Mama Sisana
House Mother & Son

INTEGRITY HAS NO NEED OF RULES…

Integrity is one of the most important values in life. When I say that Integrity is an important VALUE: I use the generic sense of the word, meaning that a value is something that is of worth to you as an individual, something of great significance or importance in your personal life.

For me - integrity is a value, and should therefore be an important part of our inner moral compass. It should not be governed by rules, by code of conduct or even by the rule of law, but rather by an inner need or drive to always do the right thing.

DEFINING INTERGRITY…

I wish to start with a few basic definitions of the term integrity and then I would like to share what for me epitomises the word itself.

INTEGRITY is doing what you say you will do when you say you will do it.

INTEGRITY is always doing the right thing, even when no-one is watching.

INTEGRITY is Honesty and Sincerity in all that you do.

INTEGRITY is Honour; Reliability; Uprightness and Veracity.

Taking all of what I have just shared with you into account, you will perhaps understand why I feel so strongly that “integrity has no need of rules indeed!”

LIVING WITH INTEGRITY

In order to live with integrity, you need to have integrity within yourself. You need to be honest about how you feel about things you do each day, your personal goals that you have set, and the direction in which your life is going. Integrity requires that you be honest and authentic with yourself. It means admitting your fears rather than covering them up with anger and depression.

Living with integrity means living in a state of wholeness and balance. You must be the same person, with the same values no matter where you are or with whom you are relating. If you carry one set of values to church on Sunday, another set of values to work, and yet another set of values when you interact with your family, which is the real you? Integrity demands a commitment to the real person that you are in everything you do – to honestly know yourself and be yourself.

Living with integrity is living in harmony with yourself, your values, people in your life and the world that surrounds you. Integrity makes life flow, enabling you to move steadily toward fulfilment of your true desires. Living with integrity requires discipline, it requires intention, it requires commitment, and it also brings about abundant rewards.

So, you must do what you say you are going to do. Honour your commitments. Practice what you preach. Live the life you say you are living. There must be synergy between your words and your actions.

So, INCA ladies, go out into the world and live a life of integrity, be consistent with your values, be steadfast, irrespective of outside influences. Strive to become whole as a human being, meaning that your thoughts, words and actions are congruent, and therefore not in conflict. The effect of this will be that you will fulfil the requirements needed to be happy, secure in what you do, and to hold yourself in good stature.

 I want you to remember that integrity means always doing what is right and good, regardless of the immediate consequences. It means being righteous from the very depth of our soul, not only in our actions but, more important, in our thoughts and in our hearts. Personal integrity implies such trustworthiness and incorruptibility that we are incapable of being false to a trust or covenant ("Personal Integrity," Ensign, May 1990, p. 30).

One of the primary rules of navigation is this: What’s under the surface should carry more weight than what’s above the surface if the ship is going to make it through storms without capsizing. That’s exactly how it is with integrity. What’s under the surface had better be greater than what you’re showing to the world, or you’re never going to make it through the storms of life ( Pat Williams states).

Always remember that integrity is living a principled life, being honest, truthful, faithful, trustworthy, open, fair, scrupulous, and more importantly, taking decisions that are in line with your principles. Integrity is being real with yourself and with others. It is demanded in your actions, thoughts and lifestyle. Integrity shows people that you walk your talk….that more than being a ‘do gooder’, you are in fact good.

From Mama Sisana