Article #170 Honesty and Integrity

My grandpa Harold Vernon was a man of his word. If he told a neighbor or associate that he would do something, you could count on it. He valued his reputation and took pride in being totally honest in all his dealings. Compare that to today news headlines as employees embezzle funds daily from their workplace and feel no guilt about it at all or bank robbers see no other way of gaining money than stealing it. It’s a sad statement on the state of our society.

Stories from your youth that teach honesty are better teachers than all the preaching about this value we can do with younger family members. Remembering how you always returned lost items with no thought of reward, saved up pop bottles to redeem for pennies in order to buy some candy, etc. If you promised to do something, you did it. Which brings up another value closely related to honesty-integrity which the dictionary defines as “steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.” Boy, do our politicians and prominent public figures need that value in their lives today.

Commitment to marriage vows, agreements and professional expectations fit in here. Knowing that you could trust someone who provided a service for you or signed a contract with you. Honest car repairmen, salesmen, faithful spouses were the norm in the good old days. Maybe that’s what made them good?

Nowadays our society lives at such a fast pace, that’s there is little time to teach or pass on values that are important as you rush from place to place talking on our cell phones or texting or emailing. It’is time to SLOW DOWN. Consider what is most important and do something in a positive way to encourage your youth to consider implementing values into their lives.

Trying to talk about values that are important can be done if you can get your families to unplug or listen. Sometimes that seems hopeless, but retelling tales from your youth that capture and teach a value in a more effective way. Preaching definitely doesn’t do it. Getting involved in your young people’s lives and finding out their concerns then sharing stories from your life that illustrate how to overcome a problem or deal with a situation can be very effective or writing your life story with that in mind as a purpose.