Integrity 101

There are a few things I have learned as an upcoming writer (or whatever title you may want to give me or have already given me) that I always think are important to note before making you want to read a post like this one;

1. I may not always write what I want but wherever my pen leads me, I obediently follow - FYI, this is the crunch of all kinds of writing.
2. There is no universally acceptable truth, but if I have to say anything [at all], it must be truth; and in such a case, this truth I write, this absolute truth, is still truth whether it is acceptable or not.
3. You are not subject to my opinion of "things" nor to my piece of "unkempt advice" but to the truth thereof, if there be, of God.

Now, because I want to go straight to the point, there are are a few things I've noted of late, things about integrity, things interesting enough to summarize in the next few lines.
These lines represent my views on how to build personal integrity.
First things first though: www.thefreedictionary.com defines integrity as "a steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code" or "the state of being unimpaired; soundness" or "the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness."
Well, because I know that this virtue (integrity) applies to everyone worthy his/her salt, it is of considerable importance to consider the following;

1. Learning to obey authority (any authority in place) even when you think yourself better than that authority leaves you on the better side even at moments when you are inclined to criticize such authority. Integrity uses wisdom while delivering a critique, not strife.
2. Consistency is greater than passion. You can never be passionate enough without being consistent. Learn to be consistent and everyone will paint you as passionate.
3. Integrity has never been the measure of what we have but who we are to God and to men. Integrity does not belong to an individual but to the masses.
4. Words and actions add up to something. They add up to who WE KNOW you are. They accompany your integrity wherever you go.
5. It is humiliating and humbling to do the least of tasks and love the most lowly people, but that is where the mark of greatness belongs.
6. You can't please everyone. You should not impress everybody. All great people have that as an anthem they sing all day long.
7. There is no perfect leadership under the sky. You earn integrity by appreciating who your leaders are and praying for them, but not by ridiculing them - no matter how bad or weird they may be.
8. Stop making gods out of people. Flesh and blood is not worthy the salt of your utmost reverence. Integrity learns to avoid the path of the praises of men. It knows of its honey and its hyssop.
9. The way we value and serve the people around us determines their level of respect and service towards us, and if we'll impart something into their lives or not. Integrity is the measure of our relationships, their relevance and their quality.
10. You are not the ultimate, God is. Stop wanting people to accept all you say and do because that is the place of God. Integrity is accepting that people all over the world see things differently (like I'm going to do after you've read this), getting used to it and moving on.
11. Your identity, if it has anything good hidden in it, has nothing to do with your level of education, where you work, how much you earn, your wealth or your family background. It has everything to do with where you belong in the hearts of men and in the face of God.
12. You attract people more with your smile and your heart. Such beauty is imperishable.
13. Comparing yourself to everyone else around you only leaves you miserable and ungrateful. Integrity is built on contentment and hopefulness, but not on conceit and envy.
14. Listen more. Understand a little more. Be the child as far as instruction is concerned.
15. The most honored person is that one who has learned obedience and adherence to a law, and even better, to an enduring/undying law.
16. Do what you gotta do; if it is right, the better.
17. Spiritual integrity has no share in knowing too much Scripture but in being the doer. Greater is the man who has known one law and follows it than the other who knows ten that are only served through his mouth and mind.
18. Abstinence from sex and setting standards before marriage may not be fashionable nor sell well with 90% of the modern world, but it accounts for above 50% of our integrity as young people.
19. Being sorry for your bad actions, being faithful and honest and speaking the truth may not sell well today but they make you someone we can trust.
20. Integrity learns that nothing is made perfect without the power of many mistakes.
21. Integrity discusses issues and addresses complaints. It does not pretend that everything is okay when it is not.

There you have it.

I hope that you are, just like I am, working on achieving your best, and will never give up until you are there...

Bonface Morris.