to live a life of integrity
one of my greatest ambitions is to be a person of integrity.
i have chosen to walk in the path towards a life of integrity. it’s a paradoxical reality—the more i desire to be integrated, the more i realize i am not integrated. i am not yet a person of integrity.
integrity. the root word, "to integrate," means to form all parts into a unified whole. integrity has the idea of wholeness or soundness. the antithesis of integrity is duplicity. duplicity is being a different person to different people. it’s like a conscious choice to be schizophrenic. i struggle with duplicity because i tend to be a different person depending on the people i am with. i can be an elitist s.o.b. when i’m with my high paying clients in makati. i can be like a humble saint when i’m doing my volunteer work among the poor in southwestern mindanao. i am not who i show to be me all the time. it’s a shameful and painful reality of life… of my life. that’s why i desperately seek the path of integrity.
an integrated person is the same person whether she or he is alone in a closet or in public. there’s consistency in this person’s personal character and public image. the various aspects of this person’s life—private life, family life, career life, romantic life, religious life, hobbies, recreation, business, and others aspects of life—are in the process of becoming a unified whole. this does not mean living a perfect life. instead, it’s a journey towards living an authentic life!
i am slowly learning that integrity starts with my character and it ought to be reflected in my behavior. character is who i am when i’m alone with myself, with final reality, with my creator, with the universe. behavior is who i am when i’m in front of people—especially the people i know and the people i need. my character ought to determine my behavior. but i am not there yet. it is my tendency to appear good in front of the people i need than in front of the people who need me. that’s why it’s easy for me to be nice to my clients than to the people i pay to help me do my work. in this sense, i am not integrated. i still need to improve on minimizing, and hopefully eliminating, the dissonance between my character and my behavior.
if i am a person of integrity, then there’s nothing for me to hide and i must, therefore, be truthful and honest in dealing with everyone around me. integrity is being the same person wherever i am and with whomever i am.
i want to be who i am who i say i am—all the time. i’m not there yet, but i have chosen to go there. it’s an uphill battle… a painful struggle.
painful, dissonant, and paradoxical as it is, i am determined to stay in the path towards integrity.
it’s a life-time journey… … … … … … …
i have chosen to walk in the path towards a life of integrity. it’s a paradoxical reality—the more i desire to be integrated, the more i realize i am not integrated. i am not yet a person of integrity.
integrity. the root word, "to integrate," means to form all parts into a unified whole. integrity has the idea of wholeness or soundness. the antithesis of integrity is duplicity. duplicity is being a different person to different people. it’s like a conscious choice to be schizophrenic. i struggle with duplicity because i tend to be a different person depending on the people i am with. i can be an elitist s.o.b. when i’m with my high paying clients in makati. i can be like a humble saint when i’m doing my volunteer work among the poor in southwestern mindanao. i am not who i show to be me all the time. it’s a shameful and painful reality of life… of my life. that’s why i desperately seek the path of integrity.
an integrated person is the same person whether she or he is alone in a closet or in public. there’s consistency in this person’s personal character and public image. the various aspects of this person’s life—private life, family life, career life, romantic life, religious life, hobbies, recreation, business, and others aspects of life—are in the process of becoming a unified whole. this does not mean living a perfect life. instead, it’s a journey towards living an authentic life!
i am slowly learning that integrity starts with my character and it ought to be reflected in my behavior. character is who i am when i’m alone with myself, with final reality, with my creator, with the universe. behavior is who i am when i’m in front of people—especially the people i know and the people i need. my character ought to determine my behavior. but i am not there yet. it is my tendency to appear good in front of the people i need than in front of the people who need me. that’s why it’s easy for me to be nice to my clients than to the people i pay to help me do my work. in this sense, i am not integrated. i still need to improve on minimizing, and hopefully eliminating, the dissonance between my character and my behavior.
if i am a person of integrity, then there’s nothing for me to hide and i must, therefore, be truthful and honest in dealing with everyone around me. integrity is being the same person wherever i am and with whomever i am.
i want to be who i am who i say i am—all the time. i’m not there yet, but i have chosen to go there. it’s an uphill battle… a painful struggle.
painful, dissonant, and paradoxical as it is, i am determined to stay in the path towards integrity.
it’s a life-time journey… … … … … … …
posted by Luis Daniel Alba Pantoja @ 10:15 AM
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