The Code of Bushido was developed for a warrior society driven by class and gender distinctions. This "code of honor" was designed to bring a level of discipline and stability to that society. Today we live in a very different world but the code still has meaning, and can help to make us better people as we work towards "perfection of character." Honor encourages us to return kindness for kindness and to treat all people with respect regardless of social standing. Too often in today's world people such as wait-staff or store clerks are treated with rudeness by those who consider themselves better educated and superior. Unlike in feudal Japan however, where class and gender distinctions were the rule, an honorable person today would never consider treating someone differently because of his or her job, gender, or place in society. Instead, it is the duty of the honorable person to treat all people with respect and to speak out against injustice.
Honor is a term that is hard to define and is often misunderstood. Many associate honor with revenge and the idea of "death before dishonor." Many people have gotten into fights in attempts to "defend their honor." The culture of dueling often left men dead after seemingly mild insults, and that culture still exists in today's gangs; or as we saw recently, in today's hockey rinks. What many don't see is that these people aren't fighting over honor. Instead, they are only saving face. They do not see the distinction between honor and face and feel as if their honor has been taken from them. Honor, however, cannot be taken from you by an insult. It can be thrown away by believing the insults and taking revenge but it can never be taken away from you. Instead, honor is within you and is demonstrated in how you respond to others.
There is a story of a master swordsman who sat calmly through a barrage of insults from potential robbers. The swordsman avoided a fight by expertly catching four flies with his chopsticks and then getting up and walking away. Traditional misunderstandings of honor would see this man insulted and would say that he should get revenge. In fact, nothing that the robbers could say would take away the swordsman's skill or honor. Fighting them would not make this swordsman more skilled or honorable. It was more honorable for this swordsman to walk away.
True honor involves benevolence and politeness towards all people, the courage to do what is right, loyalty to all who have helped us, justice but not revenge, and veracity without causing harm. Six of the Codes of Bushido are inherent in the concept of honor and without honor these other six are meaningless. Imagine veracity without honor: one can be too truthful and cause great damage. Courage without honor can lead us to harm ourselves or others unnecessarily. Loyalty without honor can lead us to follow blindly those who are harmful to us or to others. Honor is clearly the hardest of the seven codes to define and yet it is the most essential. To be honorable, one must decide what is the "right thing to do" and then do it. To be honorable one must demonstrate politeness, courage, benevolence, justice, loyalty, and veracity- The Code of Bushido.