Are all things cyclical?  There is, at the moment, a leader of seemingly unstoppable power.  

What must it be like?  To command such influence and to generate such wealth.  To know that many people wish you dead and that your every move is being watched?

How many people have commanded such a position in this thing of ours?

Despite some excitable exhortations, and having consulted the journals, I would say that the leadership of this thing of ours resembles, in some ways, that of Deimne.  The leadership, leads.  Sure, things happen that create anger and resentment, but there is a definite style and substance to the regime that we find ourself in.

To me, it's clear that we are in a society where being a man of honour actually means something.  There is fear, yes, of course, but also a distinct amount of respect.  

So let us consider the question of power.  What would you do with the power, authority and capacity to enact societal change in this thing of ours? 

Flips through her journals

Yeah its super fun times, actually. 

Jenbola, which journals are you looking at?

The_Big_K, in what sense does being a man of honour means something in this day and age, contrasted to other times?

I guess we all like to think it means something. To be honest, I like to think I matter in some way or another too. But really, does my apparent rank has anything to do with how people treat me? My boss treats me based off how our relatioship formed over time. My fellow family members treat me according to the moments we experienced together. And I value those contacts and interactions.

But to me, all I am is merely the result of the time I spent with the people I care about. But I don't have the faintest idea about what that "somebody" might mean to someone outside of circle of people I work with. If I, with all my efforts, would've lived 5 years ago... would I have been treated differently than I am today? Or let's be more direct, The_Big_K, what do I mean to you? I'm a man of honour - what am I worth to you? Am I a nobody to you, because we never had any form of interaction. Or am I respected by you? And if the latter is true... why? Because after all, we never had any form of interaction before? And if I were to be respected through association, why would you respect those that want to associate themselves with me?

And to get to the abrupt topical switch you presented; why do you want to discuss power and the societal change it could bring all of a sudden? Weren't we just now enjoying the meaningful value of men of honour? Do we need change or was that more of a hypothetical question in regards to expressed malcontent by other parties in the past?

Summarized; What's your goal here, The_Big_K?
Do you want to celebrate today or discover what tomorrow could be like?
 

SteampunkMax, that was almost an eloquent and thought provoking collection of words.

But it is missing a certain something, and that something is recensuerunt pietatem.

Being a Man of Honour in this day and age means, or will mean, that two other men of honour will pay with their life if you behave in a dishonourable way.

That's a start.  That's a societal change, brought about because a very powerful man wishes it to be so.

Personally, I believe that this is a change for good, that it will transform our society.

So, for that reason, I would like to discuss it.  

Now, if I was a very powerful man, I would enact a series of changes.  I would, for example, consider it advisable and interesting to introduce trade tariffs between cities.  I would want men of honour to be protected in ways that others weren't.  

But anyway, to answer your reasonably well constructed question, do I want to celebrate today or discover what tomorrow could be like?

Well, I have done and am suggesting that we do both.

"I tell you this luv. I have never been on top nor do I have the time to do so but if I had power and was top cat and rose to the top. I would want to protect my regime and city at any cost! I would want to know who is who moving and where at all times. I guess that I would see myself eventually becoming a Tyrant Beach under the sun.

"Would I change certain things in this community wise? I don't know, maybe or maybe not but I'd love to see more of the cities and it's allies work together and intertwine more ways to make money as countries do in trade. I think The_Big_K said something about that earlier if I am not mistaken. Now you are probably thinking, what idea's do you have in mind? Well sorry I don't have any at the moment and again this all is hypothetical right?"   

"Protection, now If I heard rumors of any type of an attack on my family or my city, I would investigate them of course, but I'd probably end up going forward with my intuition, which would be to remove any threat at any cost even if it the rumor ends up being false, can't take that risk luv sorry but this is the mafia baby. We are not here to play nice, this isn't school. You always hear that saying it's a doggy dog world out there, well my feline cat like nature is going to scratch back if any threat steps on my tail."

"So umm yea if I ever had a lot of power, I guess I would saver it as long as possible and I would abuse it, why not I can right, can I ?."

*Salt twist her beautiful dark black hair and goes about her day, walking sexier then ever as her stilettos clack away*

Thanks for further elaborating, The_Big_K. You are right that there has been change when those in power announced instructions on how to go about one becoming a man, or woman, of honour. I think that has been a good idea, as raising the bar means that people should try harder which will result in more meaningful interactions across the board.

I have to admit though, I personally have to catch on to an increased value of men of honour. When I see myself in the mirror, I don’t feel worth more than I did some time ago. When I see other people walk by on the streets, supposedly men of honour of some family, I don’t experience an increased amount of respect towards these people. Just like before, when in general just the nod of a family leader was enough, I have no clue for what reasons someone made the cut. Just like before it can be that someone performs fantastically, but in the same way, just like before, it can be that someone is the village idiot, but known to never hurt a fly, so it’s okay to trust him. And that’s fine really. For me being respectful is a normal attitude, especially if I don’t know about what defines them. Perhaps that’s simply humane behaviour.

So regarding these changes, I’m okay with them. If it adds in creating an environment that’s more safe for us all, I’m all for it. But that sense of safety doesn’t necessarily translate to an increased amount of respect I have for Men of Honour in general.

Now regarding your suggestion of protecting Men of Honour in ways other people aren’t, that I do think can be interesting, but it all depends on how that’s put to practice of course. It shouldn’t become an excuse for people to act in dishonourable ways.

Personally, if I had the power, I’d look in to tasking people to do more. So far, I felt most engaged when I participated in competitions, helped with family tasks or simply assisted when troubles arose. Those were the times when relations grew. These were the moments that taught me new things and gave me a sense of fulfilment. But I’ll be honest that there’s been stretches of time when I wondered why I was knocking over liquor stores instead of just spending time with my friends on the civilian path of life. If we could come up with more things to do, it would lead to more social interactions and in that way we’ll be actually recognizing one’s worth in this world as well.