Integrity, the ambiguious word
My integrity is based on several points in my relation to everything else in the universe. If I didn’t have the means to react with other things, integrity itself is meaningless. The way I treat other things relies on keeping the universe in balance. My regard for myself is unbearable, but then again, giving to the universe of things my goodness enriches my self regard. Nature is one point in my relation to everything. My perfect integrity says that I should treat nature with total respect and save it from harm and not harm it myself, yet I violate this by driving to school everyday alone, in a car that pollutes the air with an internal combustion engine. Any justification of this action leads to my self enrichment, what is most pleasurable or good to me. With my first point I arrive at hypocrisy and that proves that my actions may not always follow to what I believe is right. This illustrates that perfection should never become a part of my integrity because it does not suit who I am. Therefore I must redefine the “perfect” integrity so it can adhere to my own rules. I call this “theoretical integrity” versus my actions or “objective integrity.” My theoretical integrity is selfless, respectful of nature, balancing, calculating and in favor for the greater good in every situation as humanly possible. Theoretically, the greater good is the betterment of humanity by technology with regard to nature. It is my belief that the goal of humanity is to explore the universe. We are an appendage of the universe in place so that we can understand the universe. In this respect we are the universe attempting to discover itself. With that in mind it is integral that I do my part in reaching this goal. This is where the theoretical definition combines with my objective. Humans may have to damage nature to persist, which is vital to the goal of humanity, but they must not damage it so much that they might not persist themselves. To be a complete human being or a being of integrity, I mustn’t resort to immanence but dedicate myself to something that betters human understanding of themselves and the universe. In my case I have dedicated myself to music, an art which I consider to be an abstract way that humans may understand their selves through. Since this is what I consider to be completeness and I adhere to it, it is my integrity.