What Is Integrity?
Integrity may sound like an old fashioned term, but it is as relevant today as it ever was. Integrity basically means abiding by core values of honesty and uprightness. To put it in simple terms, a person of integrity will always keep the promises they make. They will rather tell the truth and face the consequences then try to slide out of an awkward situation.
Living in Integrity
When you live in integrity, life becomes so much simpler. You never have to try to remember what you said to somebody, because you will have always told the truth. The benefits of this are twofold:
1) the person you are talking to perceives that you are trustworthy.
2) It removes an enormous burden of tension from your shoulders and brings with it a feeling of freedom that would otherwise not be possible.
Living in integrity makes trust a reality in your life. You are able to trust yourself and this rubs off on others. You will find that others instinctively trust you and are much more inclined to be honest with you too.
How We Got Out of Integrity
Human beings learn from a young age that it is not difficult to mislead others. If you watch babies, you will soon see how they learn to get attention by crying when there is not actually anything wrong. We probably did the same and from that moment on, we knew that we could use verbal communication to mask our true intentions.
Telling Lies Starts Young
I don’t know about you, but at school, I learned to come up with many creative reasons for not doing my homework. Telling lies became a habit for me, just as it did for many of my friends. What about you? Were you always completely honest with your teachers? What about with your parents? Most kids develop all sorts of ways of trying to outwit their parents. “Can I go and play next door? I’ve finished my homework already” Another common trick is giving food you don’t like to the dog and pretending that you ate it.
Manipulation
Manipulation is extremely commonplace in today’s society. It is considered normal to reward some behaviours and punish others. That is a common way of training children; but it continues into many other areas of life. When you consider that it is a covert method of controlling the behaviour of others, you must agree that it is a form of manipulation. In relationships, some people give others “bad vibes” for not doing what they want. They will often be extremely nice when they get their own way. Some use anger to try to control others. If you have ever seen a toddler having a tantrum, you will know where that behaviour got its start.
Downright Dishonesty
Of course, lack of integrity can take many other forms, including some very obvious ones, such as lying, cheating, embezzling or scamming. All criminal activities are inherently dishonest and therefore lack integrity. These are some of the more obvious ways in which we (and others) behave outside of integrity. There are many more, but since we are not conducting a case study here, this list is ought to suffice.
The Real Value of Integrity
There is another, more subtle side to this and it is of immense value. When we are not embodied in a physical body (in other words, when we are in the realm of spirit), it is patently obvious what anyone thinks or intends. We are all totally transparent to one-another in that environment. We live in truth and have no desire for deception or manipulation. Any form of deception would be unimaginable, because it would go against the spirit of Love. It would also not be possible, because we all live in Truth in that realm. Were it possible though, it would instantly misalign us with Spirit and we would be out of that space instantly.
As Above, So Below
The same is the case here in the physical world, except here, we aren’t aware of it. When we deceive, we go against the Spirit of Love and we misalign ourselves with Spirit. It is an expensive error, because it is by aligning with Truth that we align ourselves with and establish our connection with Spirit.
Spiritual Blindness
When we enter a physical body, we give up the ability to see spiritually. We can no longer see who and what we are, nor who and what others are. When are all equally blinded, it becomes an easy matter to mislead and deceive each other. Unfortunately for us, the more we go down that path, the more we cut ourselves off from Truth. Truth is an aspect of Divinity and hence of spirit, so we unwittingly cut ourselves off from the Divine and from our own spirit or soul.
Re-establishing Our Connection
In order for us to re-establish our Spiritual connection it is necessary for us to embrace truth/Truth once more. This means that living in integrity is a non-negotiable. For many people, this can prove a challenge. Old habits sometimes die hard; however, the advantages far outweigh the inconveniences.
Some Challenges Along The Way
Some of the challenges you could face will be in redefining those relationships where dishonesty and manipulation are currently rife. Other people may not wish to change how they interact with you and they may feel challenged by your honesty. I invite you to be the bigger person. Have some compassion for those who don’t yet understand what you know. Keep your focus on the big picture as far as humanly possible and for goodness sake, never use truth as a weapon to hurt another.
