From: olivercranglejr@gmail.com   
      
   Why Do So Many People Lack Integrity?   
   By Dr. Margaret Paul   
   April 28, 2008   
      
   A lack of integrity is rampant in our society. This article begins to explain   
   the deeper causes of this lack of integrity.   
      
      
      
      
      
   "By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascents to the   
   Divine Perfection; by the abuse and wrong application of thought, he descents   
   below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades of   
   character, and man is    
   their maker and master."   
   -As A Man Thinketh, by James Allen, a 100 year-year-old classic (Since this is   
   so old, please do not be put off by the use of "man" rather than "As a Person   
   thinketh." Being politically correct was not a primary issue when this book   
   was written!)   
   Our planet is in trouble due to a lack of integrity - a lack of high moral   
   principles that are in alignment with who we really are in our souls. Why is   
   there such a lack of integrity? What is the issue underlying a lack of   
   integrity?   
      
   As the quote above indicates, how we THINK determines our level of integrity.   
   When we are addicted to thinking thoughts that create fear, we may end up   
   behaving in ways that lack integrity.   
      
   Why would we want to think thoughts that create fear? Because this is what our   
   programmed mind - our wounded ego self - knows and thrives on.   
      
   Our wounded self - which is our ego programmed mind - learned many ways to   
   protect us from the things we feared and could not handle as little children.   
   We might have learned to lie to protect against our parent's anger. We might   
   have learned to steal to    
   get what we wanted. We might have learned to have temper tantrums to get our   
   way.    
      
   We might also have learned to think thoughts such as:   
   "Being kind gets you nowhere. If I'm kind, people will run over me and take   
   advantage of me."   
      
   "If I don't fight to get what I want, I won't get my fair share."   
      
   "There is never enough to go around, so I had better make sure I'm at the head   
   of the line, even if others get hurt. The end justifies the means."   
   This kind of thinking will always create fear and a need to be in control. Out   
   of this fear, people will behave in many ways that lack integrity and go   
   against who they really are. They continue to behave as they may have as   
   little children - lying,    
   stealing, having temper tantrums, doing anything they can to have control over   
   getting what they want, even when it harms others. We have only to look at   
   government, many big businesses, drug companies, and insurance companies to   
   see that a lack of    
   integrity has become the norm in our society.   
      
   This will not change until people change their thoughts. What if people   
   thought thoughts based on truth and caring rather than on fear? What if the   
   following thoughts were the norm?   
   "Being kind to myself and others empowers me and gives me the strength to   
   stand up for what is right - both for myself and others."   
      
   "There is enough for everyone to have what they want and need. Abundance is a   
   law of the universe."   
      
   "Behaving in ways that are in alignment with the spiritual values of   
   compassion, kindness and caring - which is who I really am - brings me great   
   inner peace and joy."   
   Obviously, people who operate from these thoughts rather than from the   
   thoughts of their ego wounded selves, are the people who are in integrity.    
      
   As long as people operate under the false belief that happiness lies in   
   getting what they want externally, rather than in whom they choose to be in   
   the world, they will be lacking integrity on their way to getting. Only when   
   they finally see that deep    
   inner peace and joy comes from being in alignment with their inner spiritual   
   values will they consistently behave with integrity.   
      
      
   http://www.innerbonding.com/show-article/1677/why-do-so-many-peo   
   le-lack-integrity.html   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)