Integrity. What is it? Merriam Webster defines it as a “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values”. Interesting. It isn’t just about doing what you say you will do. You must adhere to an especially moral value. If someone has a lapse in morals, then they have also had a lapse in their integrity, and vice versa.
I recently helped a friend who was subject to an individual who crashed his integrity at high speed, head on into my friend. In the court of life, my friend was tried and convicted of a wrong that he didn’t commit. The prosecution called witnesses, but my friend was tried in absentia. He was not provided legal council or the opportunity to voice his innocence. The case against him was based on hearsay and gossip. Why did the accuser stray so far from a path that “adhered to an especially moral value”? I have no idea, but it seemed to be entirely based on self-interest at the sake of the greater good. This loss of integrity was used to influence others around him. Very disappointing, indeed.
Why am I telling you this (and yet saying so little)? Well, as you already know, I like to mentor through storytelling. A loss of integrity can spread like a virus, infecting one after another after another. What starts out as being self-centered and self-serving can impact others who are susceptible to the message.
If you have a lapse in your integrity, you’ve lost a lot.
Hold your integrity close to you, as you would a loved one.