I have been thinking about some crucial values lately, ones that are key to CREW’s existence and mission. There are many values that CREW promotes, among them honesty, accountability, neighborliness, civility, and stability. Today I want to begin with integrity.

Integrity comes from the root word integer, which in math is a whole number as opposed to a fraction. Likewise, in philosophical terms integrity confirms the meaning of wholeness—morally, ethically, and spiritually. Think about folks you know with sterling integrity. What are some of their distinguishing characteristics? Maybe cosistencyconsistency, honor, honesty, and a patient steadfastness. And what behaviors do they NOT display? Impatience, reactivity, incivility, and emotional dysregulation.

Folks of high integrity exude a sense of safe security. They wait to gather all relevant facts before drawing conclusions. Their confident patience allows them to calmly suspend judgments and the impulsivity to blurt out fractured arguments like a shotgun spray. Rather than looking to affix blame to a likely scapegoat, the person of integrity looks to solve real problems in the real world, not chase conspiracy theories through mazes.

The road to integrity requires the integration of experience, knowledge, and wisdom. Thankfully the average person learns from his/her mistakes whereas the village idiot never learns despite many attempts. However, the integrated or high integrity person learns from others’ mistakes. Why is this the case? Most likely because the integrated person recognizes facts and biases; knows the value of boundaries; and can remain above the fray by holding firmly to facts, objectivity, and a strong moral compass.

I like figurative language and imagery. Images supersede plain prose, I believe. So allow me to exhibit three images of integrity, the UNUM in e pluribus unum. Consider a quilt made of hundreds of fabric scraps. The unity or integration of these scraps by a patient and talented quilter becomes a useful, even beautiful bed covering as you can see in November at the arts and crafts fair. In a similar manner, gorgeous stained-glass creations are formed from a myriad of colorful glass shards, assembled not by luck or accident but by a focused process of integration. Finally, consider the broken beauty that is a mosaic. Bits of tile or glass are carefully integrated by an artisan with a vision of wholeness beyond the dusty chips at their disposal. All of these images speak of the construction of wholeness from many disparate parts. The process requires time, vision, talent, and a positive belief in something not yet in existence.

On the other hand, as everyone knows, destruction or disintegration requires little more than impulsive smashing and bashing without a plan. It’s certainly quick and easy to comprehend and carry out, like falling off a mountain cliff. Painfully simple to shred the quilt, shatter the glorious glass, and jackhammer the mosaic.

CREW Essay on Integrity
by: Kevin Harney