Why?

LEADERSHIP
1. the position or function of a leader:
2. ability to lead: She displayed leadership potential.
3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction: They prospered under his leadership.
4. the leaders of a group: The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.

Synonyms: administration, authority, capacity, command, conduction, control, conveyance, direction, directorship, domination, foresight, hegemony, influence, initiative, management, power, preeminence, primacy, skill, superiority, sway

Personal Touch: In my opinion, the skill and ability to influence others, whether directly or indirectly, to perform at or above their potential.

INTEGRITY
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition

Synonyms: candor, forthrightness, goodness, honesty, honorableness, incorruptibility, incorruption, principle, probity, purity, righteousness, sincerity, straightforwardness, virtue

Personal Touch: In my opinion, integrity means always doing the right thing, the same way, whether you are being watched or not. Strength is added to the term by preceding it with the word personal.

HONOR
1. honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions: a man of honor.
2. a source of credit or distinction: to be an honor to one's family.
3. high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in honor.
4. such respect manifested: a memorial in honor of the dead.
5. high public esteem; fame; glory: He has earned his position of honor.

Synonyms: account, adoration, adulation, aggrandizement, apotheosis, approbation, attention, canonization, celebration, confidence, consideration, credit, deference, deification, dignity, distinction, elevation, esteem, exaltation, faith, fame, fealty, glorification, glory, greatness, high standing, homage, immortalization, laud, laurel, lionization, notice, obeisance, popularity, praise, prestige, rank, recognition, renown, reputation, repute, reverence, tribute, trust, veneration, worship, wreath

Personal Touch: In my opinion, honor can not be learned; it must be instilled, nurtured, and revered as an individual standard in order for it to have any value. It is an all or none prospect.


COURAGE
1. the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

Synonyms: adventuresomeness, adventurousness, audacity, backbone, bravery, bravura, daring, dash, dauntlessness, determination, endurance, enterprise, fearlessness, firmness, fortitude, gallantry, gameness, grit, guts, hardihood, heroism, intrepidity, lion-heartedness, mettle, nerve, pluck, power, prowess, pugnacity, rashness, recklessness, resolution, spirit, spunk, stoutheartedness, temerity, tenacity, valor, venturesomeness, élan

Personal Touch: In my opinion, this definition is not entirely correct. I believe fear is an integral part of courage, as courage cannot exist where there is no fear. Additionally more needs to be said about the differences between foolhardy courage and genuine bravery.

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Forgive the length, but this post is not intended to be an English lesson, and I am well aware that most of us have a fair handle on what each of these words means. This minor civics lesson is a friendly reminder about how absent these words are from our daily vernacular. Worse still is their absence from our personal life toolboxes. How often do we see these words in genuine action? How many people do we know that regularly exhibit these qualities? How many of us have a list of friends that may describe us using these words?

It is important that these life qualities never be given in any self-description. A large part of the value of these qualitiess is gained by having another person use them to describe someone. When used in self-description not only do the words lose value, but one begins to question the user as well. Adding insult to injury, the user ends up appearing vain in the process, a quality that does not mix well with the others.

To the question at hand: why not? Why aren’t these qualities as sought after as they were in the past? Why aren’t they more regularly exhibited by the people we know that have the opportunity to exhibit them? Has our society changed so much, that these are no longer required? What makes someone with the position, power, and ability; strike these qualities from use? I make many posts here, most about current events, or something that bothers me or moves me to write. I am so moved today, but today is different, because today I have questions. The questions I have require thoughtful input from reasonable people. If you are up to the challenge, feel free to respond with your thoughts. Why?