Tag Archives: integrity

Thieves make very poor choices

Posted on by
Reply

As I sat on a portion of a couch with my Grandfather who was sitting in a Lazy Boy watching television on a black and white tv once told me… “Kid, if you are going to be a thief be a good one, if you steal a tv, steal a color tv, the penalty is all the same…” At least that is as near as my memory of that moment exists in my recall of being a child.

I worked as a deck hand for United States Steel many years ago at the ripe old age of eighteen. They paid me an incredible amount of money for what I did at the time, or so I thought. One day in Chicago I went to shore with another guy. He was farther up the ladder than I was and made a good thirty percent more than I did. As we wandered around a little slice of town where the cab dropped us off, he wanted to go into the dime stores. I thought that was a little odd, but we had nothing else to do with our time. We went into two of them and one small shoe store, and maybe a corner market. He never bought anything though, just wandered around and left. When we were back on the boat he started emptying his pockets of pencils, ten cent notebooks, erasers, and other small trinkets. He told me he could not help himself. He said he had been shoplifting like that for years. He said he stole small stuff, because it was the theft, not the item that satisfied his need.

I hung around and experienced the receiving end of other thieves through the years. I can say firmly, it has not been an uplifting experience. Nothing is ever stolen that hurt badly, but replacing things someone stole from you is at least an inconvenience. I imagine most of the stolen items were sold off at a small part of their worth. I hope whatever money the thieves were paid for the risk and their trouble made it worth it.

Recently I was at work, and sitting in an employee cubicle, where we take our breaks, and do a little surfing if we wish. We were given mugs a few weeks ago, and mine walked off, so I was using a replacement to enjoy a cup of tea with. Lately eating or drinking anything remotely warm makes my nose start running. I am not sure why, but it is annoying. I locked up the computer which really was not necessary because there were over a dozen idle computers already. But locking the computer, I left my cup, and notebook while I went in search of Kleenex.

I came back a few minutes later, and there was a contract employee sitting at my spot drinking the last of his soda. I stopped and looked at him. The light turned on and he said something to the effect that he was sitting in my spot and I was the one who locked the computer? I nodded yes. After a short pause he said, “and that is your mug?” Again I nodded yes. I thought that was an odd question…. He stood up saying, “I guess I let you have it then.” Again an odd phrase, but it was early, and I am a little slow sometimes.

I am a little slow, but it dawned on me after a few minutes what his intent had been, and why he was where he had no business being. In a round about way this brings me back to my Grandfather and his statement about stealing a color television. My mug can be purchased within five minutes of where I was sitting for less than a ten dollar bill. That is an important thought.

If that individual had been more daring or I had been a few seconds later, his intent would have cost him his job. I would have had no recourse but to turn him in as a thief to security on site, and report him to my boss. Of course it would have rolled up the chain and back down to his boss who would have to remove him from the site. I doubt his company would keep a thief on the payroll fwiw. He was essentially getting ready to put his livelihood, integrity, and future on the live for an object he could have bought with the money he probably earns eating his lunch on company time. Not the brightest light on the tree if I do say so.

Some people steal because they have to, and some because they want to. For the second group, all I can say is their decision making processes are very weak. Risking your job, home, family, and possible freedom for a trinket that could be bought for a few dollars is beyond stupid. As a little kid, I did not understand what my Grandfather was telling me. I thought then it was about the price difference. Over the years I have come to understand it is about so more, that the price has little to do with the act itself.

That person should be grateful I came along when I did. Rather I think, he is bitter he did not act in time and told himeself next time he will be quicker.

Share

Integrity of nations, and ourselves

Posted on by
1

Wow, am I having a problem with the integrity issues this week! Two of the blogs on my blogroll to the right, sonalismrules, and heroworkshop, share some pretty strong feelings about integrity. Both of them incidentally over the India verses Australia Cricket test match (?) this week. The match definitely ups the visibility of world class athletes’ and starts to question the status they hold, referees too. This problem is also going lower down in sports in the last months.

While the big news here in the US has been around steroids, Marion Jones, and Floyd Landis seem to hold the spotlight there. Some athletes did not learn anything, or thought they were immune to normal human expectations. Baseball once again is having its already shaky reputation dragged through baseball mud once again with widespread steroid use reported. In late December Florida State college came under the spotlight for group test cheating where as many as twenty athletes may be involved.

Integrity seems to be the issue at hand. I am grappling with the word integrity and I can understand why it is defined with a standard definition, a conceptual view, and a philosophical view. It seems we all have an idea of what integrity should be, but we have different thoughts on how and when it applies.

