Code of Honor (MDI 2012)
This is from the old mdimen site, no longer available online. The text shown here is known to have existed from the 6th October 2012 to the 10th January 2014.
Contents
Never Engage in Battles With Weaker Opponents
CODE OF HONOR
Commitment Before Ego
Commitment brings men together to accomplish goals that are bigger than any one man. A man's ego would keep him in his cave, doing everything alone, coming out only to dominate others to get what he needs. Commitment to a noble cause brings out the best in a man, and the great accomplishments of the world are testimony to the fact that men have learned to use their egos in the service of their commitments. It is much more satisfying to be a part of something that transcends the individual than to have complete ownership of the small accomplishments that one can claim for his own. We come together in this circle each week to put into action and celebrate our commitment to each other's success, and to the success of mankind.
Honor The Truth
What is the truth? You know it when you see it and feel it, but can't explain it. Facts don't always help; the truth cannot be discerned with the intellect alone. The truth comes from genuineness, from integrity, from the heart. Truth doesn't care what it looks like or whether it's right or wrong; it just is. Honoring the truth is a process involving respect and acceptance for what is. It comes from a sense of obligation to our relationship with each other. Honoring the truth requires an open heart and acceptance of yourself and others. Recognizing and accepting the truth brings freedom, the freedom to be the man you always wanted to be.
Respect Confidentiality
Confidentiality is the container created when men hold each others' personal information as ultimately sacred. It extends well beyond the task of not repeating elsewhere, that which was spoken in the circle. Confidentiality is an active gesture that invites men into a place where it is safe: Safe to reveal one's true self, one's darkest fears and fiercest struggles. Creating a container of confidentiality allows us to come together as men to do the work only we can do with each other.
To respect confidentiality is to honor the deepest elements of each man regardless of how it looks, knowing that he, like any of us, is first and foremost a man, worthy of respect as he works through the daily challenges associated with being male. By affirming that we respect confidentiality, we take responsibility for each others' well being while forming the bond that transforms individual problems into mutual learning.
Keep Your Word
At the core of masculine relationships is trust - the trust that is founded in knowing that what a man says is sufficient to put that cause in motion and ensure its completion. Just as a man is known by his actions, he is trusted because of the consistency between his word and his actions. Men of action have the ability to react decisively to every situation they encounter. But men of honor know that the primary force that directs their actions is their word. Committing to, and holding ourselves accountable to our word, whether directly or consensually spoken, results in living in honor and integrity until, at last, our word becomes our reality and forms the foundation of our legacy. In battles we must be able to trust the integrity of each man -without stories or explanation - on his word alone. In the circle of men, keeping your word is the single, most powerful action any man can take in establishing that trust. Our word is everything; our word is all we ever have.
Be A Three-Dimensional Man
The three dimensions of a man are identified with three men; Clint, Gandhi, and Curly. Clint is the man of action. He has no doubt. He does not let anything stop him. Gandhi is the man who cares. He is the man who has purpose. He has compassion. Curly is man who has fun. He does not take himself too seriously. Being a three-dimensional man is a man in balance. He is a man of purpose, who is in action on his purpose, and who has fun doing it.
Be Prepared
For the warrior, being prepared begins by preparing his mind, body and spirit for battle. Practicing the discipline of living in the moment provides the mental clarity to focus completely on what he is doing. And being grounded in his purpose provides the self-confidence to stick to his commitment until it is achieved. Having prepared himself, the warrior then looks into the future to the point when his goal is achieved, and works back from there to anticipate what will be required to achieve that goal. With a plan in place, and all the needed resources in hand, the warrior goes into battle with the freedom and confidence to trust himself and take spontaneous action when either a crisis or opportunity presents itself.
(-@Defend Humanity
Throughout man's history, his place has been to stand guard at the gate of the city or the mouth of the cave. Man's role, in fact his very nature is to watch over and defend the family, the tribe and his species. In everything we do, from our work to our play to our participation in community, we hold the context that promotes building better lives for all. In so doing we create an environment in which community flourishes and that which is antithetical to the betterment of humanity withers.
Always Be Faithful To The Men
This part of the code addresses our responsibility to the masculine legacy that we inherit from those who have come before us. It is derived from the truth that we rely on other men to teach us, and we in turn must pass on those teachings. Particularly, Being Faithful to the Men means being loyal to the ideal of pure masculine relationships, and not selling each other out by pretending that we are different or thinking our connection doesn't really matter. It means being in such a way, that men know they can count on you. One of the most vivid examples of this was the experience of being in the Men's Weekend graduation. When you looked around at the men in the room, you knew that you could count on them to not sell you out, and you knew that you would not sell them out either. To represent Being Faithful to the Men, we have picked a continuous circle of rope. Rope is something that men have relied upon with their lives for centuries. The circle represents forever passing on our masculine legacy, from the past to the future. The unbroken rope that cannot come undone represents the value of being faithful.
