Integrity — A mixture of the best traits
Integrity is a word I’m sure most of us have heard, but perhaps not understood well enough. The first idea that pops up in our mind, when we hear of the word ‘integrity’ is ‘honesty’. While honesty forms the main core of this exceptional trait, there is a lot more to it than just being honest. Integrity is also the state of having a strong moral ground, and one’s strong will to continue over it.
These days, politicians, people in power, and a lot more people we see in our daily lives, conquer hearts with their words. From people of power, we’ve always heard words of goodness, promises that make them seem saint like often, but we’ve often been unfortunate to have witnessed all these people go back on their words, and turn up extremely different from the exemplary versions of themselves that they once claimed to be.
“People of honesty and integrity not only practice what they preach. They are what they preach.”
- David Bednar
It requires a great deal of courage as well, to keep one’s promises, and live by them. At the same time, it must be noted that this doesn’t mean that people should keep following one ideology or statement for the rest of their lives. We are all in a continuous process of learning, and when we come across something that seems more accurate than what we had previously learnt, it is ideal to change one’s view point. The fear of correcting oneself shouldn’t keep someone from living doing the wrong thing.
What is intended by ‘integrity’, is to not keep doing actions that contradict your views and words. A person with integrity would never tread the stoned path of hypocrisy. Hence, it would feel a lot easier to trust them, and this trait makes them reliable as well.
Integrity, again does not mean, doing the right thing and living by one’s words just when everybody is watching. Charity by the day, can never justify theft by the night. A person with integrity has an unwavering moral compass. It is as simple as returning a wallet that you find on the floor, or returning the extra change the shopkeeper gives you by mistake, even if you get absolutely no credit for it. It is doing the right thing even when no one is watching or judging you.
“Supporting the truth, even when it is unpopular, shows the capacity for honesty and integrity.”
- Steve Brunkhors
People are naturally afraid of being different. We’ve been taught to stick to popular opinion, and rarely raise our concerns even when we know we’re right. Call out the wrong things you see, courageously. The fear of being judged, shouldn’t stop anyone from being true to themselves. Be honest, and accountable for your words and actions, be it in a crowd, or when you are alone. Integrity, this admirable trait, is a mixture of honesty, accountability, reliability and trust. And the ones who possess this, are bound to take great strides in their journey.
