“Honor” & “Prestige” Are Subjective BS, Open To Interpretation — Part 1

“Honor” and “Prestige” have clear definitions but how we interpret them is purely subjective.

Can Hoang Tran
10 min readDec 4, 2022
Photo by Thao Lee: https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-wearing-uniform-sitting-on-roadside-5081178/

It’s November 2022 and I have started training for my upcoming exam in February 2023. I had to do the pre-examination stuff such as submitting my exam form and I read one thing “The purpose of Tae Kwon Do is to improve both mental and physical health, and all members MUST uphold the honor and prestige of Tae Kwon Do.” I definitely understand that guideline because we don’t want people misusing their martial arts training.

On the flip side, from a historical and sociopolitical viewpoint, I have to balk at it.

I respect the concept, but at the same time, feel the need to criticize the idea.

What defines the word “honor?

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

Mirriam-Webster gives several definitions of the word. Honor as a noun is listed as the following

#1A — Reputation, in the form of a “good name” or “public esteem.

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Can Hoang Tran

Veteran citizen journalist who enjoys martial arts, indie & foreign film, anime, manga, gaming, music, and martial arts. https://linktr.ee/aeonxtrigger