What is integrity?
“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” ~C.S. Lewis
There’s so much turmoil and corruption in the world, which partly explains why I’ve been obsessed with the word integrity. What does it really mean — and does anyone really care anymore? Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines it:
1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility. 2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness. 3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness.
Integrity isn’t always easy or comfortable. Every day, I search for examples of it in politics, in my community, and among my friends and family. People who practice what they preach have integrity. People who are willing to admit they’re wrong and correct their mistakes have integrity. When I was a kid, my parents explained that having integrity means you can face yourself in the mirror and know that you’ve done the right thing — not for personal gain or power but because it’s the right thing to do.
What does integrity mean to you? ~CL
Photo by Cindy La Ferle
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
