We are in a time upon the planet in which those who hold power are too often men and women of poor character, those willing to lie and manipulate the gullible in order to gain or retain high seats of power. These men and women are bullies and cowards, the venal and the unscrupulous; they are without integrity or honor. And the tragedy is, that so few recognize them for what they are, because we have forgotten what makes us worthy of the place we hold upon the planet. Instead of the heroic, we celebrate the cunning; instead of cheering for the honorable, we applaud the devious; instead of the person of integrity and ethics,  we choose the amoral and immoral; instead of the principled man or woman, we look to the unprincipled, the unethical; instead of the irreproachable, we choose the reprehensible.

It may be that we have forgotten what makes a person worthy of respect, worthy to lead, worthy of admiration. So let us once again examine the virtues that make us worthy of our inheritance.

None of these virtues are easy to achieve; they require daily practice and every day of our lives, we must choose to act in such a way that we before people of nobility, honor and integrity. Each day, you will find yourself in a position where you must choose for or against the way of honor and nobility. And each day, you must seek out and join with those who share these attribute sof honor- for a man is known by the company he keeps, and with each friendship, with each word and deed, with each choice, you will tell the world who and what you are.

It will challenge you on every level to pick the way of honor, because in venal times, venal men and women are admired and lauded, and the righteous and noble are derided, called fools, laughed at and ostracized… but courage and strength of will, determination and knowing you stand with the worthy, will help you Stand.

There are 30 primary attributes to acquire and express in your life. These are

Courage, Valour- strength in the face of pain or grief; bravery in the face of great danger; .to do what is right, to speak out against oppression, to stand against those who would do harm in word or deed to another, even at the risk of personal loss.

Duty– a commitment to responsibility; to others, to country, to the world, to humanity.

Veracity, Trustworthiness– to be able to be relied on for honesty; accurate regarding facts; to speak the truth even when the consequences would be bitter, to be honest within yourself about your motivations, to be honest in your dealings with others.

 Honor, Integrity– adherence to principles considered right and just; knowing and doing what is morally correct, acting with rectitude.

Fortitude, Endurance–  courage in the face of pain and adversity; ability to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving in or giving up; to endure under hardship without bitterness.

 Sacrifice–.  the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy; .to strive to give of yourself to others and to humanity, to put the right and good above our own desires or needs.

Respect– having due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others; for other people, for others’ property, for the rights of others, for the earth and for yourself. To respect the principles of social justice and human rights. In learning respect for Self and others, a strong code of personal morality would follow based on the Law “Do No Harm”. To be aware of personal actions that showed disregard for the earth or for another person and correct those actions.

 Self-improvement– To always search for truth, for the right action; to always go one step further than you thought you could; to take risks for a purpose that would allow growth, progress…to retain an open mind, knowing there is much to learn yet.

 Diligence– careful, persistent effort; to stick to something once it is begun; to retain a strong work ethic.

 Conscientiousness–  be diligent and meticulous in your work, ensuring your duty or work is done well and thoroughly.

 Independence– to be free of external control; to be autonomous, to live in honor even when all others are falling; to depend on your own power, skills and resources; To take nothing as “fact” until it has been personally explored and examined. To think for oneself and not just accept whatever is declared the “truth”. To be self-reliant and able to stand alone if necessary, but willing to be interdependent with the human family and other living things.

Civility, Chivalry– to be courteous and polite in behavior and speech; to show gallantry towards the vulnerable, to treat others as you would wish to be treated. To show consideration for the needs, feelings and fears of others. To retain a sense of civil manners towards all people. To be aware of the rights of others and of how your behaviors might affect them. To be thoughtful towards others, cordial and sincere in your interactions with all others.

 Compassion– to show consideration for, and awareness of, the misfortune and suffering of others; to act in kindness. To attempt empathy with others and an understanding of their lives. To be able to see each feeling person and creature as separate from yourself, yet sharing the same ability to feel physical and emotional pain. To show no neglect or cruelty towards the vulnerable, the helpless or towards animals.

 Tolerance– to reject bias, discrimination or separation. To acknowledge differences without using differences to deny civil/human rights to another. To seek what we hold in common rather than how we differ. To study many cultures, many beliefs so as to understand them.

