You might ask a thousand people a thousand times and get thousands of different answers but the real definition of integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles or righteousness. Integrity is honesty, ethics, morality, virtue, and just plain decency. Without these qualities in a person you are more like an empty shell with nothing to fill it but dark promises of the future that will never happen. Integrity is a key component to how a person builds up their moral principles and without it you will be left without any key aspects to how life works. This is also a huge trait that tells someone your values. In my eyes without integrity you really have no values when it comes to your moral or spiritual life. If you think that integrity is not important to your current lives then you're dead wrong! How would you like it if someone walked behind your best friend when you were getting lunch and saw a twenty dollar bill fall out of his/her pocket, then took it and you were behind the culprit? What would you do and how would you feel? If everyone was a participant in integrity we would have nothing to worry about but sadly enough, we have plenty to worry about!
While integrity is an easy concept to grasp you aren’t just born with it. You have to earn integrity just as you have to earn God’s grace, through hard work and dedication. Having a good example to follow is also a very important factor in gaining integrity. To me the source of one’s own integrity is the parents of those who live by a moral code. As a kid, your parents always teach you things that you may not have thought of as integrity since you just saw it as simple constructive corrections. One example of the ways parents teach you integrity is through telling you as a kid that you must always thank someone for a gift that you are given- this teaches you to always be thankful for the things you are given. You see, integrity is important to how life around the world works and as many scientific theories even prove, everything good or bad has a source!
To me a person with integrity must live a very fulfilling life. A person with integrity is someone who knows exactly where their morals should be when it comes to regular everyday life and their future. Through these qualities that come with integrity this person may go about their day with a constant idea of virtue in the back of their minds. I do believe that I have gained some integrity but I still have my weak points. Even as a young child, a toddler even, I was always willing to help others. Everyday, I volunteer myself for something different when it comes to school, parish, or after-school activities so that must mean something. Though I do enjoy helping others and seeing their faces happy or filled with joy, there are definitely still times (though none come to mind) that I was a person who lacked integrity... I believe that at times I do have my points where integrity takes over but there’s always room for improvement!
Anyone can have integrity in their lives and it just takes a little work. It’s best too!
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