Explanation of what integrity means

Sep 21, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,
Integrity is defined as “adherence to moral and ethical principles, soundness of moral character, honesty.” Outside of the dictionary, integrity is keeping a promise. Integrity is holding yourself accountable for your actions. Integrity is following your conscience even when no one is watching. Integrity is never having to look over your shoulder for anything you have done. Integrity is authenticity. Of course, these are all great sentiments that frequently benefit others, but can they benefit you as well?
First and foremost, an absence of integrity can result in huge internal losses. When you sacrifice your code of ethics for personal gain or the easy route, you sacrifice the essence of your humanity. In an attempt to achieve success and comfort, you lose your sense of self. What is the point of accomplishing your goals if you are not happy with whom you are? At the end of the day, it is your actions that define you as a person, not wealth or titles. Thus, people with integrity have love and respect for themselves; they can be confident and proud of all that they do without needing others to validate them.
In addition, with integrity comes trust. Trust is imperative in many aspects, extending from career to personal life. From a professional standpoint, if your clients do not trust you, they will not do business with you. It is tempting to use deception in order to maximize earnings, but this method will only cause harm in the long run. For example, if you convince customers to buy your product through outrageous claims, at first you may generate great profits. However, when these customers start to see through the lies, they will never repurchase. Therefore, you eventually come out with losses and a damaged reputation, which scares away both future customers and future investors. By similar logic, if your employers do not trust you, they will not promote you or provide you with any high level responsibilities; they may even fire you.
Further, the trust derived from integrity is a necessary trait for healthy personal relationships. When your actions match your words and you are honest (sometimes painfully honest), the people you care about will be able to trust you with anything, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. When bonds are tested in difficult times, your friends will remain loyal because they know that they can count on you. However, if through a lack of integrity you betray them, the relationships can be damaged and even irrevocably destroyed. No one wants that.
Overall, although integrity may seem impractical and difficult in this cut-throat world, it is the most honorable and gratifying way to live. You gain pride, confidence, willpower, and high self-esteem. You also gain the trust of everyone you associate with, whether professionally or personally. Most importantly, both yourself and the people in your life will love you for who you are rather than who you claim to be and for what you have done rather than what you have. Can you put a price on integrity?
Nicel Mohamed-Hinds
Stanford, CA

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