By Gerald Gillis – Are you sometimes confused by the meaning of
the term integrity? Is it a complicated set of principles that
can vary according to a particular moral consideration or a
specific set of circumstances? Or is it simply doing the right
thing because it is the right thing to do? Ralph Waldo Emerson
wrote that, “Character is higher than intellect.” What does
integrity have to do with character? Can you have one without
the other? Think of integrity as the quality of having high
moral principles, of being reliable and trustworthy. It does not
mean you are near perfection as a human being, but rather that
you can be trusted with words and deeds. Doing the right thing
because it is the right thing to do? Of course. If you are
described by others as a person of integrity, would it also
follow that you have high character? Yes, absolutely. Now think
of groups of people who are presumed to have integrity. Judges,
doctors, military officers, and ministers come to mind. True, we
can point to examples in e