"Honor"

"You can die with it
You can lose with it
You can retire with it
but can you live with it?
Are we honorable only in death, defeat or retreat?
Can we have honor and still achieve?
The honor is not in tragedies
but how we handle them
it’s not at the end of our days
but how we live them
We honor those who came before
like we honor the floor…
right before we step on it.
How can we move forward without looking back
How do we keep memories intact?
I embrace morality and wear it like my favorite shirt
own it like my conscience
I don’t care how you see me
as long as you see I’m a man of substance
but it’s more than that
There’s honor inside everyone
You can choose not to embrace it
Ignore it or get complacent
Some parents tell their kids to live and let live
but they don’t give a damn
so when they teach them indifference
kids will never understand
That life isn’t about being right
or about winning
or about stepping on others to feel tall
Life is about us all
Having an opinion doesn’t mean you’re right
it also doesn’t mean you are obligated to share it
Use your tongue selectively
choose quality over quantity
Quality means
you will do your best with what life gives you
Quantity means
someone else will have to forgive you
In case you don’t know
there is a guide
a code
that some of us follow
so we can live with ourselves
Imagine that
we live in a world with over 7 billion people
but first we have to learn to live with ourselves
Our lives are so great, the moments so few, but there are unwritten rules, and no one seems to know them
And I feel like I’m writing the same damn poem
Too many times we settle on what we’ve been given
but maybe our problem is
these rules are unwritten
Maybe we need to write down the theories of common sense and decency and post them throughout the community
We’re ignorant or unaware
and it’s happening everywhere
It’s a worldwide epidemic
the faithful are turning into skeptics
and telling us to “toughen up” doesn’t solve this
nor does acting holy and righteous
I keep putting my pen to the pad
hoping to get through
What would Jesus do?
How about what would you do?
DO something.
Turning a blind eye, or the other cheek
has only allowed us to fall deeper into this hole
where good hearts must tolerate troubled souls
Some come in gangsta clothes
but some come in uniforms
others come in suits
no matter how it looks
abuse is abuse
There’s no honor among thieves, elites or the police
So where is the honor?
If it’s not in us
how can we expect to find it in our sons and daughters?
It needs to find its’ way to the fathers and mothers
doesn’t matter
if it’s in the sand or the suburbs
You stick bad seeds in the ground
what do you expect to grow?
Troubled souls don’t make the Honor roll
We keep saying we have to stop…
Stop eating this
stop wearing that
stop saying this,
How about we start trying to co-exist
We start treating our lives with honor and see what rises
Hold our heads high because this fight is now a crisis
and it is a fight
just ask Mr. Miyagi
karate is for defense only
There’s too many Johnnys
strike first!
strike hard!
no mercy!
Too many poor teachers hurting the community
So I hope you’ve been practicing your crane technique
Because we don’t seek peace
we seek miracles
we’re standing on one leg and our face looks terrible
But we can’t give up
we can’t stop hoping
We can’t stop turning our dreams into knowing
Nightmares should only happen when we sleep
and if our eyes are open
we should be able to see
The power of a choice
we can’t act selfishly
we have to turn it around and live honorably
Honor is not old-fashioned
you can wear it with pride
anyone who tells you different
is telling you lies
Honor is
ending arguments with solutions instead of resentment
finding compromise instead of bloodshed
It’s putting down your weapons
and picking up a pen
it’s not being afraid of what you believe in
It’s asking more of yourself than you ever thought possible
it’s standing broke by your principles when the cost is astronomical
It’s not difficult
We can get more done as a collective than as a collection of individuals
Even if you’d rather be quiet
Lead by example
and if you set a bad one
get ready for battle
Because we’re coming
the people who want good lives
who have good dreams
We want to bring out our best in the worst of times
and there’s no better way to get there
than by being everything you want the world to be
wear your honor like a marine
salute your integrity
life doesn’t have to be our biggest tragedy
place your crest upon your chest
and live honorably
It’s easy...
just do the right thing."