Integrity is the principles by which you live. To live with integrity means to be true to your principles. But you can only live with integrity, and thereby be true to your principles, if you know what they are.

If you’ve never thought about what your principles are, you cannot say, for you do not know, whether you’re a person of integrity.

What it means to live with integrity is to have given some thought to what are the guiding principles of your life.

You may have always thought of yourself as a person of integrity. But if, when questioned, you are unable to say what it is that you stand for, how do you know you are being true to yourself?

You may have often heard this expression voiced by others: “But I’m not like that!” or “I’m not that kind of person!” Chances are, you may also have said something of the sort. Well, the question to you, or to anyone who’s ever given voice to such an expression, is: What do you mean when you say “that kind of person”?

Be careful; don’t jump to a hasty answer.

When you think of what it is that you stand for, don’t think of external things. Don’t say that you’re a true patriot. Or you’re a true follower of your religion. Or you’re a good parent. Or a loyal friend. Or any number of such things.

These things do, of course, go towards making up your integrity. But they are things that are rarely put to the test. You are rarely challenged in these matters, unless in moments of crisis. And such moments don’t come often. It’s hoped they don’t come often.

So, if you’ve never faced a crisis; if you’ve never been challenged to prove your mettle, so to speak; how do you know what you will do in such moments? Do you know how you will behave? In fact, do you know yourself well enough to trust yourself?

Do you know yourself?

This is what this has been leading up to. The age-old question. The question of questions.

Know Thyself.

To be able to decide whether you’re a person of integrity, you basically have to know who you are; what you are. What is it that is important to you? Actually, that is understating it. What is more important to you than anything else?

Hopefully you’re not listing any possessions. You’re not listing family and friends. The principles; that’s what you should be searching for.

And the word “searching” is used intentionally. For it is improbable that anyone will simply be able to reel off a string of principles that they live by. It is the rare person who has gone through such an exercise.

Now, here’s some more shocking matter for you.

Don’t think of a person of integrity as being a “good” person. Don’t think of the typical virtues that are fed to you in childhood. Again, it’s not to deny that these do go towards making up one’s integrity. The thing is, it’s very easy to pick on these virtues as being laudable in the opinion of society. But they mostly serve as ornamental virtues: Rarely tried and tested.

A criminal of integrity is preferrable to a law-abiding citizen who lacks integrity. With the one, you know exactly where you stand; with the other, it’s a matter of chance.

This comes back to principles. A criminal of integrity lives by certain principles. Those principles are a code of honor. Their standing in their criminal society; their very existence in that society, depends on abiding by these principles.

Before this begins to sound like a promotion for the criminal society, it’ll be better to return to the matter of principles. You’ll find that this is entirely about principles, and all the talk is a matter of circumambulating this central tenet.

You’ve heard of the saying: “Manners maketh the man.” Well, in this case, and probably in every case, the principles make the person. Manners may change as times change. Principles don’t change.

The expression of the principles may change. The age of Chivalry and of Knight-errantry may be no more, but the principles they lived by endure through the ages. These may not be the Biblical times, but the virtues remain the same. Temptation may not come with quite the same ceremony as Satan, but temptation dogs one’s footsteps as persistently.

How do you determine the principles you do stand by, or that you should stand by?

It would be futile to pore over the books about the code of honor of ancient days. It would be as useless to study the scriptures to see what is required of you. You have to decide what makes you the person you are.

“Be yourself” may sound trite and timeworn, but that is what it comes down to. In other words, don’t end up being hypocritical. Don’t try to appear something you’re not. And don’t be ashamed of not being some ideal, heroic person.

Is that all there is to it? Is it enough just to know what “makes you tick”?

That is just the preliminary step. Then comes the stage of living up to your ideals; your principles. And remember, there is no harsher judge than your own self. There is nowhere to hide from the all-seeing eyes of your self.

And to fall in your own esteem is worse than being stoned in public. You have to live with yourself. If you live by your principles; if you are a person of integrity; you will walk proud. “And - which is more - you’ll be a Man my son!” Remember Kipling?

What does it mean, to live with integrity?

This comes to the question of rigidity. Standing too rigidly by your principles can be as deleterious as being too lax in the observance of those principles.

You will have gathered by now that this is a way fraught with hardship. This, you see, is the real test of integrity.

It’s very easy facing a crisis. A crisis forces you into action; it demands a certain specific response from you; there’s no time to think; there’s no need to think. You just respond.

The everyday version is the more difficult one. Day to day, trivial matters require some response. No one’s watching; no one’s judging. Each response adds to the accumulated responses; and, before you know it, you’ve built up a character.

So, how rigidly you’ll pursue your course; how flexible you’ll be in accommodating unusual incidents; all will depend on how well you’ve come to terms with yourself.

It will show if you’re a person of integrity.