INTEGRITY
SIMPLIFIED
State of affairs…
While we all work so hard at what we
do; we often fail to realize that in achieving the sweet fruits of our
endurance and efforts, there lies irreplaceable life in the steps of the way,
We have failed to understand that
opportunities come and as soon as we’ve gotten hold of them, they cease being
precious; integrity on the other hand follows us around like little puppies
whether we like it or not; if it’s not yet caught up with you; soon it will and
you better be clean,
It’s distressing that all the time we
watch and read news about corruption, fraud, infidelity among others and this
seems to be the norm nowadays; it’s worrying, don’t you think?
And the fact that we seem to have
accepted the “lesser sin” makes it worse,
As a matter of fact, integrity might be
the only missing ingredient in our society today.
Think about it; do you remember those
handshake deals a decade ago?
People would literally shake hands as a
symbol of agreement and right there a contract would be made with both parties
being confident that it shall be done as agreed,
Things were all good and everyone had a
genuine plan on what needed to be done; until they got punched on their faces
with the new realities of life orchestrated by a few sugar- coated
culprits.
Today the world around us has turned
integrity into one of those “posh” words that hovers in leadership circles,
political campaigns, development meetings, afternoon lectures among many
others; yet its practicability has long lost meaning,
And I am persuaded to pose and just
ask; would you recognize integrity if you saw it?
Or even deeper; have you ever stopped
for a minute to assess your integrity levels?
It clearly seems that everyone
considers themselves relatively “good” and “honourable” and in one way or
another, we all stand accused and the sooner we solve the problem the better
for all of us and our future contemporaries,
Calling a spade a spade…
The reality is that if there is
tranquillity “within” then this will automatically reflect “without” in every
aspect,
It’s like a well of water; the
elements’ combination determines its smell, test, value and certainly its
wellness and those who’ve tested it will either warn or point others to its
source,
Integrity is a
compound virtue; like a precious stone that carries with it proportions
of precious essentials, integrity carries with it not only honesty but also
uprightness, trustworthiness, fairness, loyalty and courage to face the
consequences of a decision made or an action; and if one of all these elements
is excluded then it’s no longer integrity,
If you can choose
what’s right vis- a -vis convenience; then you’re a person of integrity.
You see, the call for
integrity isn’t embedded only on the “huge matters of life” like political
aspirations, academic achievements, business transactions, work ethics,
corruption or drug dealings but also on the tiny aspects of our private lives.
It begins in the miniature flaws of our hearts where people aren’t always
ogling,
It’s found in those
moments when we chose the easier options and cosiness over integrity,
It is a personal
choice, an uncompromising and predictably consistent commitment to honour
moral, ethical, spiritual and artistic standards
and principles.
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But more importantly…
Lack of integrity in our today’s
society continues to cost us all great deal; from misused funds to immeasurable
cost of unsettled minds,
We therefore have to work as twice as
hard to restore and build a culture of integrity in our society by aligning our
words with actions bearing in mind that it doesn’t matter one’s charisma,
competency or authority; one is either a person of integrity or not_ you can’t
be in between,
People who fail on commitments to
friends, family or close associates are unlikely to launch enduring trust with
colleagues, suppliers or customers and this deeply tampers with their
integrity_ you just can't fake character; it’s just a matter of time before the
real you oozes out,
Integrity is a habit and this means it
can be learnt and practised; it takes hard work and awareness plus
the willingness to fight other desires contrary to integrity. You ought to be
intentional and willing to fix things about yourself.
This is not to say that we are always
right and on track_ we are imperfect beings gasping for grace and it’s critical
to hold on once in a while and reflect on our actions but most importantly,
when we incur errors we need to acknowledge them, face the consequences thereof
and learn from them.
Integrity is a personal decision_ you
can at any moment, at any circumstance choose to be in integrity regardless of
what others think or even do.
So then choose where you want to be.
But first, choose to be proactive by
changing yourself and your way of living,
Only then are you able to inspire
others.
Mwende
