I save the frivolous stuff for my columns and let loose on my blog . Perhaps its easier since there doesn’t seem to be many people reading my posts and I almost feel like I am thinking aloud. It lets me speak about things and feelings I would normally not put forth in public.
My latest point to ponder is that of integrity. I have doubts as to what it means – I know the literal meaning of course but how exactly can one explain it? Is it the adherence of an individual to consistently held beliefs and values? Or is it to be confused with morality? I cannot make it out. Is doing something which seems wrong to you a violation of your integrity? Is then one man’s integrity completely different from another’s? How can one answer these questions?
I do not lie, steal or maim but I do lose my temper more often than I should. Is my integrity comparable with that of say a serial killer who believes in the purity of his actions? So to define integrity as following consistently one inner system of principles or core values doesn’t really make sense. Apparently the word itself follows from ‘integer’ and is associated with wholeness. It is also considered to be the opposite of hypocrisy. And yet all these together still make it hard to define integrity the way I understand it.
I believe integrity can be defined as sticking to a higher standard and doing so consistently and not only when someone is watching. It means trying to go above ourselves to do what may be difficult but somehow right. Its no use saying my right is someone’s wrong – there are certainly some universal rights that have the same meaning the world over. If it is difficult for me to refrain from stealing (or violence or whatever), that cannot justify my indulging in it when I know I am wrong. So integrity has to be cultivated, it needs work – some of us may have grown up with the right attitude but have left that by the wayside in order to make our way forward in life just that little bit sooner. Some of us have never had anyone teach us right from wrong but know innately what feels right and follow that path no matter how onerous.
If you find yourself making inane excuses in order to follow a particular course of action, then it stands to reason that the action will violate your integrity as you perceive it. And that perhaps is the only way to measure one’s integrity level. Do you succumb or stand back and refuse to give in? It is ultimately the measure of one’s true worth.
