Retirement gives a person more time to watch and engage with current events.
Big in Canadian news at the moment, is a story of a former Attorney General and her Prime Minister, and the differences in their interpretation of events.
Whether or not you believe her version or his, the message of integrity has undoubtedly resonated with Canadians. She stood up and spoke up for what she felt was right, and Canadians thus far seem to have landed solidly in her camp. (One poll suggests 97% believe the former Attorney General 3% the Prime Minister’s representative)
It got me thinking about integrity. It’s always been important to me and has occasionally found me on the opposite side of someone in authority…a pretty tricky place to be.
What is integrity exactly? Honesty. Strong moral principles. The willingness to stand up for those principles even when it puts you in the line of fire.
One such incident had me advocating hard for someone when she was left afloat after a traumatic event. A union environment takes the idea of “scope” fairly seriously and it certainly wasn’t in my “scope” to find this student the assistance needed. My brain knew it was not my job as an administrative assistant, but at one point my heart decided it WAS my job as a human being. She was left in the water to sink or swim, and I just happened to have a lifeboat.
It was “the right thing to do.”
I think this is what has been resonating with Canadians. They believe the former Attorney General chose to stand by her principles, they believe it was “the right thing to do.”
A quote attributed to Winston Churchill says it all, “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something sometime in your life.”
The former AG and I both respected our places of employment and the rules encompassing those institutions. Occasionally though, the rules just don’t make sense when held up to the light of your own moral compass.
I find myself less conflicted these days. Fewer people and ideas are running up against my integrity.
That said, finances ARE tight…I may be able to overcome my moral principles sufficiently to steal some sugar packets and jam pods from the coffee shop…
Path to Pasture 