"With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide.
With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt."
Integrity.
It can be a pretty daunting word, especially in a world that operates without it.
As children, we’re repeatedly
schooled on the virtues of integrity and the merits of living according
to the Golden Rule. But as we grow up, we repeatedly confront the
complexities of maintaining ourselves – and our moral principles – on a
steady course.
The more our lives bump up
precariously against those of our fellow man – and our personal fears –
the more we realize that integrity is hardly easy to live by, let alone
maintain.
Whether we’re in school, at work or
engaged in social pursuits, we are continuously challenged to remain
whole and true to our inner compass. We can be cajoled, tricked or lured
into behaving in less than stellar fashion. And we can also be
compromised in unintended ways, like blackmail.
Sometimes we willingly choose to go
astray; at other times we’re unmindful of our thoughts, words and
actions; and, at still other times, we find ourselves in the middle of
unimaginably tough situations that befall us along the life path.
Personal Story
As a case in point, I was asked a
question yers ago when working in the corporate world. One morning, one
of my administrators popped into my office to query me on an issue of
conscience.
“Maura, I know you’re a woman of
faith. But I was wondering about a question someone posed to me. What
would you do if you were a single mom with dying child and no money? If
a strange man asked you to sleep with him in exchange for his paying
for your child’s medical expenses, would you do it?”
Fortunately, it was a hypothetical
question, but I could immediately feel the weight of it. By choosing
either a yes or a no response, there was a penalty to be paid: the life
of a child v. the honor of a woman. Both choices cut into the heart of
one’s integrity.
A few hours later, I called the same administrator back into my office.
“I don’t have an answer to your
question,” I began. “The only thing I could do is send a petition to
Heaven and wait for guidance. I’ve had to that several times in life
where choices appeared impossible and answers unknowable. I know I don’t
have all the answers,” I told her, “but there’s a higher place that
does. Somehow, reliance on that higher guidance enlightens me with
thoughts and wisdom I don’t otherwise possess.”
She seemed surprised by my answer, but also somewhat satisfied by both my honesty and vulnerability.
Walking in Integrity
If integrity is the quality of being
honest and having strong principles, there’s hardly a rule book for
excellence and perfection in an imperfect world.
However, we can choose
along the path of life to find incremental ways, even in a day by day or
moment by moment fashion, to carry ourselves in a way that speaks of
our honesty, ethics, decency and truthfulness.
I offer in this week’s blog two items
that lend themselves to the idea of walking in integrity. The first is a
recent video interview I conducted with elder care businessman Robert
Thor, author of NJustice.
Robert recently released a memoir which focuses on how his own
integrity came into question when he became unwittingly embroiled in Boy
Band mogul Lou Pearlman’s epic Ponzi scheme.
The second is my most recent podcast
which asks, “Can you walk in integrity?” As usual, it provides some
personal stories designed to help you consider your own life stories and
choices in the process.
To watch my interview with Robert Thor, click here for Con Man Lou Pearlman and the Man Who Brought Him Down: #NJustice, the Story of Robert Thor.
Click here or below for Podcast 147 entitled, Walking in Integrity
Maura is an International Speaker on Leadership, Influence and Emotional Intelligence
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