The Ruling Passion of the Noblest Minds by Alexander Green Dear Reader, Americans don't talk much about honor anymore. I'm not referring to awards bestowed for exceptional merit, but rather honor itself. At its simplest, honor is merely the good opinion of others, the natural consequence of character, integrity and fair dealing. Yet the word sounds musty to some, old-fashioned. Or, worse, judgmental. In "Honor: A History," author James Bowman even argues that we live today in what he calls a "post-honor society." He may be right. But let's hope not. Wealth, fame and reputation are things that must be won. Honor, by comparison, must not be lost. This has been widely acknowledged throughout history. More than two thousand years ago, the Latin writer Publilius Syrus asked, "What is left when honor is lost?" Yet over the past fifty years or so, the culture has changed. Some people feel justified in doing their own thing, even if it means being rude, unpleasant or disrespectful. They imagine this is a show of strength - that it warns people they can't be trifled with. More often it demonstrates nothing more than boorishness. An NBA star, for example, pushes a man through a plate-glass window and proudly proclaims that he is "not a role model." Corrupt and dishonorable politicians believe they can rehabilitate their careers with nothing more than a confession and public apology. And then there is scoundrel supreme Bernie Madoff who lived high on the hog while bilking his clients out of their life savings, even stealing $15.2 million from the charitable foundation of Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel. You can't get much lower than that. Columnist George Will once remarked that parents used to raise their children to adopt the values of the culture. Today they struggle to keep them from adopting the values of the culture. That's unfortunate, especially since the country was founded by men and women who sought - not wealth and celebrity above all else - but something very different. In letters to one another, the Founding Fathers often wrote, "Act well your part." This was shorthand. Classically educated, they were referencing Alexander Pope's famous lines, "Honor and shame from no condition rise; Act well your part, there all the honor lies." These weren't just words, but ideals. Alexander Hamilton, who fought a fatal duel with Aaron Burr in 1804, described honor as "the ruling passion of the noblest minds." John Adams called the desire for distinction the "great leading passion of the soul." In many ways, this thirst defined them. In the Declaration of Independence, they famously pledged not just their lives and fortunes but their sacred honor. Personal integrity wasn't just essential. It was hallowed. This is not an exclusively American quality, of course. The same sentiment echoes down through history. Nineteenth-century German statesman Otto von Bismark said: "Gentlemen, my honor lies in no-one's hand but my own, and it is not something that others can lavish on me; my honor, which I carry in my heart, suffices me entirely, and no one is judge of it and able to decide whether I have it." Honor means standing up for the right principles both personally and as a nation. Yet pacifism and misplaced idealism have eroded the value of honor in some quarters. You hear this clearly in the absolutist slogan, "War is never the answer." Really? Never? Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King were successful in their non-violent campaigns for justice precisely because they were dealing with humane, democratic governments. Under ordinary circumstances, non-action in the face of evil is cowardice... or suicide. You can be sure that Hitler, Stalin and Mao loved pacifists. (Perhaps especially with lemon and butter.) Bin Laden was embolden to strike the United States on 9/11 precisely because our response to his attacks on American targets overseas was so tepid. Who we are still depends a great deal on what we are prepared to stand up for - and our willingness to stand up for it. We should never cease to honor such sacrifices. Aside from patriotic honor, there is the everyday matter of personal honor. Do we treat others fairly? Do we carry ourselves with dignity? Do we speak respectfully of those people and institutions that deserve respect? Do we act with courage and personal integrity? At FreedomFest in Las Vegas two years ago, psychologist Nathaniel Brandon gave a talk about one of his favorite subjects: self-esteem. Self-esteem, he said, is not about looking in the mirror and saying, "I'm so special, aren't I wonderful?" Nor, he argued, is self-esteem something that is a free gift of nature. It has to be cultivated - has to be earned. To illustrate the point, he told a story about his friend and fellow libertarian Charles Murray. On a trip to California to visit Branden, Murray - an avid wine collector - was shown a rare and exorbitantly priced Cabernet at a local wine shop. He looked at it admiringly but told the owner the cost was prohibitive. When he arrived at Branden's home, however, he discovered that the storeowner had mistakenly sold him the expensive wine at the price of the more modest bottle he had selected. So he rode back into town to return it. Upon his arrival, the storeowner was both relieved and astonished. He had quickly recognized his mistake, but since Murray was an out-of-towner and had paid in cash, he felt certain he would never see him again. Back at Branden's home, Murray conveyed his own disbelief. "I don't understand his surprise," he said. "If I had kept that bottle of wine, I wouldn't have liked the way that made me feel about myself." Finishing the story, Branden paused and looked at the audience. "That," he said triumphantly, "is self-esteem." Perhaps. But I prefer to think of it as honor. Carpe Diem, Alex