Give honour to the deserving
HONOUR THE HONOURABLE
When we look around us we see not just plaques, marbles, or monuments, we see the living, breathing, and moving architects of our envied world, our personal peace, and our settled future. They are our parents, who gave us the best of them, the best they could give; they are our teachers who saw the spark in us even before we realise we had anything; Sometimes, these people give more than we deserve, they spend extra hours not because it was paid, but because it mattered.
Honouring these people is not a transaction, it is not a debt we pay off just once, and forget about it; it is a posture of our mind, a sustained note of gratitude that we sing to them through our lives; it is the active, conscious decision to recognise their contributions in our lives, and to hold it in high esteem.
To honour those who deserve it is to make their legacy known; it is to mention their names when telling a story of kindness; it is to emulate their integrity in our own lives, choosing the non-conventional right over the multitude approved wrong, because they showed you how it ought to be; it is to take the baton they passed to you, and run the race with the same courage with which they did it.
Honour them with your attention; listen to them, not just with your ears, but with your time also. Honour them with your voice; defend their reputations when they are not in the room. Most importantly, honour them with your lives. The greatest tribute to a warrior is a society that values peace. The greatest tribute to a healer is a community that cares for its own. The greatest tribute to a teacher is a student who never stops learning, and who, in turn, teach others. A lot of times, honour comes too late, a truck load of flowers at the graveside does not gladden a man's heart, but a single flower placed in his hand even with a dim eyesight will lift his soul.
To a better you, Kamikun John.
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