Telling the truth is apparently no longer a virtue that people try to take his life. We may say that we want people to know the truth, but we do ourselves. We believe we can be just a little dishonest. We say we want people to be honest, but then we cheat our taxes. We say we want people to obey the laws, but then exceed them “just” the speed limit. We want to be honest enough to soothe our conscience. It’s a bit like the story of man who sent a letter to the Office of U.S. income (Internal Revenue Service).

He said: “I cheat my income tax, and I felt so bad I could not sleep. I enclose a check for $ 150. If I can not sleep, I’ll send the rest of what I owe. ” Many of us can feel identified with that man. We want to be honest, but sometimes it is easier to be dishonest. So we try to find a way to compromise on our values so that a bit of a lie does not disturb our conscience. Reliability Another characteristic of a person of integrity is reliability.

A person of integrity is beyond reproach. Stay true to principles, regardless of the consequences. A person of integrity realize that there are still moral absolutes in a world of relative values. In the novel by Tom Clancy, Clear and Present Danger, Jack Ryan is practically the only noble character in the book. When you begin to discover the secret government plot, he is confronted by the antagonist, who mocks the principles of Ryan.