What is Your Code of Conduct – EP 190

Roman code or Mos Maiorum

• Mos maiorum means the way of the elders

• 8 virtues
  • Fideas – Be trust worthy
    • The Latin word fides encompasses several English words, such as trust/trustworthiness, good faith/faithfulness, confidence, reliability, and credibility. It was an important concept in Roman law, as oral contracts were common. 
  • Pietas – Be respectful
    • Pietas was the Roman attitude of dutiful respect towards the gods, homeland, parents, and family, which required the maintenance of relationships in a moral and dutiful manner. 
  • Religio and Cultus – Be religious
    • Related to the Latin verb religare, “to bind”, religio was the bond between gods and mortals, as carried out in traditional religious practices for preserving the pax deorum (“peace of the gods”). Cultus was the active observance and the correct performance of rituals. Religious practice, in this sense, is to be distinguished from pietas and its inherent morality. See religion in ancient Rome and imperial cult (ancient Rome).
  • Disciplin – Be diciplined
    • The military character of Roman society suggests the importance of disciplina, as related to education, training, discipline, and self-control.
  • Gravitas and constantia – Self Control or Temperance
    • Gravitas was dignified self-control. Constantia was steadiness or perseverance. In the face of adversity, a good Roman was to display an unperturbed façade. Roman myth and history reinforced this value by recounting tales of figures such as Gaius Mucius Scaevola, who in a founding legend of the Republic demonstrated his seriousness and determination to the Etruscan king Lars Porsenna by holding his right hand in a fire.
  • Virtus – Core values
    • Derived from the Latin word vir (“man”), virtus constituted the ideal of the true Roman male. Gaius Lucilius discusses virtus in some of his work and says that it is virtus for a man to know what is good, evil, useless, shameful, or dishonorable.
  • Dignitas and auctoritas – serve others with dignatity
    • Dignitas and auctoritas were the end result of displaying the values of the ideal Roman and the service of the state, in the forms of priesthoods, military positions, and magistracies. Dignitas was a reputation for worth, honor and esteem. Thus, a Roman who displayed their gravitas, constantia, fides, pietas and other values of a Roman would possess dignitas among their peers. Similarly, by that path, a Roman could earn auctoritas (“prestige and respect”).

Us military Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct provides guidance for the behavior and actions of members of the Armed Forces of the United States. This guidance applies not only on the battlefield but also in the event that the service member is captured and becomes a prisoner of war (POW). The Code is delineated in six articles.

• Article I:
  • I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
• Article II:
  • I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
• Article III:
  • If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
• Article IV:
  • If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
• Article V:
  • When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give my name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
• Article VI:
  • I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

Spartan code of Honor

• The Spartan hoplite followed a strict laconic code of honor. No soldier was considered superior to another.
• Suicidal recklessness, misbehavior, and rage were prohibited in the Spartan army, as those behaviors endangered the phalanx. Recklessness could also lead to dishonor, as in the case of Aristodemus.
• Spartans regarded those who fight, while still wishing to live, as more valorous than those who don’t care if they die.
• They believed that a warrior must not fight with raging anger but with calm determination.
• Spartans must walk without any noise and speak only with a few words in the laconic way of life.
•  Other ways for Spartans to be dishonored include dropping the shield (rhipsaspia), failing to complete the training, and deserting in battles. Dishonored Spartans were labeled as outcasts and would be forced to wear different clothing for public humiliation.
•  In battles, the Spartans told stories of valor to inspire the troops and, before a major confrontation, they sang soft songs to calm the nerves.

Bushido code

• Righteousness (義 gi). Justice is the most important virtue for the samurai. A true samurai does not attack the enemy without an important reason.
• Loyalty (忠義 chūgi). Loyalty is the 2nd most important thing in life. The samurai should always be loyal to his master. The samurai should also believe his duty to protect his master is the meaning of life.
• Honor (名誉 meiyo). A life without honor is not a life. If a samurai makes a mistake, he should honor his name by committing suicide. (Example: The story of 47 samurai (the Ako Incident).
• Respect (礼 rei). A samurai should always respect his enemy. A samurai respects his opponent before and after the fight. Even if a samurai kills his opponent, he is very respectful to the corpse.
• Honesty ( 誠 sei). A samurai never lies. “Deception” does not exist in the Book of a Samurai.
• Courage  (勇 yū). A samurai fights until the end. A samurai is never afraid of anything. He is not afraid of death. A samurai is always brave because he fights for something he believes in.
• Consistency (誠 makoto ). A samurai never change their path. He is like a dragonfly, he always moves forward, he never moves back.

What is your code?

Why do you need a code?

What is in a code?