The 9 Virtues - Integrity
We now return you to your regularly scheduled DP work :)
When I consider the virtue of Integrity, I just immediately want to paraphrase the 80's band The Fixx, from the song “One Thing Leads to Another”: Do what you say; say what you mean.
This for me pretty much sums up what it means to be a person with integrity. If you say you're going to do something, then do it. If you say something, don't speak in half-truths, or use floral prose that hides your true meaning. Stand behind your words and speak the truth.
To me, integrity is behind the concept of oaths, a concept thought very highly of in ADF, and other religious groups as well. When we take an oath before our grove mates, we're making a promise. And if we break our promise, we break our word. We didn't “do what we said”. Breaking our word essentially makes us a liar. Lying always has consequences. Even if there's a good reason for the lie, the consequences remain. One of those consequences is loss of integrity. In other words, loss of the trust of others. That's not to say that the trust can't be regained, but it will take much more work to regain it than it did to gain it in the first place.
Overall, especially in a group setting, I think integrity is one of the most important virtues. By showing ourselves to be people of integrity, we build a solid foundation for the group to sit upon. Or, as the Norse would say, we add to the luck of the group. By having a solid foundation, we provide for a future full of potential. And that indeed is a good thing.
When I consider the virtue of Integrity, I just immediately want to paraphrase the 80's band The Fixx, from the song “One Thing Leads to Another”: Do what you say; say what you mean.
This for me pretty much sums up what it means to be a person with integrity. If you say you're going to do something, then do it. If you say something, don't speak in half-truths, or use floral prose that hides your true meaning. Stand behind your words and speak the truth.
To me, integrity is behind the concept of oaths, a concept thought very highly of in ADF, and other religious groups as well. When we take an oath before our grove mates, we're making a promise. And if we break our promise, we break our word. We didn't “do what we said”. Breaking our word essentially makes us a liar. Lying always has consequences. Even if there's a good reason for the lie, the consequences remain. One of those consequences is loss of integrity. In other words, loss of the trust of others. That's not to say that the trust can't be regained, but it will take much more work to regain it than it did to gain it in the first place.
Overall, especially in a group setting, I think integrity is one of the most important virtues. By showing ourselves to be people of integrity, we build a solid foundation for the group to sit upon. Or, as the Norse would say, we add to the luck of the group. By having a solid foundation, we provide for a future full of potential. And that indeed is a good thing.