Honesty and Integrity; So Necessary Today. What Happened? - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli
Monday, June 20, 2022
It’s a pleasant late morning in late spring, and I should feel comfortable, but I don’t. I had a restless night, waking and thinking. I watched the evening news, and observed several people, so-called leaders, misplace their honesty, get away from objectivity, and completely forget what integrity means. I wondered what the next transgression might be . . . a mass murder, another unprovoked Russian invasion, more abasement of human and civil rights, an attack on The Capitol?? And what direction might the responses take?
I thought of a venerable patient of mine, one who oozed experience, the working man philosopher I liked to think. Every time I saw him, he chanted, “Doc, If someone tells the truth, they need never worry. But lie, do the wrong thing . . . worry.” The man set an example for honesty and integrity, and he did it with ease. Why are we losing those admirable traits in our great country? What happened? Have we misplaced, forgotten perhaps, the simple definitions of truth, and integrity?
Honesty and integrity are attributes to live by, especially for our leaders during trying times. Honesty is more than just not lying. It is speaking the truth . . . saying how something is. It shouldn’t be difficult. It means your actions, emphasis on your, are honest, truthful, and visible.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIt means declaring how something happened, based on facts. Sure, at times, it can be considered a complex skill because one must cultivate the habit. But it can’t be that complex. It’s simple. Why is adhering to facts so difficult to understand?
Furthermore, honesty means you don’t say things about people that are not true, you don’t generate rumors, and you admit to your actions. That’s being honest with yourself.
Integrity requires a bit more thinking, and effort. It not only is the need to be honest but also to adhere to moral and ethical guidelines despite personal interests or outside pressure. Ponder the power of integrity . . . upholding personal and professional standards while maintaining sound judgment and NOT yielding to pressure. Or imbuing personal gain.
“Integrity,” said author C.S. Lewis, “is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking.” Integrity is the bedrock upon which good character is built. And where there is integrity, humility follows.
It is difficult for me to watch the news, and the politicians, without the words honesty and integrity popping into my mind. They either avoid the question, make up an answer, or flat-out lie. What is going on? I was never taught those warped values and, if I showed any lack thereof, I paid the consequences.
Do the right thing. Be honest. Adhere to the facts. We need our leaders to do so, especially now when we are so divided as a nation. Rather than the negative energy involved in pointing fingers, would it not be so much better to direct our energies to the truth?
Embrace honesty. Embrace integrity. If so, you need not worry. A decent culture demands it.
Dr. Ed Iannuccilli is the author of three popular memoirs, “Growing up Italian; Grandfather’s Fig Tree and Other Stories”, “What Ever Happened to Sunday Dinner” and “My Story Continues: From Neighborhood to Junior High.” NOW, he has written his fourth book "A Whole Bunch of 500 Word Stories."
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