Integrity
Integrity has three meanings.
It is the quality of a person who recognizes the difference between right and wrong and from that forms a code of personal conduct. This person will adhere to that code even when it is inconvenient, challenging or even dangerous to do so.
It reflects a quality of wholeness, of an integrated structure, consistent throughout, with strong foundations.
Lastly it is a quality of transparency -- of "what you see is what you get" which speaks to consistency of action, fairness of practice and consistency of application.
As you might expect, it is also a subject of considerable commentary:
Integrity has no need of rules.
Albert Camus (1913 - 1960) French philosopher, novelist, dramatist
In "The Speaker's Electronic Reference Collection,"
Integrity is not a conditional word. It doesn't blow in the wind or change with the weather. It is your inner image of yourself, and if you look in there and see a man who won't cheat, then you know he never will.
John D. MacDonald (1913 - 1960) French philosopher, novelist, dramatist
"The Turquoise Lament."
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)
"People with integrity do what they say they are going to do. Others have excuses."
-- Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Main Entry: in·teg·ri·ty
Pronunciation: in-'te-gr&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English integrite, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French integrité, from Latin integritat-, integritas, from integr-, integer entire
Date: 14th century
1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY
2 : an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS
synonym see HONESTY
From The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language Fourth Edition 2000
integrity
SYLLABICATION: in·teg·ri·ty
PRONUNCIATION: n-tgr-t
NOUN: 1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. 2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness. 3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English integrite, from Old French, from Latin integrits, soundness, from integer, whole, complete. See tag- in Appendix I.
From Reasononline Integity by Stephen L. Carter, reviewed by Loren E. Lomasky
"When I refer to integrity, I have something very simple and very specific in mind. Integrity, as I will use the term, requires three steps: (1) discerning what is right and what is wrong; (2) acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost; and (3) saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong."
and
A person of integrity is a certain sort of person. He or she is the sort of person who engages in enough moral reflection to discover and thus come to know what he should do. He feels that this is the right thing to do. And he then acts in accordance with his insight, doing so openly. The ancients might have said that integrity is simply a matter of wisdom and virtue.
The Morris Instituted for Human Values presents an alternate review
Synonyms: completeness, entireness, perfection, wholeness
Related Word: soundness, stability; absoluteness, purity, simplicity
-The quality or state of being complete or undivided
From Hypertext Webster Gateway
Integrity \In*teg"ri*ty\, n. [L. integritas: cf. F. int['e]grit['e]. See {Integer}, and cf. {Entirety}.] 1. The state or quality of being entire or complete; wholeness; entireness; unbroken state; as, the integrity of an empire or territory. --Sir T. More.
2. Moral soundness; honesty; freedom from corrupting influence or motive; -- used especially with reference to the fulfillment of contracts, the discharge of agencies, trusts, and the like; uprightness; rectitude.The moral grandeur of independent integrity is the sublimest thing in nature. --Buckminster.
Their sober zeal, integrity. and worth. --Cowper.
3. Unimpaired, unadulterated, or genuine state; entire correspondence with an original condition; purity.
Language continued long in its purity and integrity. --Sir M. Hale.
Syn: Honesty; uprightness; rectitude. See {Probity}.
integrity n 1: an unreduced or unbroken completeness or totality [syn: {unity}, {wholeness}] 2: moral soundness
From Change Project
Integrity is not just about not lying. Integrity means "as on the inside, so on the outside." We speak of a building having structural integrity when its parts are strongly knit, so that it can withstand shocks. We speak of visual integrity when what we can see (the building's surfaces, roofs, windows, and walkways) reflects what we cannot see (its purposes, the community with which it is connected).
The Latin roots of "integrity" refer to touch. To have integrity is to be untouched, undivided, whole, integrated, integral. The Taoists refer to "pu," the uncarved block of wood.
There is a tight relationship between integrity and the ability to change, because integrity is about knowing yourself, about being transparent.
Integrity shows up in two of the "skills of change" -- "wholeness" and "aligning the center." Integrity allows you to move with tremendous speed when the time comes to move.
This is why the diver points his toes: if he is to whip through the rapid changes of a complex dive, his whole body must move as a unit. He must have command of every part. Watch a novice diver, a tyro golfer, a klutzy tennis player. What you'll see is the body moving every which way in the joints. As one arm swings the racket, the other hand is flailing off in the other direction, the hips going somewhere else entirely. The movement has no integrity, so it lacks power and speed.
From WitchWars
Integrity - (OED - Old French, integrite or Latin, integritas)
1. Undivided, complete; 2. Middle-English: The condition of not being marred or violated; unimpaired or uncorrupted condition; original state; soundness; 3. Freedom from moral corruption; innocence; Soundness of moral principle; the character of uncorrupted virtue; uprightness, honesty, sincerity.
To have integrity is be at one with one's nature, to be whole, complete.
How many of us can truly say we are whole, complete? How many are free from moral corruption? How many upright, honest, and sincere? Before we challenge others about their integrity let us look into our own hearts first and make sure that we have faced the dark shadows of our own past mistakes. Only then can we look our accusers in the eye and say: "Yes, I've made my own mistakes, but now I'm stronger from having accepted them as a part of who and what I am. My mistakes are my greatest Teachers."
From Khan's Martial Arts Academy in Burke VA
Integrity
Integrity simply means honesty: honesty with ourselves and honesty with those around us. However, to be totally honest, we first have to know ourselves. This is the deeper aspect of integrity: knowing ourselves and using that knowledge to make more objective decisions about our life and about those whose lives we effect.
From DropKickIt.com
1. Integrity { Yom Chi }
In Taekwon-Do, the word integrity assumes a looser definition than the one usually presented in Webster's dictionary. One must be able to define right and wrong and have the conscience, if wrong, to feel guilt. Listed are some examples, where integrity is lacking:
The instructor who misrepresents him or herself and his/her art by presenting improper techniques to his/her students because of a lack of knowledge or apathy.
The student who misrepresents himself by "fixing" (breaking) materials before demonstrationsThe instructor who camouflages bad techniques with luxurious training halls and false flattery to his/her students
The student who requests rank from an instructor, or attempts to purchase it
The student who gains rank for ego purposes or the feeling of power
The instructor who teaches and promotes his/her art for materialistic gains
The student whose actions do not live up to his/her words
The student who feels ashamed to seek opinions from his juniors
and lastly see Greg London article on McDojos for other examples of integrity abuse in the martial arts.
Winston Stableford 12 May 2002
