor states that it is a set of individual principles, moral values, and codes of conduct that are worth respecting and priding. For this reason, to be an honorable person means to be able to act regarding these very principles and defend everything you believe.
As it comes from the definition, honor is directly connected with society and public esteem. Resting on my own experience, I should say that people surrounding us play a critical role in determining the character of actions and stating whether there is an honor or not in them. The fact is that socially accepted and cultivated behavior has altered throughout the development of humanity and acquired different shapes under the impact of the peculiarities of the environment. Every epoch has its own idea of things that are worth respecting and should be promoted. For this reason, the term honor reflects the current values that are dominant in society and greatly depend on public esteem.
Additionally, the concept is closely connected with the moral principles of an individual. I think that there is a particular dilemma whether an amoral person can be associated with honor if he/she acts in ways that are approved by the society at that period. The fact is that honor might bring numerous benefits to a person who is considered honorable which means that there are multiple attempts to act in ways associated with this term regardless of inner inclinations or moral. Nevertheless, true honor can be found only in people whose motifs and moral qualities coincide with their actions and who act disregarding the public esteem as their principles are the only driver that makes them move forward.
Conclusion
Altogether, the concept of honor can be defined as a set of principles, values, behaviors, and motivations that are worth respecting and that make people act in particular ways. However, one should remember that it is a social phenomenon that significantly depends on the dominating perspectives on certain behaviors and peoples attitudes towards different aspects of this phenomenon. For this reason, an honorable person is always respected by society and can serve as its icon to inspire other individuals to move forward, evolve, and perform other actions that will be approved by all members of the community.
References
Honor. (n.d.a). In Cambridge dictionary. Web.
Honor. (n.d.b). In Merriam-Webster dictionary. Web.