Lately I have heard a great deal of comments about integrity and authenticity. Many people use the words interchangably and insist that they are the same. Some blame power and isolation as the cause of corruption.
Power in and of itself does not corupt, but it reveals the corruption of one's character. Absolute power reveals the depth of one's corruption.
Fear reveals the level of consistency in one's life. If one acts without fear is one who knows that the person they are in private is the same person they are in public. But, just because someone is authentic, does not make them fearless unless they are consistent.
If one consistently admits to a certain set of values and then acts inconsistently with those values in private and publicly - they lack integrity. They also act in fear that their actions will one day demand an account.
Character and action moving in consistency with one another in public and in private without fear equals integrity.
If you were handed a great deal of power, how would it affect the way you acted out? In other words, if you knew there was nobody who could touch you for your actions, how would you live?
A man of integrity with absolute power, I believe, would rap a towel arround his waist and serve those who are willing to be served.
3/07/2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
