Integrity Meaning, and Your Life’s Foundation
To start with, let’s see the meaning of integrity. According to Wikipedia’s definition, “Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and ethical principles and values. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions. Integrity can stand in opposition to hypocrisy, in that judging with the standards of integrity involves regarding internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding within themselves apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs. The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. In this context, integrity is the inner sense of “wholeness” deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others “have integrity” to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs, and principles they claim to hold”
As I consider some of the reports, and actions and reactions, videos and speeches, news commentators, and documentaries we have today, I think that for the most part, so many people have lost the meaning of integrity. Many have betrayed their ethical principles. And this observation of what is happening in the business world today, both traditional and online business, health care, politics, academic institutions, and everywhere is concerning.
What has been going on in so many quarters and individual lives shows strong evidence that many have lost their life compass and are now heading to dead ends. Truth be told, many people are no longer operating on the principles of integrity. Why? The only thing I could guess is that many people are not living their life and for the purpose, they are meant to live. Many are still struggling with a mixed identity syndrome; while some people did not have an integrity foundation to start with. The Wikipedia definition of integrity is huge, and it is glorious. But are we living such value-driven lives today?
There Is Need For Re-evaluations At All Levels
Today so many people as a result of being so overly busy have neglected taking time to examine their lives, as Socrates, the great Greek Philosopher once said during his time, “An unexamined life is not worth living. The question for us today is, have we examined our personal lives? Did we build our life’s foundations on core life principles or on Rubbles? Are we really paying attention to some of the key issues in our lives? such issues as faith matters, integrity, core values, real-life principles, on things that have internal values. Are we really really living in harmony with ourselves and others? What legacy are you going to leave behind? These are serious personal questions that demand your honest answers.
Honesty As A Core Principle
Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now – always —Albert Schwitzer
It is hard these days to speak and defend the truth or even defines it. Its as if we are living in a truth dilemma society, I mean globally. nobody calls a spade a spade any longer. Telling the truth or beliving the truth has become a controversial issue. Why so? Yesterday, I received a video of a young healthcare frontline worker. She was sharing the horror of what has been going on at some hospitals, what the healthcare workers have been experiencing and because of fear of losing their jobs or lives, nobody wants to speak up to tell what has been happening.
According to the video message, the NP stated that nobody wants to tell the truth of what they are experiencing, the nature and number of deaths being reported daily and their actual cause, and the horror at the hospitals, the fate of the COVID-19 patients. She stated that she made up her mind to take the risk to get out the message to people even if it cost her job or life that it is worth it for her. Speaking on behalf of her friends and colleagues who cannot speak up. She shared many things that will be very hard for me to share in this space. After watching the video, all I could say is God have mercy upon man! Why have people abandoned their core values? their professional ethics? Where’s man’s conscience these days? These are serious questions to ask when considering how much evil that’s going on in our world today?.
How Solid Is Your Foundation?
I have always had a kind of reservations for tall buildings. You call it Acrophobia. Notwithstanding the size of the building, it doesn’t matter if it is 10 – 15 decks, skyscrapers, or a bungalow. What matters is the foundation on which the building stands. Although not common in the US some of us must have heard about stories of collapsed buildings in some places sometimes so deadly in some places. When such tragedies struck the investigation reports will always link the collapse to the foundation, and use of wrong materials used for the construction. Many house owners and builders have made the mistake of putting up a gigantic building on unstable ground areas. Similarly, the same mistakes are done by how we as individuals build our lives.
This reminds me of the parable in the scriptures about two builders nicknamed wise and foolish builders as seen in Mathew 7:24-27. Both men were builders, but how the built, and the foundation each laid before building made a huge difference and described the title each received from the evaluate – Jesus in this parable. For you reading this, I consider you to be a wise builder, with the hope that you are taking time to build your life, and vision for your future on a solid foundation of moral principles, core values faith in the Higher power. And not on any other status you have achieved. Because rubbles of wealth, education, power, and fame do not provide security when the storms of life hit or at the end of life journey.
The divine manual has been given to humans detailing man’s purpose and how to live a life of peace and joy, but man has rejected the way of truth. Who has ever bought new vehicles and refuses to take a manual from the dealers or the manufacturer of such vehicles or even any device? Who does that? But indirectly this what man has decided to do with his life and against his creator. The divine manual asked humans to be truthful at any circumstances but then, the man’s manual warns humans to be careful of telling the truth in other not to offend anyone. Unbelievable! For every cause, there is an effect.
