As many people in my accounting program are striving for their CA designations, this is probably of interest to them. CA's, being Chartered Accountant's, particularly require utmost integrity because of the nature of the job. Though that does not mean that every other job--maybe except for lawyers' haha--can bypass morality. Sadly, I see many instances in which integrity is not practiced and even overlooked in my program. How will that translate to their work in the real world? In this era, too many err and tread on integrity. The scare supply of thoroughly righteous people leads to integrity being heavily valued and sought upon by employers.
At the same time, maybe it is ignorance towards the true meaning behind integrity that prevents people from embracing and practicing it. My curiosity spiked in grade 12 when I started musing about this subject--what exactly is the difference between integrity and honesty? Most people would overlook the contrasts and simply lump the two together as representing the same thing. Hence, I commenced on an expedition to find an answer. Last night a friend and I discussed the same topic, which revived a spark for me to record the insights down.
Integrity is about being wholesome and consistent through your actions, thoughts and words.
Integrity is about being unconditionally moral, despite thinking no one is witnessing what you do.
Integrity is more than honesty and means doing the right thing, in which wisdom plays an integral role.
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I think that the lack of integrity in our program is a direct repercussion of fear. Fear that all of the people around them will prevent them from getting that job in the first place. I honestly believe that every individual who planned on pursuing their CA designation (or any other profession, really) through our program practiced integrity to get to where they are right now, however we're surrounded by different people now, and the competitive environment fostered by our co-op program inevitably causes some people to overlook integrity for the sake of personal gain. Moreover it's ironic how fearing a lack of ability (in comparison to those around) us can so easily result in actions that make one less credible than their fellow peers.
ReplyDeleteWhat I've learned from my experience in our program is that the people who are consistent, stay true to their morals and values, and act according to these beliefs, REGARDLESS of their surroundings or the judgments of others, tend to be rewarded in a very meaningful manner.
Integrity means that you are accountable for your actions, that you are honest with your words, and that you are ultimately responsible not only to the people who you are with, but to yourself as well as a person. If you can't answer to all three criteria, then your integrity can be regarded as fragile at best, if not a mere illusion - and you the person, a hypocrite.
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