Selective Honesty
You may well come across people who are basically honest most of the time, yet resort to dishonesty in certain areas of their lives. They may be as honest as the day is long most of the time, but somehow they have justified using dishonest communication in a particular area of life. This is not unusual at all. Many people learn to compartmentalize their lives into different categories. Each area of life can then have its own set of rules and its own habitual behaviour.
Trust
Trust is wonderful and in fact, is an essential quality for us to develop, (more on that subject later). It is an excellent habit to approach people from a default attitude of trust rather than of mistrust, but we need to learn to trust our instincts too. On a more down-to-Earth level, we should employ our plain, everyday common sense. “If something looks like a skunk and smells like a skunk, there is not much chance that it is anything other than a skunk”.
It’s An Individual Journey
Please bear in mind that aligning with Truth is an individual journey. It will unfold differently for each of us. It may take some people longer and others shorter, but in all cases, it will not happen overnight. Be prepared for it. Having to relearn how to interact honestly with the world will take both time and effort, but it is most certainly a worthwhile undertaking. The benefits are (quite literally) out of this world.
Your Own Dishonest Tactics
One of the biggest hurdles you will face, is recognising your own dishonest tactics. It is entirely possible to think you are living honestly for years and then, as if out of the blue, discover another little dishonest trick that you have been using all along. Habits are so much a part of our behaviour that we tend to take them as normal. We don’t even think to question them most of the time. Don’t be discouraged if this happens to you. You should expect it to. The main thing is that you are sincere in your intention and your attempt to be truthful.
Don’t Delay Your Journey
Do not allow the possibility of challenges to put you off. You should not allow anything to delay or prevent you from starting down this track. It is far too important to let minor details get in the way. Every day you delay is another day lost. Aren’t you tired of living in the half-light, tangled in confusion?
The Benefits Kick In Straight Away
You will definitely feel the benefits of honesty and truthfulness right from the start. The relief of stepping out of the tangled web of lies is palpable. For that alone it would be worth the effort, but that is only the first of many benefits you will experience. As you practice living in truth, you will find yourself much more deeply in touch with your higher self/spirit/soul. The more you step out of the way and allow it to shine through, the more profoundly you will feel connected. Your higher self is your connection to Love, Joy, Peace, Wisdom and Healing. You will experience these qualitites as a part of your everyday experience..
Connection
“What does it mean to “feel more connected?” That is not so easy to answer in a way that everone will understand. Human language has not developed in a way that can easily convey such concepts. It will largely be an unknown quantity until you experience it for yourself. But you are no doubt curious, so let me try to explain. Do bear in mind that your experiences may differ in some respects.
Connection With What?
You could start to feel a connection with people on a level you have not known before. You could feel an indescribable oneness with animals, or trees, or with all living things. Some say they feel “connected to the Universe”; some say “connected to life”; some, “connected to Spirit” or to “Divinity”. Because of the inherent limitations of language, the description will vary far more than the actual experience.
Wisdom and Inspiration
You may find yourself spontaneously saying surprisingly wise things. Not clever, not intelligent, not intellectual, but actually, truly wise. This is the innate wisdom of your Higher self. You may experience flashes of inspiration and creativity. If you would like to have access to the innate wisdom of your Higher Self, you must be in integrity.
Guidance
The same is true if you want to receive guidance. Be aware though, that guidance is not a frivolous thing. You can only expect answers when you ask straight from the heart. Mere curiosity doesn’t cut it in most cases, I’m afraid. And please don’t expect decisions to be made for you. That will not happen.
Lightness, Peace, Joy, Love etc
These and many more beautiful qualities will spring forth spontaneously in your life as you progress on your path. All of these amazing experiences come your way absolutely naturally and spontaneously. It all begins with aligning with Truth and that comes from living in integrity.