Noel Manuel
The flavor of integrity lies in the air that we breathe, the words that we speak, the actions that we demonstrate and the concern that we share.
Integrity is not something that you live for; instead you live by it. Integrity is not a quality that you can govern; instead it governs you into a qualitative person. Integrity is not something that makes you important; instead it is something that is very important for you.
When we find the air polluted, words crusted with lies, actions soaked in suspicion and concern blemished with selfishness, we know that integrity is amiss in the environment and something has to be drastically done in order to save ourselves and the lives of others around us.
A man, rich in integrity and poor in materialistic wealth is considered the wealthiest person on earth. It may sound too hard to be true because these days’ money and swanky cars do most of the talking. But let me remind you that it is the moral principles that actually steer you to a more purposeful and meaningful life. The posh four wheelers don’t do it.
When we live by our moral principles and learn to respect them in every decision making process that we decide upon, our conscious remains at peace now, tomorrow and forever. When we go against our moral principles to appease desires and greed, our conscious can never remain at peace. We are constantly haunted by our misdeeds and deep within we are constantly sick and miserable.
They say that it doesn’t pay to be good. But let me remind you that every good decision that is iced with integrity has a reward. The reward does not necessarily have to be a materialistic object because no one rewards integrity nowadays. They instead choose to decorate it with jealousy and revenge.
History has taught us that every great leader who dared to embrace integrity and stood by his moral principles was decorated with jealousy and revenge. And they were surely aware of the consequences that lied in store for them. Even if it meant death, it hardly mattered. Their conscious could not make them compromise with their moral values.
Mohan stood in the witness box, nervous yet confident. He was about to testify what he had been witness to a few weeks ago. Mohan could have never imagined himself to be in a situation like this. But he was in the midst of the action and there was nothing that he could do about it.
The accused, a 29-year-old unshaven man stood in the box opposite him. His eyes appeared unrepentant about the gruesome deed he had committed on a college girl. Mohan knew how important his testimony was and seemed unmoved by the bribes offered by the minister’s close aides to turn the tide in favour of their son.
Mohan had always been an upright young man and his father, who had spent a lifetime educating young minds, always advised his son to hold his moral ground in any situation irrespective of what the circumstances might lead to. Mohan had always kept this advice in mind and like his father, never allowed a guilty conscious to take growth.
The judge began the proceedings and Mohan, who was unfortunately the sole witness at the scene of the ghastly incident started to reveal all that he had seen. He knew the measure of the consequences that would emerge; if at all the minister’s son was convicted. But Mohan was also aware of the measure of integrity and the importance of a peaceful and clear conscience.
His verdict was not only for justice but also for his integrity that his father had always asked him to protect.
Sheela was a brilliant student and the only daughter of a lecturer. She was into her final year and among the most popular faces on the campus. It was this popularity that cost her her life. She was brutally killed when she dared to question the accused on his high handedness with the female students of the college.
After a grueling three hours of questioning, testifying and confessing, the verdict was finally announced. The young man was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of assault and murder of an innocent college student.
After a couple of weeks, Mohan happened to meet the same judge at a function. Taking the opportunity to congratulate the judge for his wisdom, Mohan said, ‘Sir your decision has indeed brought solace to the family members of Sheela.’ And to which the judge replied, ‘ But I think it was more because of your integrity that justice was finally delivered to the beleaguered parents.’
When we actually choose to live by our morals, the going is always difficult. You will develop an opposition and there is a possibility that your near and dear ones may not agree with how you think, act or speak. But remember, it is not for people to judge how we should actually live our lives in order for us to get to our destination. It is our integrity that will take us there.
To live a life that is measured in integrity is akin to walking on a tight rope and putting your balance at risk with every step that you take. We know that every step is a risk and the next step could bring us crashing down. But what we also know is that once we get to the other side, it is an achievement that very few set out to achieve. “The essence of life is to take risk and putting my integrity on the measure is what I enjoy doing most for this gives me the ultimate satisfaction of life.”
We often get to read and hear about bribes, scams and other forms of unethical practices that go against our integrity. In some cases the people involved are never brought to book. But does that mean that integrity does not exist? It surely does. And those that actually get away with unethical practices are the ones that suffer in various forms because their conscience is constantly disturbed. Every man is answerable to his conscience, if not anyone else. And though you can fool everyone else, you can’t really fool your conscience. For it is your conscience that actually takes you to the place that every human being desires to go to - the abode of peace called paradise.
noelmanuel@rediffmail.com
The writer is the Coordinator of the Northeast Region (Poetry Society of India) and Life Member of the Poetry Society of India. Journalist and Correspondent Eastern Panorama (News Magazine of the Northeast) Phonetics Teacher
