W

hen I first came to BYU–Idaho, I had roommates who had vast amounts of respect for those around them. They followed the Honor Code and were very friendly. Even though we all had different outlooks on life, we strove to do what was right. These were some of my best memories, but I do have a couple experiences I could have done without. 

One semester I had a very different experience. The housing was campus approved, but the actions of some of my roommates there did not suggest so. There was little regard for some of the rules, especially curfew. 

Anyone who had confronted my roommates in the past on this issue were labeled as “self-righteous,” or in other words, proud of their righteousness. 

This raises the question, why isn’t there a term for openly rebellious people? Has anyone ever coined the term “self-wicked” for people who are proud of their wickedness?

In a 2006 Devotional, President Kim B. Clark presented the Honor Code Map, which better illustrates my point. Those in the hypocrisy or “self-righteous” section keep the letter but not the spirit of the Honor Code. Those who break the spirit and letter of the Honor Code are in rebellion or what I would like to call the “self-wicked.”

President Clark said of this group: “If you are in this zone, I invite you to do one of two things. 

1. Repent and get out of the zone; in other words, change your ways. 

2. If you … do not want to change, I invite you to … attend another university. If you are in rebellion against the Honor Code and if you persist in that rebellion, this is not the university for you. You have no right to be here, and there are many worthy students who would like to take your place.”

The funniest part of all of this is how much the self-righteous and self-wicked have in common. They both try to enforce their unjust code of conduct on others. The self-righteous group holds others to a law for which they are not ready (thus ignoring the spirit of the Honor Code), while the self-wicked group disregards both the spirit and letter of the Honor Code in trying to get others to rebel with them.

The best path to take is between self-righteous and self-wicked. This means to not judge others and just do what’s right.