Integrity

" It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one." -- Zig Ziglar


Integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence especially to strong moral or artistic values.

How many people in your life can you say possess these qualities? Fore me, off the top of my head, I would say at the most five. And if I think more deeply, I would say no more than ten.

What do you say about your own integrity? …. Do other people talk about you and your integrity when you are not around?

For most people I meet, it is too difficult to live with integrity, because it takes knowing what you stand for, developing and practicing good habits, and doing the right thing instead of the popular thing.

My late father was a great example of integrity, and my mother as well. But, speaking as a man, my father made a great impression on me by how people loved and respected him, and how he never had to worry about what others were saying about him because of his honesty.

When I was a young boy I was very shy and not much accepted by my peers, so I would lie and change with my environment like a chameleon. But then, as I got older my father started talking at the dinner table about if you don’t know what you stand for, then you will fall for anything.

This really made an impression when I went to college, and especially once I started working, because integrity relieved worry, people knew what to expect from me and count on me, and knew that I would always take the high road … with them in mind. It has not been easy, and always a work in progress as with all relationships.

I’m not going to lie to you, there were some demotions and job losses because the people above me seemed intimidated by my performance, they would rather push me out of the way than take the lead, or (fail to) see how I was making a good impression for their business.

Then comes integrity in Art. Simply put, I believe that an artist has a responsibility to begin within the parameters of artistic discipline, and then take their vision towards being distinctive. You might hear a lot today about freedom of expression, but that is just The 'Gospel' of Tolerance as I wrote about here.

So, I wanted to talk about integrity today, because it is something I think we all can be more mindful of, considering all that has happened recently throughout our culture more and more. For example, from law enforcement to priests to politicians - not everyone, but a small group that dominates the news headlines.

And likewise with social media, remember, the lack of integrity you see (on Twitter for example) is the opinions of only a small community and not what the larger community (in the world) believes.

So as you visit with friends and family, consider to look at each person and their integrity, and then ask where you, yourself, can replace bad habits with good habits in your own life.

And know that I intend to do the same as well.


" With integrity you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide.

With integrity you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.

With fear and guilt removed you are free to be and do your best. "

-- Zig Ziglar


Photo: Free Bird in the Golden Hour Sunset- Color Photograph Copyright 2020 Frank J Casella


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