Do you have to be two-faced to want to save face? Is losing face only possible if you have two faces to start with?
The concept of ‘Staunch’ is familiar to jail, gangs and - to a lesser extent - school kids.
You don’t ‘dob’.... you don’t ‘squeal’ ... you don’t ‘dog it’..... you ‘cop it sweet’ because this is the rule within the alien territory in which you find it hard to remember that you are a wanderer. This is not your natural home. These are the survival techniques which have nothing to do with ethics but are appropriate to recognise if never embrace.
‘ Being Staunch’ is akin to ‘saving face’. It’s a cousin to the idea of
‘ honour’ and it’s a distant relative of ‘Respect.’ They are all external connections which have nothing to do with real self esteem. They are dependant for their continuance upon ‘the gang’ - political, religious, jail based - whatever sort of gang it is.
“Why this line of thought?”
My nephew works in rehabilitation within the Salvation Army. He’s gone through ‘The Program.’ and is much the wiser without being particularly religious. To my mind serious purpose is the ‘gift of desperation’ - a phrase he used today in conversation.
‘The gift of desperation.’ ..... he’ll be a very good writer. His turn of phrase - picked up from working at the coalface - and his simplicity of expression make for good conversation and because ethical dilemmas occur constantly and he is familiar with all the tricks many use to evade and avoid responsibility for their actions, so his responses to these situations give him the potential to really plant a seed which will transform a life.
It’s not ‘a hollow laugh’...... we are all spiritual warriors from the moment we step on the path.