by Edward Moses

Created on: November 28, 2009   Last Updated: November 29, 2009

INTEGRITY

"Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will."

This quotation, written by John D. MacDonald the prolific American author, very clearly defines the true meaning of Integrity.

To me, integrity goes hand-in-hand with character and honesty and comprises the personal inner sense of "wholeness" derived from consistent moral soundness in thought and action. Integrity, in order to be genuine and consistent must possess a continuous or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting or missing. It is an all or none proposition and cannot be used as a tool of convenience. That would be manipulation.

In everyday life, integrity can be seen in every aspect of living. It is that inner drive that compels you to do the right thing at all cost. It forces you do the petty or unpopular things, even when no one was looking and no one cared, because it is just the right thing to do. It is also the feeling of satisfaction you experience after completing the right task, even though this may have been to your disadvantage. It is also knowing that although doing the right thing may be tough and demanding, in the end, only good feelings, not guilt or regret, results from it. It is having to stand against your friends and associates if their actions compromise what you know is right and appropriate. It often makes you very unpopular and sometimes leads to isolation and criticism, but everyone recognizes this is the price you must be prepared to pay.

But integrity, to be used effectively, must be tempered with good sense and fairness. At all times, it must be free of the blind and indiscriminate rage of the fanatic, whose actions are not based on reason or good sense, but rather on irrational enthusiasm or uncritical zeal.

Where the fanatic's actions are invariably selfish and contrary to the wellbeing of the general society, the exact opposite is seen in an environment where integrity is dominant. If more people in this world were to practice genuine integrity, the world would be a better and safer place. Unfortunately today's society as a whole has sacrificed its principles of integrity on the altar of convenience and individual domination. As a result we are faced with a world consumed with hate and rage and anger and distrust, where the only solution seems to be in mutual suspicion and destruction.

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