Defend The Code
For millennia, men have understood that the only sure thing in their lives is death, and they have sought to give meaning to the bit of time they have. Instead of rules, which we resent because they restrict our actions, we have lived by Codes of Honor which guide us in service of a higher purpose. If reason is what separates us from animals, then Code defines our humanity and shows us a path to a higher purpose. Defending our Code requires constant vigilance against the forces inside and outside of ourselves that tempt us to take the easy, comfortable path. As men, we know that this path leads to the ultimate destruction of our masculine commitment to the defense of humanity. So we use the Code of Honor as our compass, and when we feel ourselves off course, we use that compass to navigate the seas of a feminized world. To defend the Code is to live it; to live the Code is to preserve it; to preserve the Code is to carry it from the men who have come before us and to convey it to the men who will come after. By defending the Code we make it and ourselves available to our world, and by such acts of giving we grow to be the men we want to be.
Never Engage In Battles With Weaker Opponents
We struggle to live our lives out of our commitment. We can be diverted from living that commitment by the internal stirrings of our own unfinished battles. Realizing that the real battle is within ourselves, we understand that "weaker opponents" are mere manifestations of our own internal demons. By lashing out externally, we avoid facing and conquering our barriers, and by so doing, we demean ourselves by fleeing the real battlefield. As we find the path to living our commitment we dissolve, fear, hate, envy, and arrogance, and we harness our egos into the service of our commitment. There are no longer battles, there is just being.
Fight Only Honorable Battles
Without regard to self or ego, the warrior may at times be put to the test to defend others or to advance the cause of mankind's highest purpose. Similarly, we may face struggles that challenge us in living out our honorable purpose. Like the warrior, we must take every measure to ensure that this struggle is not one of ego dominance, nor delude ourselves into thinking that our personal purpose is more virtuous than any others'. In humility we recognize the truth that all battles result in as much a loss for one side as a gain for the other. As warriors we have grieved such loss and we know there is no victory sought. An honorable battle can only be possible when one, pure of heart and clear of intention, stands firm in defense of humanity, our future and that which sustains life itself.
Earn And Honor Rank
The dictionary defines Rank as: An official position or standing. It defines Earn as: To merit or deserve as a result of one's service or Performance. It defines Honor as: To esteem; to show respect for; to revere, to regard, to value. Therefore, to earn rank is to merit or deserve an official position as a result of your performance or sea/ice. To honor rank is to show respect for that position. Notice that it is the position itself, rather than the person in it, to which we show respect. This means that, regardless of your persona! opinions or feelings about someone, the fact that he has earned some rank deserves that you hold what he has to say when speaking from that position, in respect. Not that you cannot disagree with him or that he cannot be wrong, but that he has earned something and that his words carry some weight. This also means that if you are a man who has earned some rank, you must have respect for that position which you hold, and you do not abuse it. It is the position itself which we merit or deserve as a result of our performance, not some special privileges or mandate that we are always right or are better or know more than others. Both sides of this equation, earning rank and honoring it, carry with them a similar responsibility - the responsibility to respect, to honor. But the greatest burden of this responsibility lies with the man holding rank, because how he acts and what he says affects many men around him.
Be Humble
As a warrior lives into his power and begins to master the world around him, he must realize his place in that world. By being humble, a man is open to greatness beyond that which he can master on his own. As the new father is humbled by the miracle of creation; as the explorer is humbled by the majesty of untouched nature; and as the wisest sage is humbled by the truth spoken by a simpleton, a humble man is open to appreciate and accept what the world has to offer him.
Embrace All Men
In growing into manhood, we learned to differentiate ourselves as unique beings. With that came the false illusion that we were somehow different. But in the men's weekend we learned how similar we all are. We realized, in fact, that the degree to which we know and accept ourselves is reflected by our relationship with other men. Those we do not embrace represent the parts of ourselves we do not accept. To embrace all men requires us to embrace ourselves - all we are and all we are not.
Be An Example To Children
As adults, we are all examples to children, whether or not we know it or like it. As warriors, we know that our actions speak louder than our words ever can. So it is up to each of us to choose the example he wants to set and to give his best to live up to that ideal. This does not mean perfection. One of the most important lessons we can teach by example is how to learn from our mistakes and failures. In living by the Code of Honor, and striving to make the world a better place, we help to ensure the success of future generations by setting the example that teaches our children to live their lives with honor and service.
This page was written in the "embarrassingly readable" markup language RHTF, and was last updated on 2025 Dec 23.
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