If one is honor bound to enough obligations, eventually some of them will end up at cross purposes with each other. It is in this way that people end up with unpayable debts whose holders they must honor.
Let me give you an example. A man is obligated to remain free and able to practice in his profession. He is also obligated to treat his friends well and do them no harm. Yet one day a friend discovers that the man has done something illegal. As a law officer the friend's own giri demands that he report the crime. He ends up conflicted between two obligations--between his friend and the law--just as the first man is conflicted between his friend and his obligation to keep his good name and keep his life from ruin.
In each case, all that they can do is their best. They must choose, while doing the best they can to make up for the path they could not honor. In this particular case, the first man attacked the second to keep him from reporting him. Because of this and similar activities he now has a lifelong debt to the other, which he executes largely using the skills of his profession.
In short--it is one hell of a problem, yes. But the most that can be expected of any man is that he do his best to honor both obligations however he can.
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Date: 2011-09-13 07:02 pm (UTC)Let me give you an example. A man is obligated to remain free and able to practice in his profession. He is also obligated to treat his friends well and do them no harm. Yet one day a friend discovers that the man has done something illegal. As a law officer the friend's own giri demands that he report the crime. He ends up conflicted between two obligations--between his friend and the law--just as the first man is conflicted between his friend and his obligation to keep his good name and keep his life from ruin.
In each case, all that they can do is their best. They must choose, while doing the best they can to make up for the path they could not honor. In this particular case, the first man attacked the second to keep him from reporting him. Because of this and similar activities he now has a lifelong debt to the other, which he executes largely using the skills of his profession.
In short--it is one hell of a problem, yes. But the most that can be expected of any man is that he do his best to honor both obligations however he can.