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Living a life with Integrity
Joseph Arre
Class of 2008,University of Baguio
B.S in Nursing
Integrity cannot be bought or sold. This is a concept which is thought in various schools and institutions. But,
the question that we have to face now is what is integrity and why is it important? Integrity consists of values
and principles which are measured through its outcomes. It is our truthfulness and honesty as human beings. It
is to be truthful to everything we do and to not follow the lines of hypocrisy. Integrity is one of the common
virtues that people who follow. Without integrity, a person is untrustworthy and not honest with his thoughts
and emotions.
Integrity came from the Latin word integer, which means complete. This means that integrity is an idea of
wholeness, deriving from one’s actions and character. A person filled with integrity is a person with values and
beliefs. If you have heard of integrity, used in various materials, it is a word which also describes one’s strength
as a whole. For instance, most captains measure their ship’s integrity first before they set sail. The word
integrity is also used to measure one’s stability and worthiness.
In terms of ethics, the term integrity can be found in the both morality and behavior. Moralists consider the
concept of integrity as pure virtue which is based on clean actions and a clear set of principles. Integrity is
known to be deeply rooted in core group values. Some of the virtues which are considered to have an effect of
one’s integrity are moral responsibility and accountability. This means that a person who does not have
accountability and the concept of moral responsibility will not have integrity.
So what is accountability? It is the notion that everyone is responsible to someone else. It is the value of being
responsible to one’s actions and activities. Accountability is based on one’s willingness to adjust several
expectations in order to reach a certain outcome. For instance, a father leaves his vices in order to take care of
his family. Most writers consider integrity as loyalty to one’s rational principles rather than being accountable
to the expectations of others. This means that being accountable to what is important is the right way to
accountability while doing things because of the expectations of others is the wrong way.
What about moral responsibility? This value is based on being responsible to one’s moral acts. It means that
what we sow is what we harvest or what we have done is our responsibility. For instance, if we have cheated in
an exam then we are responsible for the punishment and we should accept it wholeheartedly.
So in conclusion, is integrity important? Yes, R. Buckminster Fulller mentioned that Integrity is the basis for
everything successful. In order to be successful in life, we should live one which is based on integrity. Malcolm
X also mentioned that if we do not stand for something then we will surely fail in everything.
Questions:
1) What is moral responsibility?
2) What is accountability? Give an example?
3) Why is integrity important?
4) Who mentioned that integrity is the basis for success?
5) What is the Latin word for integrity and what does it mean?