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Originally Posted by KC Fish

This is one military tradition that I've never really understood. I have all the respect in the world for our military force. But why make these poor guys stand motionless out there in bad weather? What point does that make? We all know these guys are dedicated and committed, and a helluva lot tougher than me. But this just seems completely unnecessary. What if a hurricane hits them out there? Should we really risk their lives just to make a point about how tough and committed they are?

Sorry, no disrespect to soldiers. I just can't understand how this is justified these days.

They guard the tomb out of respect, Mr. KC Fish. There really isn't any more to it than that and they require no other reason.

But I fear that, as time goes on, the concept of respect becomes stranger and makes less sense to more people. In fact, I would venture to say that respect is something that few people truly understand anymore.

You know, the ancient Greeks had this extremely important concept called "sophrosyne". Unfortunately, that word can no longer be translated by any single English word.

This quality, "sophrosyne" was, to the Greeks, an ideal second to none in importance. But it is no longer counted among our ideals. We have simply lost the conception of it. We can sort of describe its parts (after a fashion), but we cannot name it or properly define it. It is a human quality that, once revered, no longer exists.

I have a theory that the same thing is eventually going to happen with our Western concept of respect. At some point in the future, it will be an extinct idea to feel or hold "respect" for another human being.

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