Integrity.

[Tony]

Integrity.

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy,[1] in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

Throughout life, we pick up a lot of information, and sometimes this information gets converted into knowledge. On open forums, there is not only information, but much speculation...I remember many years ago a professor saying: “There is much information on the internet, but you have to check the source of that information.”

It is the same with spiritual information. These days it is so easy to pick up information about this or that view, which can open our eyes (and Mind) to enriching possibilities.

The problem now is that there is so much information to be 'picked up' that it is not at all easy to really take it to heart. As it takes much time and practice to understand what is being spoken about, and to see if there is integrity or not -whether people who talk the talk, actually walk the walk!

If we repeat something often enough we might believe it, but this does not make it true...for us.

So it's possible to collect information, put around our necks and wear it like an ornament, to dazzle others. We're always hearing people trot out such soundbites as, “Know thy self,” “To thine own self be true,” “It resonates with me,” Be careful that you don't dazzle yourself!

Someone who has integrity is someone we can trust.
We may not agree with their view, but we know their view and where they are coming from.
They do not have many faces.
Of course living up to one's view is not at all easy: we have to question our motivations and intentions all the time.
“Am I doing this for myself, or will it help others?”

Of course, one's view may be out of step with the views of others, but if we have integrity we will know our subject inside out, and will welcome being questioned. If our understanding is partial, then we are on rocky ground...and we know it! That is when the emotion kick in.

We need much self examination, to really know our self.
We have to be honest...or at least be honest that it's not easy being honest.

There are two aspects to honesty.
One is being honest that we do not know something.
The other (and this is Oh So Important!) is that being honest with others can upset them. So we have to tread carefully!

And of course there are those who deliberately choose to get upset at the drop of a hat: this is precisely what makes forum life very difficult.
If we meet someone face to face, we can read the facial and bodily signals, and know when to back off.
In the virtual world, we only have words to read.

Of course, our integrity will be tested, as some people automatically respond to every topic personally. They carry the heavy load of a grudge from thread to thread...this happen quite a lot!
Antagonistic would be more correct. It is not necessary to continually find fault with others, we all have a bit of dust in our eyes.

Integrity as being constant and fair.


Tony

[turiya]

There seems to me to be two kinds of integrity.
"Inner" & "outer" integrity.

It seems that you are speaking of the latter. That which is determined by others. A person of integrity that is recognized by others. This is external integrity. That which is seen, and determined, by others.

Questions naturally arise:

Is Integrity a goal to be achieved?

I submit, if having Integrity is a goal to be achieved, then this type of Integrity that is seen by others, recognized by others, is but a facade. It is a part of one's outer shell, external appearance, as part of the clothes that one wears for others to see. Certainly he will get respectability from others because of it - and, to be respected by others, is an ego gratification. Successful politicians need to have this type of Integrity. They need to be consistent so that others can trust in what they say. Because then they will get elected. Otherwise, they are tagged as being inconsistent, untrustworthy, a 'flip-flopper' on issues. People should not trust such a person, that is what today's society accepts, and is told to others.

But this idea of being constant, consistent, implies that one should not change, cannot learn, or should not learn as one progresses through one's life.

But in fact, this is the very nature of the human mind - that it changes, it continually changes, it changes all the time. Changing one's mind is intrinsic to being alive and learning from life's experiences. Otherwise, one has ceased living, one has become deceased.

Does the person of "inner" Integrity know that he has got it?

I submit, that a man of inner integrity is true to himself, to his own being. His inner integrity does not depend on what others think about him or her. A man/woman of inner integrity can trust. S/He trusts himself. S/He trusts in existence, trust does not depend on what others think. He can trust even a hypocrite. Because, by trusting others, it serves a higher purpose, a higher self. Not that he trusts for this reason, but his inner integrity grows as a consequence of his trust in existence & in trusting others.

This type of Integrity is not something to be achieved. It is not a goal to be attained. It is not something to be practiced & acted out for others to see. It is apolitical. It comes out of innocence, a purity in living life without ambition, in wholly & total acceptance of oneself, living life as a whole integer is being a true individual, true to oneself. That is where the word 'integrity' comes from - integer. And an individual is one who is an undivided whole integer of his being.

http://curezone.com/upload/_T_Forums/turiya_file/INTEGRITY.jpg
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=integrity&searchmode=none

-*-


Integrity.

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy,[1] in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

Throughout life, we pick up a lot of information, and sometimes this information gets converted into knowledge. On open forums, there is not only information, but much speculation...I remember many years ago a professor saying: “There is much information on the internet, but you have to check the source of that information.”

It is the same with spiritual information. These days it is so easy to pick up information about this or that view, which can open our eyes (and Mind) to enriching possibilities.

The problem now is that there is so much information to be 'picked up' that it is not at all easy to really take it to heart. As it takes much time and practice to understand what is being spoken about, and to see if there is integrity or not -whether people who talk the talk, actually walk the walk!

If we repeat something often enough we might believe it, but this does not make it true...for us.