As a poker player, I have sat with some pretty immoral people. I have seen people who are willing to cheat me, but if they give me their word on something it is as good as gold. I have seen other players give their word, and take any advantage they can to ensure they get what they want. Both types of people act with integrity in their dealings. The biggest difference between them is one type of player goes by the general rule of what is right, and the second argues over what was agreed upon.

Obvious integrity examples for me are in presidential politics. I watched Richard Nixon state he was not a thief. I saw Bill Clinton adamantly claim he did not have sex with a certain woman. The current president has been caught making claims that have shown to be not quite true. In their view they all acted with integrity, in the view of their public they acted with something less.

In the world I was brought up in, the value I was taught that is most important is integrity. I was once asked by a close friend to lie for him, saving him from a serious problem. It was a simple lie, and no one would have known. My integrity would not have been impugned if I had agreed. Well, that is not really true, for I would have known. In the end of all things integrity is one of the things no one can take from me. I can only give it away, and I refuse.

In the current state of sports, people are willing to give up everything for the money. How much money do these people need to accumulate before they can like who they see in the mirror? How much money is needed before a family member, or friend can look at someone who is a liar, and a cheat decide it is okay because they made enough money that they are beyond it all now.

In the stories making the media today, these are not little things that someone was caught doing, or lying about. In the case of Cricket, a whole nation now has their integrity drawn into question due to the act of a few people. India is outraged because they have been wrongly cheated out of something they have every right to.

What is done, can not be undone, in the near future at any rate. No amount of reparation will ever undo the sting of what has been done. No amount of sorry will ever fix the damage done to Cricket, and other sports too. Like it or not, now the integrity of a country – all the way down to an individual – is no longer on the line. In the eyes of many in the world it has been lost, and may possibly never be regained. Was it worth it, I would not do it?

Share

Men, men, trust, and us

Posted on by
Reply

I remember when I was small child, my father talking to me about adult matters. More specifically it was grown male matters he spoke of. How Men behave, and how Men should act. My father never came right out and said so, but he left me with the vague impression there were grown men who were not Men. They inhabited adult bodies, but never quite fit the mold needed to be called Men by him.

When I grew up I understood what he was trying to make clear to me all those years ago. What I believe my father meant was that there are certain rules that Men follow. In my father’s opinion all Men were held to certain standards. Men are expected to keep, or exceed these unwritten standards. On the other hand there are male adults who did not make the grade of being Men in my father’s system, would be placed in the category of men.

Men had virtues, namely integrity and honesty. In a Man’s world, a hand shake was a Man’s bond. Whatever was agreed upon was sealed when Men shook hands on it. There was no need to clarify major or minor details. It was understood between the Men involved that there was no hidden agenda, or plan to cheat one another. A Man who dealt with another Man knew the other Man would uphold the unwritten standards they both lived by.

There are also men in the world. These men could not be trusted, and were not dealt with in the same manner as Men. These were men who thought the world existed for them to take advantage of others. As such, Men only dealt with men when they had to. Because men could not be trusted, dealings with them took longer.

Every point had to be agreed upon and discussed, every question needed to be asked. It was important in these dealings that a Man ensure everything is addressed. It was not good enough for example to sell something, and expect to be paid on Monday when promised by a man. When dealing with men, the transaction was never really complete, there could be problems later on.

I know the main beliefs my father used in his scale was one of  trust – obviously. If a Man could be trusted, he was trusted, otherwise he was shunned and ignored. A Man would never do anything that would tarnish his name or reputation. In those times, for many people, their name was the most valuable thing they owned. People tended to their name the way they would care for a prized possession.

Today our society is a mobile society. Unfortunately, it is now a poor personal choice to treat strangers with the level of trust they would be shown in my father’s time. We do not know people as we used to when the world was bigger and life slower. Some people do not put as much value to their family name as they used to. Moving to a new city is easier than cleaning up a bad reputation. In some social circles lying and cheating, are not only acceptable, but praised, and valued as something worthy.

The number of people we trust is probably about the same number as it was in my father’s day. The number of people we can not trust has grown much larger. I do not think it is because we have thrown virtue and good behavior by the wayside. I think we can not be as trusting, because there are more people in our lives, both Men, and men.

There are still pockets of people around the world, who believe someone’s word is their bond, and they try to live life with trust and integrity. These people will never go away because they are a group of people who keep the world in balance. They are also people we can judge our own morals and values against. I hope you are one of those people!

Share