Honor is another one of those words that can be a noun or a verb. In retrospect, I think I see more usage of this word in the noun form than I do in the latter. For example, almost every organization gives some award of honor to its members. Sports groups have especially overused this award by giving every participant a trophy or medal regardless of team outcomes, standings , etc. I am not trying to be the Grinch who steals Christmas, but I am reacting to the speeches I hear students make to one another: “Don’t worry. You’ll get a trophy (medal) anyway.”
I would much rather see students and people in general practice the verb of honoring. Start with the commandment from God, “Honor your mother and father that your days may be long.” It is the first commandment with a promise. The U.S.A. is definitely behind the curve among nations of the world in honoring our elders. When I show a film of family life in other countries, my students always react to the difference in cultural treatment of the elders. They can’t imagine letting grandparents and parents eat before they partake in the meal. Most love visiting with grandparents, but can’t imagine having their grandparents live with them and then being given the place of distinction.
I am alarmed by the rewriting of our national history. History is what it is…the past is done and gone. However, removing all distasteful aspects of it does not show honor. I heard one woman from the deep south make the following remark upon being told another statue or school’s name was being taken down: “How many times must we lose this war?” As she lamented, the war is over. Nothing can erase what was done. However, the same monuments and nameplates can serve as reminders that will never allow us to forget. As humans, when we forget bad happenings, we often have to relive them to understand once again the terrible lessons our forefathers lived to regret.
Today we see people taking sides about honoring our American flag. I am in the ranks of those who teach our students to say the pledge and salute the flag. I see it as the perfect time to get them to pause from all the noise, video, technology, and worries of each day and think about people who gave their lives for the continuation of our American way of life…which is summed up in the word “liberty.”
We are the beneficiaries of freedom bought with life blood. It is only fitting that we should honor those who valiantly gave their lives to help save ours. In this age of political correctness, we should be more aware than ever that “lest we forget” should be our theme. Even my own church forgot to honor our veterans today. This was a first for as long as I can remember. In closing, I pledge to do all I can to teach my students and to practice myself the art of “honoring.”
- Kay