The Honourable Competition Within Civilisation

Let us consider the face as both a symbol and a weapon: a vessel for identity, yet a battleground for power. To strike another’s face is to violate not only their body but also their dignity, for the face is where we encounter the world, where we are judged by others and judge ourselves. A slap is more than a physical act; it is an assertion of superiority, a reminder that one man is above another in the hierarchy of society. Yet this very hierarchy is what makes the face so vulnerable, a visible sign of our place within the social order. This only works within a functional society however. Within a community, the goal is no longer dominance but greatest correctness, which is most encapsulated within the concepts of virtues.

Here is the deeper truth: the face is not the measure of our worth. The face is merely a presentation of the internal alignment of values, and many lie with their face. To be insulted does not diminish us ourselves if we are presenting our face honestly, and how we respond reveals the truth or deception of it. The body may be struck, but the soul remains unshaken. This is why a slap to the face is an insult to one’s visible honour, yet it cannot touch the invisible dignity that resides within. For true honour is not found in the eyes of others, but in the immanent strengths of the individual, our faith which precedes deeds but cannot be measured by them. All the physical strength in the world will do no good without the strengths of character and soul to empower it.

Consider the words of our Christ: “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). This is not a command for passivity, but an invitation to transcend the cycle of violence. To show the other cheek is not to accept injustice, but to reject it in the most profound way possible in a society; to refuse to let the aggressor define our response and therefore undermine our face all together. It is an act of defiance, a declaration that we will not be reduced to the level of those who seek to defile us.

Such an act of grace is not without its cost. To turn the other cheek requires courage, for it demands that we face the insult with humility rather than anger. It asks us to see beyond the momentary injury and into the deeper truth: that dishonour is a singular choice, where our honour is in the sum of our decisions in honest morality. Would you go to war simply to prove yourself a liar?