A lot of people when they think of integrity think of knights from stories long ago. Integrity isn't just an antiquated outdated concept. Frequently we hear that integrity is a very important quality to have in an employee, a romantic partner or a friend. But what is it? What is integrity?
According to dictionary.com integrity is adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
Let's say the company you work for makes hi-tech weaponry, under government contract, for the U.S. military. If they just hired any random person off the street, that person might decide to put some more money in their own pocket by selling the blueprints to other countries.
This would be both highly illegal and extremely unethical. In this type of situation it is very important to be able to trust the person that you have working for you. A person who has integrity would not find it within their own abilities to make the traitorous choice. Their moral code would prevent such a thing from even being an option.
Many partners in long term relationships get bored and decide to play the field so to speak. Circumstances may just happen to fall in such a way as to make it easy for them to cheat on their mate. Consistent long hours at work or forced separation due to a job where one or the other is constantly traveling often open the doors to temptation. A person of integrity however, would feel honor bound to not stray.
Often people make complete fools of themselves and ask other people's opinions. Let's say you are wearing a completely ridiculous hat. Or you want to know if a particular dress makes you look fat. Most people will tell you what you want to hear. They will say no that hat looks fine or nah you look great in that dress. But the truth is they will be snickering and laughing at you behind your back.
The old story about the emperor's new clothing is a perfect example of a society without integrity. A person of integrity will tell you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear.
Come to think of it integrity includes or is directly linked to most of the traits that we find good in other people. Honor, honesty,ethics,loyalty,self control,politeness,reliability, responsibility,maturity, and knowing what is right and what is wrong and deliberately choosing right, even when it is the more difficult of the options available. It is somewhat of the lynchpin that many good traits revolve around. If you surround yourself with people who have integrity you will see many of the those other things will just fall in line all around you.
Think about the people that you know. How many of them would you say have integrity as part their overall character? Now think about which ones do have it and which ones don't. Which are the more positive influences on your life? Which are people that you feel you should spend more time around if you could? And which should you avoid?
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