Integrity

If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Oftentimes, only you know whether you are doing the right thing, as your act is done in solitude. And on other occasions, what you have done may look fine on its surface to others, but only you know that the job was not quite done right.

Integrity is the invisible force that reminds us that there is a right way and a wrong way to do things, and that we are to choose the right way. Integrity is a check on ourselves, as again, the rest of the world may never find out.

In the absence of integrity, we’d do things just to get by. And in a world without integrity, if we were all just getting by rather than doing things the right way, humankind would soon collectively suffer.

Integrity does not come naturally for all, but it is something to strive for and achieve. Others may not know when we have achieved true integrity. Only we ourselves no best, but in the moments when it is practiced, it provides great comfort and assurance that the job we have done was done right.

Discussion

• Former Congressman J.C. Watts once said: “Character means doing the right thing when nobody’s looking.” What does this statement mean to you?