Integrity

Living true to yourself is living with integrity, that means your thoughts, words and actions are in harmony with each other.  Not that you live by some unteachable spirit, but when your thoughts and beliefs change, your words and most importantly, your actions change to match.

It is easy to think a thought to recognize an idea as noble, and it is easy to espouse an ideal, people do this all the time.  The TEST comes in applying the thoughts and words in action.

One can rant about the government or place of employment at will but when it comes to producing change: will we act?  Will we go beyond our words by running for office or leading a protest?  Would we sacrifice our security by talking to our boss- or even quitting?

Yet this is the essence of integrity.  It starts by thinking honorable and right thoughts.  Left to my own devices, these would be ultimately selfish thoughts.  Because of my faith, I have guidelines laid out by God to give me a plumbline.  I can see that His thoughts are higher than my thoughts and his ways higher than my ways through the narrative of the Bible.  I don't understand much of it, but the parts I do understand are enough to keep me busy the rest of my life.

I have an over-developed sense of justice that borderlines on desire to see things be "fair" (or at least my idea of fair).  In the small short view of a human, that is bound to make me dissatisfied.  I "major in the minors" like politics, materialism, career, building a legacy for myself.  I rant quite a bit about these things when others seem to be working against me (Yes, even God).  So integrity starts in choosing my direction and my battles.  Over-arching themes of faith, simplicity, service, truth, and a belief that something of God lives in all of us, this creates a cognitive structure or ideal, that encapsulates our life scheme.  We already have one of these we have developed over the years, but the components can sometimes conflict (e.g. we believe all life is sacred, but we also carry a gun for protection, or believe in abortion as a right).  These conflicts create tension or cognitive dissonance in our mind which we work to justify using mental gymnastics.  First our thoughts must co-exist peacefully before they become words.

Our words, they are many, and more than our actions, which is a problem.  I sometimes allow my words to compose my thoughts (putting the cart before the horse, so to speak).  Oh, we do love to hear ourselves speak!  At times we can barely wait for another to stop speaking so we can unleash our words.  Often we turn the subject towards ourselves- check yourself in this- you might be surprised.  Our words want to direct us in selfish ways- "out of the heart the mouth speaks" and our heart is often all about us.

The courage to act is the true test of all our thoughts and words.