Hello Friends,
Not all military leaders, politicians or public servants are remembered by the masses. However, few are respected, revered, and have become the role models for the new generation of public servants. They are held in high esteem by people of all ages and from all walks of life.
The true worth of a military leader, politician or a public servant is assessed on his performance on the high scale of honesty and integrity. We all have some idea about what it means to be honest. However, I wonder how many of us will be able to explain what does the word INTEGRITY really means.
The Oxford dictionary defines integrity as a quality of being honest and having high moral principals. It indicates that integrity is something more than just being honest. I felt that the dictionary meaning fails to bring out the real essence of the word.
I stumbled on a fairly functional meaning of integrity in The book “The Professional”.
What it really means:-
- We follow rules.
- Where rules do not exist, we use fair judgement.
- When in doubt we do not go ahead and do what suits us, we seek counsel.
- Finally, faced with a difficult choice we ask ourselves: can my act stand public scrutiny without causing embarrassment to me and my family.
Friends, follow rules in life. Don’t wait for the police ka danda. Do not bend rules to suit you. The concept of fair judgement is subjective, but essentially it is the voice of conscience.
Ask a question, how would I feel if someone did to me what I am about to do to another. When a moment of temptation comes, as it sometimes must, all we need to do is switch roles and place ourselves in the shoes of the potentially most affected party. In an instant, you will see the path.
Jai Hind.
The mentors at SSBOGC
