Article September 28, 1998 Issue

integrity medicine of mind and body

Integrity is not a luxury.

By Warren Bolon

Integrity as medicine? Well, it wasn't my first thought either when I began pondering the question "What is integrity?" But it is my conclusion.

We tend to think of integrity more in terms of its expression than its essence. We think of the desirable values associated with it—honesty, sincerity, truthfulness, candor, fairness. In some people, integrity shines from within and needs no advertising; in others it appears to be tarnished or to have been traded for some kind of personal gain.

What's the source of integrity? Is it good parents and good discipline? Do we get it from teachers, spiritual counselors, or philosophers who inspire commitment to ethics and values? No one would deny that these are helpful influences. Yet we know good results don't always follow good intentions or instructions.