Why are the continents, countries’ and today’s societies shaking? Why are things falling apart before our eyes even the center can no longer hold? Why is it that everybody is talking at the same time while nobody is listening? Why the much crazy behaviors than ever before? These are questions that demand some honest answers. Why are we burning our real energy pursuing the fleeting things of life rather than facing reality? Why are so many people who have gotten all these luxuries of life, mansions, personal islands, immeasurable wealth, and stuffed bank accounts not living a fulfilled life? How happy are they? Are they truly satisfied with their lives? Solomon the wise King summed it up by saying” vanity upon vanity all is vanity” Eccseatics 1:12. Also, another great Icon, Steve Jobs an Apple Icon on his sickbed before he died, left a sobering message for everyone. I recommend you to google his name and his message, it’s better that you read it directly. You can just type in https://www.stevejobs.com.
Learn Who You Are and To Choose To Live
I strongly believe that as individuals, we owe it to ourselves to know who we are and to find out our life’s purpose as humans. We have to also know about which foundation we are building the structures of life. If not, I strongly encourage you today to start taking a new look at things, start taking some actions to rethink and to correct some faulty beliefs and weak foundations you might have built your life on. You can restart all over, if that is what it takes, to reinforce your foundational structure before the caving starts. Go and ask any structural engineer, he will tell you the importance of a solid foundation and the cost of it.
These are not the days of over-commitment in pursuit of wealth, money, power, titles, in expense, or to the negligence of our core values. As we look at the present days’ events, the uncertainties, the frustrations, the confusion, the manipulations, and distortions of truth, the unimaginable death tolls, some due to neglect, apathy, selfishness, while selflessness is the badge of duty, yet selfishness is the practice. This time calls for real-time for a re-evaluation of our lives and values and the core principles we are leaning on as individuals and every institution. We still have a second chance since we still have this phenomenon called life and freedom! Let us decide to choose life and to live a life of integrity!
Integrity is what really makes a man’s full potentials to be totally utilized.. Your level of integrity proves that your foundation is worth it as it proves your identity…. Really don’t have much to say as the article has explained it all….
Thanks anyway for the love of sharing This article
Hi evans, thank you so much for your valuable summary-like comment to my Post.
You’re absolutely right when you say that “integrity is what really makes a man’s full potentials to be totally utilized”. I took the keyword you provided in that first sentence to be powerful. That means that many people are not or did not utilize their full potentials as a result of a lack of integrity.
The call is for each and everyone to re-examine his or her foundation, how firm is it? what are the guiding principles upon which your life and business are depending on? Are you a man or a woman of character – integrity? We can start all over!
Thanks for your useful comment.
Favorme. – Sarah
There seems to be, as generations go by, a blurred line from what’s our moral standards judge between good or wrong. There seems to not be very much internal consistency, sadly. We embrace what our family, religious leaders or society impose us but in reality, it’s so susceptible to circumstances that we can’t trust it.
There must be a reference point to which all of us humans go and embrace what that reference point states.
Abel, thank you so much, for your input to my post.
Absolutely, there must be a reference point, and that reference point is what is required from each and every one of us to find and to be sure that it is what holding unto.
The goal of this post is not for intellectual exercise instead it for us to use it as a reminder for a re-evaluation and for the discovery of how we are living our lives, and to consider what principles our lives and business have been built on, as to make some adjustments, reinforcements where necessary. I hope that my readers will see it that way.
Thanks for your comment.
Favorme. – Sarah.
This is one of the most useful articles I have read so far. It is true that many have actually lost the true or the core values of life because we are carried away by the trendings of the present day world which includes wealth, fame and so many other things.
I personally don’t joke with my integrity and I don’t trade my core values for anything. Your article really reminded me of who I am. I will hold on to my true values. Thanks so much.
Hi Kenechi, Thanks for your kind comment on my post. I believe the topic of integrity and the way I try to present it shows the importance of our lives and business conducts. Profit and success are good but they are not the core principles. The Scripture put’s it this way, ” in Luke 12:15, He said to them, “watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed…a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of what he possesses.
Without a good foundation, whatever structure that is built on a weak foundation is bound to collapse with time. Unfortunately, many people don’t even bother to think about life and business in this way. So sad.
I’m glad that you found the article useful.
Thanks for your comment.
Favorme – Sarah_