is not just about the larger issues we confront, but also the day to day and moment to moment opportunities we have to demonstrate our integrity. I overhear adults rant about the lack of honesty and integrity in government and with politicians, yet have no qualms of instructing or coaching their children to not own up to mistakes or “bad calls” if the teacher or umpire didn’t catch it.
“Another aspect of integrity is that it is directly related to trust or should I say mistrust. Trust is a cornerstone of relationships and of much of what our institutions need to have in order to be effective. Without trust relationships, banks and governments flounder and fail. What may seem like a small and insignificant issue or moment of integrity may be the moment when trust is withheld or withdrawn. It’s time to pay attention and commit to living with more integrity and it starts with being honest with one’s self. If you fail “you” and don’t live up to your own expectations, you can’t expect anyone else to either.”
This comment reminded me of a time in grad school when we were studying child development and behavior. The professor told of a field observation where the grad students were observing a group of four to six year old kids on a playground, accompanied by a parent.
Several kids were playing in a sandbox, when one of the little boys picked up a small bucket, filled it with sand, and then immediately dumped it all over a little girl. The little girl began to cry. The boy’s mother having observed this behavior grabbed her son by the arm and instructed him to go apologize to the little girl. He did, but not with any sense of caring, consideration or real apology. Just one of those “I’m sorry” statements spit out of his