Would you break your code of honor for 25 million dollars?

[antryg]

While attending seminary, one of my professors talked about his work on archeological digs. He told us that whenever they would go into a new area to start a dig that the first thing they would do is to wrangle an invitation to a meal with the local sheik. According to custom, after they had eaten a meal with the sheik, they were under his protection. The shieks sheltering and sharing a meal with them guarenteed their safety. Those who did not avail themselves of this custom had problems ranging from vandalism, theft, and even bodily injury or death.

We, as outsiders, need to realize how important and pervasive these customs are and the lengths that people will go to to preserve them. The more we trample on custom, the greater the resentment against us and the more resistance we can expect.

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Chewbacca: If I were a poor Iraqui tribeman I would take the money and move to a society that doesn't box me into customs that would allow for me to shelter alledged evil from justice. Thats what I would do when I imagine walking in those shoes.

But you're a westerner with western ideals. You can't place your ideals into his scenario.

Would you break your code of honour HERE and move to say Iraq or a place with a completely different honour code? Where you were not "boxed in" by westen values.

[Chewbacca]

Originally posted by Yorick: quote: Originally posted by Chewbacca: If I were a poor Iraqui tribeman I would take the money and move to a society that doesn't box me into customs that would allow for me to shelter alledged evil from justice. Thats what I would do when I imagine walking in those shoes.

But you're a westerner with western ideals. You can't place your ideals into his scenario.

Would you break your code of honour HERE and move to say Iraq or a place with a completely different honour code? Where you were not "boxed in" by westen values. [/QUOTE]Actually I used what the Iraqi that turned in the Hussein brothers did as basis for my hypothetical take on the situation. I'm a human being with an imagination and I used that imagination to try to walk in those shoes.
Of course my personal ideals are going to bleed into my hypothetical answer to this hypothetical question. That cant be helped.

Here in the west we routinely put people in the witness protection program for breaking their code of honor and flipping on the mafia family they belong too.

Short of turning on the mob or breaking a law, I would have no need to move from here if I broke my code of honor, for I am not held to a tribal custom like the people in Iraq mentioned in the article, I am free to have my own by the very virtues of the culture I exist in.