By Silvana Shametaj Ruli
Before discussing an argument, we must define the concept, philosophy teaches us.
BESA is the most important concept of the traditional Albanian ethical, moral and cultural code. In essence, it represents the word given, the solemn promise and absolute loyalty that is never broken, even at the risk of life. BESA has historically been the backbone of Albanian morality. A sacred promise, where the word had the weight of life and a man was measured by his honor.
According to the Albanian Language Dictionary, this concept has three main meanings:
1. Word of honor and oath
Meaning: It is a person's irrevocable promise.
2. Trust and protection (hospitality)
Meaning: Guaranteeing absolute safety for another, especially for a friend or stranger who comes to your home (one "taken into trust").
3. Suspension of hostilities (Qanun)
Meaning: In customary law (in the Kanun), the besa was a formal truce.
Function: It was a pledge that the family of the murdered person gave to the murderer to suspend the blood feud for a certain period of time.
Breaking a vow was historically considered the greatest shame that could be brought upon a family or a tribe.
In the field of cultural anthropology and Albanian customary law, BESA is not simply defined as a promise, but as a legal and ethical institution of social self-regulation. It represents an absolute moral contract, where the absence of written legal instruments was completely replaced by the inviolability of personal and collective honor.
But today this concept is facing a pronounced phenomenon of abuse and linguistic inflation.
The most critical deviation from the original definition usually occurs at two levels: instrumentalization for interest, when the term is used as a rhetorical strategy to create a false sense of security in commercial transactions or interpersonal relationships, with the aim of manipulating the other party; and the transformation of a code with existential weight into a cliché or banal expression of everyday discourse, completely eliminating the element of accountability that this concept carries in its application.
To abuse FAITH means to devalue the purest spiritual heritage of a people.
When TRUST is abused, harm is not only inflicted on disappointed individuals; it also undermines social capital and mutual trust.
The revision of this concept does not come by mentioning it often as a term, but rather requires a return to its primary definition: that of an uncompromising commitment to truth and integrity.
