Article April 4, 2005 Issue

Where does integrity come from?

ARE HONESTY AND INTEGRITY CHOICES IN A HUMAN behavior "options package"? Or basic equipment from the One who made you "in His own image"? Start search HERE.

By Barbara Vining

I didn't notice until after I sat down to eat my lunch that the cafeteria cashier had given me the wrong change. When I brought the extra change back to her, she was a little surprised, and at first she was reluctant to take it. After all, it was only a few cents. But when she saw that it was important to me for her to take it, she graciously accepted it.

Flagrant lapses of integrity often dominate the news, but that doesn't mean integrity has gone out of style. Far from it. I don't think my instinct at that moment was at all exceptional. Instances of honesty and fairness play out over and over again in the everyday lives of people all over the globe.

So why was returning a few cents to the cashier so important to me? Well, for one thing, I was pretty sure she would be held accountable for the change in her register at the end of her shift, and could likely have had to make up for any shortfall out her own pocket. More than that, though, it was simply the right thing to do. And even more. For me, it was a matter of being true to a universal source of integrity that connects all people beneficially. Let me explain.