“Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Of all the gifts my parents have bestowed upon me during my life, without question, the greatest of these is this: integrity.
It’s a word often tossed around without much thought about what it means—what it truly means—not only to possess it, but to live it.
Integrity is about treating others as you want to be treated whether a CEO or a janitor, black or white, rich or poor, gay or straight, and yes, even liberal or conservative.
We can have differences in beliefs, in biological traits, and in socioeconomic statuses, but we all deserve to be treated with respect, not judged and condemned for differences.
Integrity is about speaking up when you witness acts of bigotry, judgment and hatred toward another person, not because of the things that they have done, but simply because they are different than you are.
Integrity is living a life with strong moral principles. And standing by them.
Sometimes it’s easy to turn our heads and look the other way. To make excuses for bad behavior. To accept the status quo. Or to remain silent, not because it’s the right thing to do but because it’s the easy thing to do.
Integrity is about doing what’s right, even when doing so brings risk.
Never apologize for doing the right thing.
