Do you have integrity? Or do you just think you have it? I have been pondering what integrity is, the last few days.
I have a friend, “Ashley,” who has done some stuff that many people would consider to be well into the gray area of ethical behavior. He admits he did it and explains why.
I have another friend, “Chris,” who has done stuff that hurts many more people than Ashley. What Chris does is legal, however hurtful it may be, and Chris can bend your ear for hours about how what he does really is for the good of everyone, and anyway, “everyone does it.”
Both Chris and Ashley are charming, fun people to hang out with.
I find, much to my surprise, that I’m far more inclined to want to spend time with Ashley. I know where I stand with Ashley. I know where the gray areas are, and where I’m likely to get burned. With Chris, the most well-meaning intentions may someday end up burning me, and it will be “nothing personal, just business.”
To me, integrity has more to do with acting congruently with how you represent yourself than it does with acting in a moral/ethical/”good” way.
Agree? Disagree? Why? By my definition, do you have integrity?