So it's possible to collect information, put around our necks and wear it like an ornament, to dazzle others. We're always hearing people trot out such soundbites as, “Know thy self,” “To thine own self be true,” “It resonates with me,” Be careful that you don't dazzle yourself!

Someone who has integrity is someone we can trust.
We may not agree with their view, but we know their view and where they are coming from.
They do not have many faces.
Of course living up to one's view is not at all easy: we have to question our motivations and intentions all the time.
“Am I doing this for myself, or will it help others?”

Of course, one's view may be out of step with the views of others, but if we have integrity we will know our subject inside out, and will welcome being questioned. If our understanding is partial, then we are on rocky ground...and we know it! That is when the emotion kick in.

We need much self examination, to really know our self.
We have to be honest...or at least be honest that it's not easy being honest.

There are two aspects to honesty.
One is being honest that we do not know something.
The other (and this is Oh So Important!) is that being honest with others can upset them. So we have to tread carefully!

And of course there are those who deliberately choose to get upset at the drop of a hat: this is precisely what makes forum life very difficult.
If we meet someone face to face, we can read the facial and bodily signals, and know when to back off.
In the virtual world, we only have words to read.

Of course, our integrity will be tested, as some people automatically respond to every topic personally. They carry the heavy load of a grudge from thread to thread...this happen quite a lot!
Antagonistic would be more correct. It is not necessary to continually find fault with others, we all have a bit of dust in our eyes.

Integrity as being constant and fair.


Tony

[Tony]

There seems to me to be two kinds of integrity.
"Inner" & "outer" integrity.

It seems that you are speaking of the latter. That which is determined by others. A person of integrity that is recognized by others. This is external integrity. That which is seen, and determined, by others.

Questions naturally arise:

Is Integrity a goal to be achieved?

I submit, if having Integrity is a goal to be achieved, then this type of Integrity that is seen by others, recognized by others, is but a facade. It is a part of one's outer shell, external appearance, as part of the clothes that one wears for others to see. Certainly he will get respectability from others because of it - and, to be respected by others, is an ego gratification. Successful politicians need to have this type of Integrity. They need to be consistent so that others can trust in what they say. Because then they will get elected. Otherwise, they are tagged as being inconsistent, untrustworthy, a 'flip-flopper' on issues. People should not trust such a person, that is what today's society accepts, and is told to others.

But this idea of being constant, consistent, implies that one should not change, cannot learn, or should not learn as one progresses through one's life.

But in fact, this is the very nature of the human mind - that it changes, it continually changes, it changes all the time. Changing one's mind is intrinsic to being alive and learning from life's experiences. Otherwise, one has ceased living, one has become deceased.

Does the person of "inner" Integrity know that he has got it?

I submit, that a man of inner integrity is true to himself, to his own being. His inner integrity does not depend on what others think about him or her. A man/woman of inner integrity can trust. S/He trusts himself. S/He trusts in existence, trust does not depend on what others think. He can trust even a hypocrite. Because, by trusting others, it serves a higher purpose, a higher self. Not that he trusts for this reason, but his inner integrity grows as a consequence of his trust in existence & in trusting others.

This type of Integrity is not something to be achieved. It is not a goal to be attained. It is not something to be practiced & acted out for others to see. It is apolitical. It comes out of innocence, a purity in living life without ambition, in wholly & total acceptance of oneself, living life as a whole integer is being a true individual, true to oneself. That is where the word 'integrity' comes from - integer. And an individual is one who is an undivided whole integer of his being.

http://curezone.com/upload/_T_Forums/turiya_file/INTEGRITY.jpg
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=integrity&searchmode=none

-*-


Integrity.

Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes.
In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy,[1] in that it regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.

Throughout life, we pick up a lot of information, and sometimes this information gets converted into knowledge. On open forums, there is not only information, but much speculation...I remember many years ago a professor saying: “There is much information on the internet, but you have to check the source of that information.”

It is the same with spiritual information. These days it is so easy to pick up information about this or that view, which can open our eyes (and Mind) to enriching possibilities.

The problem now is that there is so much information to be 'picked up' that it is not at all easy to really take it to heart. As it takes much time and practice to understand what is being spoken about, and to see if there is integrity or not -whether people who talk the talk, actually walk the walk!

If we repeat something often enough we might believe it, but this does not make it true...for us.

So it's possible to collect information, put around our necks and wear it like an ornament, to dazzle others. We're always hearing people trot out such soundbites as, “Know thy self,” “To thine own self be true,” “It resonates with me,” Be careful that you don't dazzle yourself!

Someone who has integrity is someone we can trust.
We may not agree with their view, but we know their view and where they are coming from.
They do not have many faces.
Of course living up to one's view is not at all easy: we have to question our motivations and intentions all the time.
“Am I doing this for myself, or will it help others?”

Of course, one's view may be out of step with the views of others, but if we have integrity we will know our subject inside out, and will welcome being questioned. If our understanding is partial, then we are on rocky ground...and we know it! That is when the emotion kick in.

