Below, is one of my own, earlier articles about integrity, plus an article that’s a favorite of mine from the Maliwada Human Development Training School.
Therefore this post is split into two parts, taking on two perspectives, related to the topic of integrity.
Enjoy both articles…
Article 1: Profound Personal Integrity
We are going to visit the arena of Profound Humanness called “Integrity”.
Sometimes “integrity” is reduced to mean a kind of moral uprightness and steadfastness, in the sense of saying, “You have too much integrity to ever take a bribe”.
Profound integrity goes far beyond this. Sometimes, in order to distinguish it from more limited popular usage, it is called “secondary integrity”. This is the integrity which is not constrained by limited moralities, however well intentioned.
The integrity that is profound living is the singularity of thrust of a life committed and ordering every dimension of the self towards that commitment.
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters. -Alan Simpson Share on XThus the self is in fact shaped by the self, and focused towards that commitment. You can say that an audacious creation of the self takes place in integrity, without which you are simply the creation of the various forces impacting you in your society.
The basis of integrity is a destinal resolve, a resolve that chooses and sets your destiny and out of which your whole life is ordered.
The object of that resolve is the ultimate decision of each person, and each person makes that choice, consciously or unconsciously. To do so with awareness is the height of our responsibility. It is incarnate freedom. It is what real freedom looks like.
When you have thus exercised your freedom you realize that to be true to yourself ever thereafter you have a unique position to look at the values of society.
You are no longer bound by the opinions and codes of others, but reevaluate then on the basis of their impact on your destinal resolve.
Thus the person of integrity is continuously engaged in a societal transvaluation, a moving across the values of society and reinterpreting them in line with their life’s thrust.
It does not give you the liberty of ignoring your society, but your obligation transcends the conformity of living within the codes and mores of your society.
Thus the person of profound integrity always seems to not quite fit with everyone else, but your actions always are appropriate for you, even to those who oppose you.
No matter how odd the person of profound integrity appears to their neighbors, they experience themselves as securely anchored.
While you are very clear that this world is not your home, nevertheless you experience yourself as having found your native vale.
You experience an eternal at-one-ness, not so much with the currents and waves of activity around you, but with the deeper trends of history itself.
Amid the flux of wavering to and fro that is so evident in others, you experience an inexplicable rootedness, as though you have sunk a taproot deep into the foundations of the earth itself.
Though you experience life as a long journey, even an endless journey, towards the object of your resolve, yet you never sense yourself as a stranger on the journey. It’s as if you’d been there before. Original integrity is experienced primarily by this sense of at-one-ness.
Kierkegaard once wrote a book about this kind of integrity that he titled, “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing”. An ancient philosopher focused his wisdom around this integrity with the advice, “Know yourself, and to your own self, be true”.
Know yourself, and to your own self, be true. Share on X“This document comes from the curriculum of the Maliwada Human Development Training School in Maliwada, India, which is a former program of ICA International They are not certain of the year, so there are no further details that they could provide for a citation.”
Quoted from an email dated 13 Feb. 2008 sent to me by the Director of Development and Communications at The Institute of Cultural Affairs International (ICA) in Quebec, Canada.
I have rewritten the second article by taking out the reference to “man” or “he”, and replacing it with “you” or “yourself” so that women will not feel left out when reading the text and so that it feels more personal rather than third-party.
Article 2: Integrity Is An Intrinsic Knowledge That All’s Right
Wisdom is knowing what path to take next. Integrity is taking it. -Robyn Elpruhzlein Share on X“The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into our mind, but how to get the old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.” -Dee Hock
You know that wonderful feeling?
Sitting down at the end of a day when you have accomplished a mountain of tasks. Those one’s you’ve been meaning to attend do for months, sometimes even years!
It gives a real sense of freedom and lightness.
This feeling is a source of power.
The foundation of creativity and designing your own life and success, is integrity.
Integrity, not defined simply as basic honesty and truthfulness. Integrity is also an intrinsic knowledge that all is right with your world.
For example, is your environment in complete alignment with your values and intent? Include in your environment, the people in your life! Plus…
a. What do you do that you could/should stop doing?
b. What do you not do that you could/should be doing?
c. What could/should you do more of?
d. What could/should you do less of?
Make a list of all areas in your life that require regular attention e.g. personal grooming, nutrition, exercise, finance, home environment, car, partners, family, friends etc.
Under each then list specific items/tasks which want regular attention e.g. balance cheque book, pay bills, wash car, vacuum house, unclutter wardrobes, cut hair, visit dentist, plan menu & shopping etc.
Having access to it on a computer and in spreadsheet format means your personally created list can be regularly and easily updated.
Whenever you feeling a loss of power and energy in your life, rate yourself against your list.
Is your score greater or less than the last time you checked yourself against these measures?
If you are using the services of a life coach, they may have access to the Clean Sweep program which is an excellent life tool.
It may be time to get your environment in order and energize yourself for making space for more of those things that you’d really like to do.
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Hi, I'm Thea Westra at Forward Steps (forwardstepsblog.com)
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