What is Integrity?

For my PPS scholars class, I am being asked to write a script for a podcast defining integrity. Does this work?

Integrity in the Face of a Storm

Here in the Triad of North Carolina, our strongest storms blow in from the northwest. Strong cool winds shove the sticky hot air to the coast in a violent fury. The integrity of most structures stay intact, storm after storm, year after year. What makes some structures stand strong while others cave under the pressure? Having integrity means standing strong, even in the face of a storm aiming to corrupt everything in its path.

There is a quote that says everything I believe about integrity. It says, “Live in such a way that if anyone ever spoke badly about you, no one would believe it.” I have modeled my life after this quote. A few years ago I met a group of people that I thought shared a similar belief system as I do—but I quickly realized I was naïve and that this group of people quickly went into jealousy and gossip. When others tried to lure me into the gossip fury, spreading lies about others, I stood strong in the storm—my integrity stayed intact. Some followed my example and stopped gossiping, while others succumbed to the storm and their integrity faltered. To live with integrity means not buckling under the pressure of even a violent haboob. Sometimes to keep our integrity intact, we need to be flexible like a tall, strong tree in the midst of a storm. Trees bend and move with the storm, not against it—giving it resiliency against the storm.

Keeping our integrity is not always easy. The temptation to be dishonest or to take advantage of a person or a situation can be strong, especially when we are hurting or not getting our needs met. It is in this moment that we must stand strong in our convictions and with our feet firmly rooted—eventually, the storm will calm and we will be even stronger to weather the next storm, year after year!