Integrity by Pierre Pradervand (La vie simple, Éditions Jouvence, 1999)
Integrity is an inner quality of a person, a quality of the being.
It means to be constantly attached to one's highest level of the truth and to one's personal vision, no matter the price. Integrity consists in resounding from the deepest root of our being which pushes us to stand on the truth. And this very resounding also gives us the boldness not to give up one centimetre of ground, whatever the prestige or authority a person or an institution may oppose to us. This, however, will not be by stubbornness, but through the quiet courage of an inner voice which is telling you : " Above all, be faithful to yourself…"
To be integer means to follow in each and every moment one's highest conception of what is of the truth, whatever the consequences may be, whatever loneliness marking one's path, and whatever jibes and mockery strongly coming from the crowd or Pharisees.
Moreover, to be integer is " to dare proclaiming the truth to all power ", though silence could have been more advantageous for your own interests. It's to attach yourself to the might of truth when all the people around you are accepting compromise or saying : " this is not really important " ! It is to remain bold and firm when the others hide or disappear behind their underground fears or timidity.
Once more, integrity is to refuse to dilute one's inner sense of truth in order to satisfy, calm down or gain approbation from one's beloved.
Above all, integrity is to refuse to cheat yourself, to lie to yourself, or to remain in the darkness of those who like half truth. You can lie to the others -or deceive them- and receive forgiveness. But…when you lie to yourself, who is there to forgive you ? And after that kind of defeat, who will help you to stand up again? Even if you are such ignorant to allow yourself in such supreme foolishness to deceive yourself, will your inner power surely not abandon you? In that case, you must understand that your own ship has been deliberately sabotaged by you, and you alone. In such moment, only the grace of God can save you.
Deceiving yourself kills the very discernment which is the base of true judgement and valid choice. If you consciously avoid what you know as the truth, or if you lie to yourselves, it's a sin against the Spirit of God which dwells in each one of us. Integrity, as the most intimate centre of a human being, constitutes the spinal cord of our identity, the foundation of all our qualities, starting since love. Integrity is the framework on which we are weaving our delightful qualities' textures on the tapestry of our existence. When integrity is married to love in the joyful dance of the one whose existence is celebration of life, it reveals the perfect couple.
Then, winds and storms will surely come and howl -or the tempter whispering things into our ears : " Hey, it's now time for compromission ! " At that time, instead of escaping the challenges God has placed for us to grow and remain awake, My Friend, let's stand firm at this inner fountain, no matter the cost, because this is our real integrity -in it resides Life !
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