Unfortunately, these are attributes that are lacking in much of the populace. It should come as no surprise that I have some thoughts on that, too. I've written before about the Strauss-Howe theory of societal phases and how it can be summarized (very broadly) into the old saw that goes:

• Hard times make tough people.
• Tough people make good times.
• Good times make weak people.
• Weak people make hard times.

We are, clearly, in the final stage of this evolution. One need look no further than the nation's elite college campuses to see this; the rabble-rousers and protesters are fundamentally weak people, both physically and intellectually. Of the two, the intellectual weakness is the most dangerous; these young skulls full of mush are taught not how to think but what to think and, chillingly, what not to think. They are taught not to question their force-fed ideologies, that truth is not immutable, that victimhood is a virtue, that facts are conditional, and that strength and honor are toxic and probably racist.

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Let's look at these four attributes, one by one.

Respect.  

It's tiresome to hear people who deserve no respect — street punks, vapid celebrities, random internet nobodies — complain that they are "disrespected." If that is so, it is because, by and large, they deserve no respect. Respect is a two-way street, and must be earned. One earns respect by being honest and trustworthy, by keeping one's word, and by always speaking the truth — not your truth but the truth, whether that truth be convenient for the speaker or not. Respect is only possible between people who have earned it; the whiners are not looking for respect, as they don't know what it means. They are looking instead for a social validation they have not earned.

Fortitude.

Fortitude encompasses mental endurance, the ability to face adversity and continue, to stay the course, and to win through by simply not giving up. Thomas Edison was said to hold to the view (apocryphally) that success was "10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration," but the quote from Edison my father was fondest of was, "People often don't recognize opportunity when it knocks because it usually shows up in overalls and looks like work." Fortitude means, that if one is given a task, one completes it; it means knowing and accepting that life is the long haul and, no matter what roadblocks appear in your way, one can overcome them.

Strength.

This doesn't necessarily mean physical strength, although that is important as well. My wife, thanks to her Desert Storm service, has struggled for over 30 years with chronic pain and loss of balance on her left side and was told she would be in a wheelchair by the time our youngest went to kindergarten. That youngest is now 28, and my wife is still walking, mostly through sheer determination; she has more physical and emotional courage than anyone I've ever known. Strength means having the capability, mentally and physically, to deal with any adversity. Strength includes courage, adaptability, a willingness to take on new tasks, learn new skills, understand what needs doing, and then go out and do it.

Honor.

This one may be the most important.

Honor combines all of the above traits. A person who has honor has the esteem of others, not because of their birth or their position, but because of who they are and what they have achieved. One can be said to have honor if one has achieved all of the other traits: respect, fortitude, and strength. Honor also encompasses taking pride in those other aspects, in the respect one has earned, in the fortitude one has developed, and in the strengths one has cultivated. Pride must also be tempered by honesty and wisdom; to quote my Dad again, a smart man knows what he knows, a wise man knows what he doesn't know.

If one has respect, fortitude, strength, and honor, then one is not afraid to encounter challenges, whether they be physical or mental. One is not afraid to encounter contrary opinions or viewpoints. One faces adversity with head held high, with defiance, and with the will and ability to emerge victorious. One understands that truth is immutable, that facts matter, that strength and honor are good.

Sadly, these are values that are missing from much of the populace.

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These are not characteristics that can be taught in schools or universities, at least not how those institutions are configured today. There is a good argument to be made that our elite universities are doing everything they can to negate the value of any of these things. Nor can the government mandate or even influence these characteristics — in fact, an overbearing, over-powerful, intrusive government works actively against all of these traits to further the grasping for power of politicians and bureaucrats.

These are things that can only rise organically, and one way that can happen — and it looks like we are headed in that direction — is through conflict.

I'm hoping that won't happen. I believe that beneath all of the unrest we see on the news, despite the weak whiners that so often appear on our TV and computer screens making petulant demands they don't understand the consequences of, lies a solid core of people who have and value respect, fortitude, strength, and honor, whether they would phrase it in those exact words or not. These – we — are the people who will always win through; we are the tough people who will make, once again, good times.