The Honor Code calls us to be dutiful in service.  And as we saw yesterday, that is a bit like saying, as slaves, we should fulfill our obligations to our master; to serve the one we owe.

But the idea that we should ever consider ourselves slaves, let alone that we have obligations to a master, is highly offensive to modern ears, especially modern American ears.  We fought the Revolution to be free from the tyranny of King George; we fought the Civil War to end slavery.  So, why would the Honor Code ever encourage us to think of ourselves that way?

Well, it starts with recognizing that nobody lives a life of complete freedom.  The Stoic philosopher Seneca said that “[e]very life is a servitude,” while Paul, in his letter to the Romans, makes clear that we are all “slaves to the one whom [we] obey….”  Even when we think of ourselves as independent and free—“I do what I want”—all we’re really saying is that we’re a slave to our own desires.

As Bob Dylan famously sang, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.”  So, whether we serve is not a choice; only whom or what we serve.  Once we recognize that, we can think clearly about why a posture of dutiful service is so important.  We’ll consider what that means later this week.  For now…