7th Tenet of the Code: Defend Humanity
Defend: To take a stand in support of something without regard to the cost.
This tenant comprises two primary levels. One is to take a stand for all humankind, striving for a higher purpose, something larger than oneself. This may seem daunting. You might ask: “How can one person change the world?”
But in truth the world changes every second because of the actions of millions of people acting alone. The challenge is helping each individual find the higher purpose that allows their actions to move in harmony rather than conflict.
Striving for a higher purpose may at times seem easy because you are aiming at a large target. But pursuing such a goal requires a long-term commitment to excellence and consistency because to achieve something beyond yourself, you must strive to be better than you are today.
Another level of this tenet is to take a stand for the humaneness that resides in every man, that essence within each person that makes them distinct and unique. The definition of humane: The best qualities of mankind; integrity, honor, loyalty. To work at this level you must be tenacious enough to fight to bring out these qualities in every man you encounter, and trust that every man possesses these qualities.
However you hold the tenet, you must take a stand for something outside of yourself and do so without regard to what is personally at stake for you.