Kleos, the renown or honor in your name, kills. Soldiers go to battle knowing they will earn a respectable name . CEOs build corporations that end up exploiting workers, so that articles will be written about their success. Not all ambition for renown and honor is bad. Only when the cravings for a "good" reputation clouds your mind, and makes you unscrupulous in your search for honor. Cain and Abel, brothers, provide a solid example for when good intentions go awry. As twins, Cain was born first, and Abel was pulled out heel first after him. The culture of the time dictated that the first brother should hold favor. That was not the case. Cain was a farmer, and Abel was a shepherd. God accepted Abel's animal sacrifices with more grace. Following God's example, Adam and Eve favored Abel as well. Cain killed his brother in rage as he reached his limit of second best. Cain did not plot the murder of his brother, yet he was aware of his internal struggle to not stand in his brother's shadow. His name was not made better through his actions. Nonetheless, everyone knows who Cain is, and his actions are repeated through history as brothers kill each other for a chance at glory, honor, and recognition. The old English war, The War of the Roses was a brothers' and a cousins' war. The War of the Roses lasted for fifty years and killed thousands of men, and left their widows and children defenseless in a dangerous time. Fifty years were wasted in a power struggle for the kingdom and for honor. In the Odyssey, Telemachus is in doubt of his father's kleos. Kleos was passed down from father to son, so Telemachus's honor would be jeopardized. In his search for manhood, he attempted to learn about his father's plight, and if his honor remained intact. After he was reassured that his father had fought bravely in Troy, he returns home with more confidence in Odysseus. Once he returns home, Athena tells him that he will need to kill the suitors. The suitors, except for one, all deserve to die, but the fact remains that they are only murdered to save Odysseus and Telemachus's kleos. If you could change the rules on honor, what would you make them? For example, would you say that there are times when it is okay not to defend yourself. Or do you think there are specific reasons you should always protect your honor? Is it okay that in trying to make oneself appear virtuous that people commit crimes? Can you think of any successful, righteous people who are good examples of good kleos? Is protecting our own dignity and self-esteem worth killing for?
Honor is something everybody thinks about, even modernly. We do not use the exact same word, we may use reputation, but honor is still one of the most prevailing concerns of all people. Honor is what strangers use to judge you, what build peoples' first impressions. Therefore, it is important to make sure you keep as much honor as you can. For example, how colleges, potential employers, judges, juries, etc., build their thoughts on a person's honor/reputation. However, you do have a point. People go to such great lengths to prove themselves honorable to others, so that they look good. But, this is not a severe as it used to be. This is because in ancient Greece, kleos refereed to the reputation you build that is passed on through your family. Therefore, people were under more pressure to build their honor, not only for themselves, but also for their family and future generations. This being said, I think that people need to realize that a certain amount of honor is enough for respect, and that hopefully you will be respected by at least a few people. Therefore, it is not right for people to abuse or take advantage of other people just for their own benefit.
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