Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality - lV
INTEGRITY COMPONENT IV: Embracing Negative Reality
Not only is life not perfect, we are not perfect. If we are going to make the leap from simply functioning to influencing, leading and making a difference in the world, understanding that there are some realities that are not comfortable and facing such realities is imperative.
Our Holy Book tells us that some people are fools. The fool may be unaware, aloof; they may be prone to blaming others including their family and up brining. When fools hurt others (but not necessarily physically) they do so more so out of their ignorance. The Holy Book also indicates that there are others who are truly evil, and these people are not fools. They know reality, know themselves, and know right from wrong yet make decisions with the intention of causing damage.
We sometimes think that a wise person (like those in the Bible) are old gray-haired men who have perfect backgrounds, great intelligence and the answer to all of life’s questions. However, this is not what we see in general or in the Bible.
A wise person is simply someone who can be corrected.
A wise person is wise because they are oriented toward truth and they are able to embrace negative realities about themselves (their personality, their behaviors, their thoughts) and the world around them. The wise person seeks feedback, and they can confront (or turn toward) even the not so comfortable truths about who they are, and the world they are in.
What might a person who embraces negative reality look like in relationship with others?