Living with Congruence

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” – Gordon A Eadie

We experience personal integrity when what we say, do and believe are in congruence. This doesn’t automatically fall into place, but requires ongoing effort and learning as we enter into new arrangements. Integrity also requires the courage to be true to ourselves, temperance to keep our desires/emotions in line, and justice to maintain healthy boundaries in our relations with others.
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Many of us have come to understand our sense of right and wrong, as in our personal ethical framework, through a religious and/or spiritual paradigm. We can’t simply override that part of our selves and expect to be objective and clear in our estimation of things. Neither can we impose our belief system upon another and expect that relationship to be hunky-dory.
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However, without good moral principles to guide our interactions with others we come to a standstill. Walls go up and defence mechanisms are employed. Eventually war becomes inevitable on all fronts, from the macro-level to the micro-level, not a stone is left unturned when contentions escalate.
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It seems the more we ponder the overwhelming difficulties that are surfacing throughout the world, the more stretched and powerless we become, so we shift our focus upon matters that are within our control. We wipe the sleep from our own eyes before attempting providence; i.e. we purify our hearts & minds before we act.
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While walking through the wintery forest my soul fills up with gratitude and awe for the beauty that surrounds. The chirping of birds become music and their flight a twirling dance from tree to tree. This softens my heart, which in turn opens my imagination to new possibilities. What often comes to mind these days is the need for human dignity.
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Even though this may be a projection of my own psychological hunger, I am inclined to believe that dignity is what most of us want and need so as to keep an ethical middle ground in place for everyone to traverse freely and without fear. Such a path of openness requires virtuous action, contemplative space, and the wisdom of the ages.
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Do our actions and words hold up to this ideal; or rather, is our behaviour aligned with principles that allow for this kind of synergistic cooperation? This question brings us full circle. Personal integrity remains in place as long as we willingly return to this inner dialogue with ourselves and others. With all our preferences put aside, and every instrumental tool working toward a common end, could we arrive at a greater good if we wholeheartedly believed and held human dignity at the centre of all our relationships?
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There’s a strong part of me that resists this sort of simplicity. It possesses a cynical tone that can easily bring about a paralysis of analysis, but is that the voice we ought to bend our knee to; might there be unseen forces (unconscious drives) that work to undermine our sanity or capacity to harmonize with others in view to the common good.
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This cross feels heavy upon my shoulders, but neither ridicule or sophistry, nor praise or self aggrandizement, can worm its way into my conscience without my approval or assent, therefore I am what I am, and that’s what allows me to make a stand.