The Value of Integrity

Integrity, a nearly dead word, rises as a strong point of character and should be cherished and encouraged in people. People who have integrity can be trusted to act and speak in a manner that shows they have an internal value system. They are a rare breed that should be encouraged among employees, friends, family and officials.

People who hold integrity have a complete and whole sense of values and are able to make decisions based on those values. The situation may change but integrity will still hold the person internally consistent and self-accountable to their behaviors. They are masters of their own mind.

Unfortunately, the U.S. is having a crisis of integrity. We are teaching the values of obtaining our goals without regard to the costs. This means we are suffering from a lack of "wholeness" in values. Young people are growing up not knowing what the concept of integrity is and don't often have a good guide to judge themselves.

It is not the goals themselves that are the issue but the way in which we achieve them. Employees that lack integrity will manipulate information, put forward false sense of self, and will be self-seeking in most of their choices. They will reinforce these behaviors in others through social means or become examples for others to emulate as they go forward.

While they win in the long run they society is the one that suffers. Society must deal with the chaos creates if someone feels that the difference between truth and lying is based on whether they could get caught. People in power can easily abuse their positions to achieve goals while those not in power break down the natural trust that holds society together-civil strife!!

Encouraging integrity in society means supporting and promoting people who have an internal sense of values. As they get ahead in life they begin to offer alternatives for those who are trying to find a way to succeed in their lives. The more people rise to the top that hold certain values the more followers will seek to emulate them.

If not...what is the alternative when those who lack integrity move to the top?