The Absence of Integrity

There’s little else that matters to me than my integrity. While not an uncommon trait for a witch, it’s something that I believe in above anything else. It matters that I’m taken seriously because I don’t lie. An empath as well, empaths cannot tolerate dishonesty in others any more than we can tolerate it in ourselves. So I get a double dose of it I guess.

Deception from others is exhausting. An empath will typically feel in to figure out what’s actually going on. A witch will try to do something about it. No one likes being sold a bill of goods. We want to know exactly what’s going on at any given moment and most of us don’t deal well with dishonesty. And when we figure out what’s happening, we may experience a variety of emotions including betrayal, embarrassment, and anger. No one likes to feel they were lied to or taken advantage of in any way.

Lies matter in the broader scheme of things. If someone lies to gain anything at all, they risk fraud charges. If it happens in relationships, then they risk irreparable damage to those relationships. Everyone else is charged with outing the liar and sometimes that’s not received well, because liars often have supporters who foolishly become part of their game.

The absence of integrity leads people in directions that might benefit them for a time, but eventually it all comes crashing in on them. Lies create more lies and pull others in when they have no idea what’s happening. Before long, the lies are so complicated that it can be difficult to see how they’ve progressed, but typically is has to do with gain of some kind.

The gain involved may be financial in nature, but power and control are at the root of all of it, whether money is involved or it’s not. This may seem obvious, but many people are so passive aggressive that their deception is on a visceral or foundational level for them, and even they might not understand the ramifications of their actions. It never occurs to them that what they want is more about them than what it is they’re focused on and they resist any attempt at course correction.

When you seek to bring truth to a situation, you must be prepared for push back because it will happen. But integrity matters and the fact that so many find that challenging these days accounts for much of the oppressive nonsense we see and experience. We see it in the political arena as well as in our own personal lives as more lies are told to protect the lies that came before. It’s a never ending struggle with people who can’t seem to tell the truth.

Trust matters. Without integrity, trust doesn’t even enter the equation for me. So if someone lies to me, there had better be an explanation that is both understandable and believable. In other words, there had better be some really good extenuating circumstances before I’ll ever consider trusting that person again. Few have those kinds of explanations. Mostly they don’t respond at all, laying low, waiting for someone to rescue them from the situations they create.

They’re cowards, those who act without integrity. They prefer their will above all others and their inability to work collectively with others is sadly impaired. The challenges for the rest of us in dealing with them are many. Keeping these folks from doing too much damage is the least of it. Viewing them as Source Presence and extending them compassion actually should be the easiest thing we can do, but often our wounding gets in the way of that.

The absence of integrity casts a pall over everything. At some point, each of us not only needs to be able to trust, but to be trustworthy. We all matter equally. And we’re all one. So let’s turn a page and begin anew in dignity, integrity, and honor.

Integrity matters that much.

Blessed Be.