On Integrity
Just like any other art, integrity needs practice. Integrity, too, is a muscle, which must be built up through practicing it in many small, seemingly trivial instances. This way, when a true moral dilemma presents itself, actions based in integrity should come naturally.
For most of us, it all starts with a pencil or a pen. Do you recall the first time you borrowed a pen?
“Excuse me, may I just have a pen to fill this form out?”
Sometimes from a classmate, a colleague, a fellow passenger, or a stranger in a queue. Do we always return it? Immediately after we are done using it? Well, if the pen seems expensive, we conscientiously do. But if it is an ordinary, plastic ball-point pen, we are not so particular, are we? This is when the muscle begins to build or atrophy, depending on what we choose. Of course, there is no intention to steal but we are simply being too casual.
That is not all, though. There is yet another side to integrity, which is just as important. We must also be particular about reclaiming the “pencil” that is our own. During one of our recent travel schooling trips in India, our daughters were happily colouring their drawings with their crayons in our hotel’s games room. A group of slightly elder girls came by and began to use their crayons on their papers, without seeking any permissions. I stepped in to explain that the crayons belong to my daughters, and while they can use them, they must ask first. The girls, showing some signs of embarrassment mixed with reluctance, quickly left. Usually, I’d have let my girls resolve their matters on their own. At best, I’d explain to them later that there is never a need to be bullied into sharing their things. Yet, this time, I felt compelled to step in and demonstrate that this is how we stake our claim. I hope my daughters remember when they become teenagers, that this too is integrity.
When we act with integrity, we inspire others to do the same. Similarly, when we stake our claim, we demonstrate to others that their behaviour matters to us. By doing so, we help each other rise up to integrity. Integrity is never the sole responsibility of one individual. And whether it is crayons or a Mont Blanc pen in question, integrity is never optional.