We need much self examination, to really know our self.
We have to be honest...or at least be honest that it's not easy being honest.

There are two aspects to honesty.
One is being honest that we do not know something.
The other (and this is Oh So Important!) is that being honest with others can upset them. So we have to tread carefully!

And of course there are those who deliberately choose to get upset at the drop of a hat: this is precisely what makes forum life very difficult.
If we meet someone face to face, we can read the facial and bodily signals, and know when to back off.
In the virtual world, we only have words to read.

Of course, our integrity will be tested, as some people automatically respond to every topic personally. They carry the heavy load of a grudge from thread to thread...this happen quite a lot!
Antagonistic would be more correct. It is not necessary to continually find fault with others, we all have a bit of dust in our eyes.

Integrity as being constant and fair.


Tony

Hello Turiya,

Integrity is conduct. From a spiritual point of view, conduct is merely the continuity of the 'view' in meditation. This conduct is not reacting to external phenomena or thoughts, thereby no karma is created. But we all have our own views, on this matter. Integrity is the outcome of understanding, and awareness of inner peace.

Tony

[turiya]

Integrity is conduct. From a spiritual point of view, conduct is merely the continuity of the 'view' in meditation. This conduct is not reacting to external phenomena or thoughts, thereby no karma is created. But we all have our own views, on this matter. Integrity is the outcome of understanding, and awareness of inner peace.

I agree with your understanding of what integrity is.
I find it refreshing to come across another individual that gets it.

Many have not looked into the depths of themselves to come to understand integrity in this way.
More often than not, the integrity that is talked about is that which is seen by other(s), judged by others, determined from what is seen from the outside observation of another.
And what is seen by others is but an interpretation, which often times is incorrect & misunderstood.
As a result, the political correctness of a person is often over-emphasized by others, by the society in which they live.

I have heard a Sufi story:

There was a man who lost his axe, and suspected the boy next door.
He watched the boy walking - He had stolen his axe.
His expression, his talk, his behavior, his manner, everything about him betrayed that he had stolen the axe.
Soon afterwards the man was digging in his garden and he found the axe.
On another day he saw the boy next door again.
Nothing in his behavior and manner suggested that he would steal an axe.

Many look out to see the integrity they can see in others.
One's vision is often distorted by the inner workings of one's own mind.
Few are those that look to see if any integrity can be found within themselves.

Often times the conduct of an individual of integrity can be misconstrued to be the conduct of a hypocrite.
One who has crystalized his own integrity within will pay little notice to those that misinterpret his conduct.

-*-

P.S. Chris Thomas tells us that 'karma' means a 'knowledge gathering process' which forms part of the mass consciousness known as the Akashic.

[turiya]

Ron Paul is one rare politician that is exceptional.

He has a crystalized inner integrity of which I have spoken about in a post above.
I have enjoyed watching him during the GOP debates. He continuously appears to the status quo as lacking integrity, being hypocritical on several fronts, yet when the opposition (questioning moderators included) have thought they have caught him in making a hypocritical statement, his response backfires on them every time. He hits the target of Liberty time after time again.

Take the latest MSNBC NEWS interview for example. He talks about his stance on issues, and one of the talking heads thinks he has got him in a hypocrisy on his admission to receiving Social Security payments. Note Ron Paul's response.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHoIIT9yUbU&feature=player_embedded

I love this guy. A true man of integrity.

-*-

[SKAWF]

a rarity indeed.
a thread, in a forum on the internet....
titled 'integrity'
which appears to actually be about integrity.

this is what i wrote here about a year ago.
i stand by the words.

INTEGRITY

integrity is having to balls to stand up for that which you know to be true.

its about staying to answer any and all criticism directly, and with reason.

its about having the courage to face any amount of opposition,
and staying there till there is no more.

its about being focused on your goal and not being distracted by anything.

its about seeing something through till its conclusion, not giving up halfway.

its about being prepared to make sacrifices, and to put the effort in,

its about being able to look with pride at something you've created knowing 'i did that',

its about staying true to yourself,

its also about others knowing that they can rely on you, even in the bad times

its about being able to look someone in the eye without turning away

its also about a million other things too

there should be no place where the truth is unacceptable.

[konocti7]

Tony - Thank you! I seldom post and for the most part am a spectator. This post struck home. To become enlightened and responsible REQUIRES the level of integrity that you wrote about. To KNOW what we don't know, to not pretend some altitude of knowledge or understanding and the most important aspect you commented on - to be honest that what we know is limited to those things we personally have observed to be true and valid. All other data we may believe to be true but don't know it to be true.

[Tony]

Tony - Thank you! I seldom post and for the most part am a spectator. This post struck home. To become enlightened and responsible REQUIRES the level of integrity that you wrote about. To KNOW what we don't know, to not pretend some altitude of knowledge or understanding and the most important aspect you commented on - to be honest that what we know is limited to those things we personally have observed to be true and valid. All other data we may believe to be true but don't know it to be true.

Dear Konocti7,
Thanks for your comments...please post more often! It is so helpful to hear others thoughts.

Tony