Integrity

Did you ever wonder how some people can do certain things that you wouldn’t even dream of doing because those things just aren’t right? Or have you noticed the way some men or women seem to become comfortable with worse and worse choices over time. Chances are that others may even have had similar questions about yours or my actions at some time in the past. Most folks aren’t born dishonest, but once they make a few dishonest choices it gets easier each time. When we observe those who seem to tumble over the dark edges of integrity more closely, we discover that it is more of a slide than a fall. One careful step is taken at a time, but those small steps pave the way for the inevitable ethical fall from grace which has become so prevalent in our culture. Outright theft begins with petty larceny. Infidelity begins with impure thoughts and soft porn. Small lies grow into larger ones. The list goes on and on. Indeed, our lives are a constant series of tiny choices, each of which helping to determine our direction. And, in the end, direction determines destination. When we make an honorable choice, our lives travel ever so slightly in that direction. The same is true with our less honorable choices. Each of us has a conscience. The more we exercise it, the stronger and more defined it becomes. However, when we neglect or abuse it, it becomes impotent over time. A little fudging now and then seems like it wouldn’t hurt. Sure, everyone drives a little over the speed limit and cheats some on their taxes. It always starts small, but once we discover how easy it is to bend the rules, we begin to assume that all the lines of morality are elastic in nature. From there it’s a short trip downhill. We have all known folks who have taken that downward spiral and it is rarely becoming. The real danger is that if you dance around the edge of the quicksand for too long, you’ll eventually end up neck deep in it ... and then it can be too late to save you. Those better choices we have the opportunity to make each day can have an impact on our lives as well. They make us better people, better citizens, better parents, better human beings. Isn’t that who we want to be? Isn’t that the legacy we want to leave for our children and grandchildren? Let us consider carefully, therefore, all those little choices we make each day and see that they lead us down the path of integrity. For no one leaves this world regretting such a life.

Integrity
So often we can justify
any action we might take
We bend the rules far beyond
the point where they should break
Defending actions wholly
unacceptable, in fact
Except, of course, if it is us
who perpetrate the act
At first, we start with little things
misdemeanors and white lies
Then, as our character erodes
we see with different eyes
Overlooking more and more
until we barely see
What would have been so crystal clear
when we had more integrity
But as the sediment builds up
within a person's heart
He discerns his actions differently
than he did back at the start
He discovers that the world owes him
a little something more
And finds himself involved in things
he never would have long before
But another creature has evolved
from the one he used to be
With a conscience worn and twisted
and without integrity
It didn't happen overnight
indeed, the change is slow
As he discards a host of values
which were cherished long ago
We all fudge when it's convenient
and cheat a little, what's the harm
As long as no one seems to care
and we cover it with charm
But every time we cross the line
we drag it just a bit
Until we can't remember where it was
or why we needed it
Then we reach a point where honor
has no value or appeal
And a man who has no honor
is a man who's free to steal
Who can justify his actions
to himself so easily
Once he has ground off all the teeth
of his own integrity
And each of us is wandering
somewhere along that road
Making moral choices every day
which can build or can erode
And he, who chooses wisely
proves himself a man indeed
For he confirms that he is more
than just a slave of greed
The road will fork uncounted times
throughout each man's history
But the sweetest destination lies
down the path of integrity
             By Frank Carpenter ©