Article May 20, 1933 Issue

Integrity

SOPHIE E. N. WHITTAKER

A Student, after considering a dictionary definition of "integrity," read the following statement by Mrs. Eddy in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 448) in a new light: "Evasion of Truth cripples integrity, and casts thee down from the pinnacle." She found "integrity" defined in part as follows: "State or quality of being complete or unimpaired, wholeness, soundness, purity." This led her to see that, spiritually considered, integrity is a quality expressing the perfect unity of God and man, or the spiritual man's unimpaired consciousness.

In the account of the stilling of the storm by Christ Jesus, the ship on the storm-tossed lake might be likened to individual human consciousness buffeted on the waters of mortal mind. The question of importance is, How does it bear itself; to what extent is it found unimpaired? The narrative in three of the Gospels shows the great difference between the depth of fear to which the consciousness of the more or less ignorant disciples could sink and the height to which the illumined consciousness of Christ Jesus could rise under the same circumstances.

Probably when the storm began the disciples, as students of their beloved Master, may have endeavored to keep intact the integrity of their thinking, and to prevent the waves of error from entering their thought. While this state was maintained, we may be sure the waves of the sea beat upon the ship in vain. But what happened? Integrity was not completely maintained. That pure, unwavering consciousness of the unity of God and man, through which life is seen to be wholly spiritual and therefore indestructible, was lost sight of; fear of loss of life overwhelmed them for the time, and they found themselves in jeopardy.

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