 Self-control, Self-Restraint– the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations; self-discipline and mastery of the Self; to be in control of one’s emotions, actions, or desires. To acknowledge those emotions and desires without the need to always act on them, especially if they could cause harm to another or harm to self.

 To leave others be.  To accept each person as you find them, allowing them to be who they are. It is reasonable for each of us to find and follow our own path. So long as no harm, oppression, force, or cruelty is exercised against another, what a person does and how they live is their private concern. Who you associate with, and how you act and speak, is the measure you take of yourself.

 Intellectual Curiosity– to be open to wonder; to ponder the world, the heavens, all life around you. Be interested in learning about other cultures, other people, other tribes, other customs. To be driven by the longing to know, to understand. If you have no interest in the history, the present or the possible future of your world and all things living upon it, you are dead inside. To choose willful ignorance is to diminish yourself in the eyes of the worthy.

Orderliness, Cleanliness- your environment of Self,  your personal environment, the environment of your room, your home, your yard, your neighborhood tells the world a lot about who and what you are as a person. Slovenliness often reflects the inner Self.

Contentment- to be satisfied with the material goods you have while seeking always to improve the Self. The pursuit of wealth, power and status should never take precedence in your mind and heart. Many a powerful and wealthy man has been deemed unworthy of the respect of others, and has been covered in shame; many a poor man has proven to be worthy of respect and honor from all men. “All men need enough to sustain life and thrive;  no man needs so much that others must do without in order to fill that man’s grasping hunger for wealth and property.”

Cooperation- be self-reliant but respect your work with others, see your task as a single effort made by many. Be neither boastful nor falsely modest. Know your strengths and be ready to offer them; know your weaknesses and be prepared to submit them to another.

 Encouragement- it is easy to make other people feel small, to lift yourself higher by making others smaller- but that is neither the words nor actions of any person who would be worthy of respect or honor. The worthy person helps others grow in confidence, to reach their best potential, to reach higher than they thought they could.

Just- to be just does not simply mean to act in fairness, but to be able to discern the facts and circumstances of a situation and apply wisdom to a solution that is unbiased, equitable and impartial.

Approachability- people can sense a welcome from another; they feel comfortable in the presence of someone who exhibits an amiable nature and is hospitable to all who enter his or her home, hall or presence.

Generosity- a generous person shows concern for the well-being of others; he or she is benevolent and giving, is ungrudging in sharing with others. The altruistic behaviors of the worthy man or woman shows consideration and beneficence towards others and an unprejudiced, unselfish humanitarian nature.

Gentleness- too many false believe that machismo and ruthless brutality determines manliness or denotes a bold woman, but true strength is gentle. The worthy person exhibits tenderness and calm; he or she inspires trust and confidence and is not afraid to show open tenderness towards those he or she hold sin their affection or those who are afraid and need reassurances.

Gratitude- no person creates their world alone, the worthy understand they owe much to many; they exhibit a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Humility- does not mean to grovel before others, but to act in such a manner that shows reserve; the person of humility refrains from bragging and lets his or her actions and words speak for them; they do not give offense with pretentiousness and boasting.

Idealism- in a world and time of despair and corruption, the worthy are visionary and insightful, they hold to a belief in respect for individual rights and freedoms; they hold that all persons can be trained to be better people and should be given opportunities to rise to their best abilities and dreams. They hold a vision for the future in which imagination and wisdom work together to support a better world, yet never lose sight that such visions call for hard work and individual responsibility.

Loyalty, Fidelity- those who would be called worthy of respect show faithfulness and commitment to each other and their community, they stand unwavering with their comrades, friends and cause. Their allegiance is a bond that cannot be broken; their vows and pledges to others are unchanging and endure all hardships.

Authenticity- let everything you are, say, speak, and do be the Truth

Study these 30 attributes. Examine your adherence to them. Explore how you can best express and uphold these attributes within yourself and within your friends. “Good men associate with good men, bad men with bad.”

And when you can look within yourself and say “These I strive to be”, you will be worthy of the company and respect of worthy men and women.

© 2019