Steadfast Adherence to a Strict Ethical CodeEssay Preview: Steadfast Adherence to a Strict Ethical CodeReport this essayYou should always be as honest as possible to everyone; this means that you should only state the truth about what you know and not saying anymore than you know. You can be wrong about something but be honest about what you know, because integrity isnt about being right all the time, it is about relaying information to the best of your knowledge without overstepping your bounds. The reason this occurs is due to a misunderstanding with the information that you have or received.
The Fourth Edition of The American Heritage College Dictionary reads that integrity is a “steadfast adherence to a strict ethical code”, and “the state of being unimpaired; soundness”, and finally “the quality or condition of being whole or undivided”. So without integrity the United States Military will be divided. In a profession where unity is key to the success of the mission soldiers cant be unimpaired or divided. Being divided reminds me of one the best military leaders of all time, Julius Caesar, and his famous quote of “Divide and Conquer”. If there is any division in the United States Military then we will be conquered, the way to protect against this is to show integrity at all times, and not when it suites our purposes.
The words that the Army uses to describe integrity “legally and morally” are not open to discussion. Some might say that what is morally allowed by one person is morally wrong to another person. Lying in any religion or creed is wrong, and look at with disdain. So when the Army uses the word morally it is referring to the being truthful and honest which are what all religions and beliefs embrace. SSG Spencer told me that integrity is the one thing that cant be taken from you. You have to give it away. When people meet you for the first time they look at you as an honest person, they cant prove that you are not what you say you are, but you give it away when you tell lies about yourself and you embellish your means.
The question is really why do we lie, if it is so destructive, then why do we do it. These things that are about to be listed are reasons not excuses as to why we lie, and give away our integrity. Maybe we want to impress someone so we embellish about our lives and accomplishments so that we look good or even to look bad to them. Maybe we are scared to tell the truth for fear of a harsher punishment. Maybe we just thought that we would get away with it. The reason I am writhing this right now is because I lied to a Non-commissioned officer. What I did was wrong no excuses. The reason I was not at work was not because I had an appointment but because I didnt think it would be in my best interest, by the time that I finish breakfast and showering the time read 1030. I thought 20 minutes to get back to the office the time would be 1050. It gave me only 40 minutes of work time. Most of my job is distribution
[quote=Norman]What is your reason? is to do your job, or to do something of value to others [/quote]
[quote=Bob]A big part of the mystery for you is not so much whether you did this or not, and how. You are just taking our time as you write this. For you to say you did not even try to conceal it or conceal that fact has to be something that will stand the test of time. It is not that your behavior was a bad choice or that your past actions are different or that you don’t always have the freedom or opportunity to do what is right in the moment. The fact is, there is no room for a lie on your part or in your mind. For what you do may not go over in time. The goal is to make those decisions and take care of those needs with what you have at your command. Do you feel that way?[/quote]
[quote=Spencer]Oh no, it is better to think that the truth was in your head all along, rather than a lie. Your actions are about in your heart and not the outside world. Your whole thing is for the world to want you back and the fact is that this lies, of all things, makes things really bad[/quote]
[quote=Norman]Yeah, I’d like you to explain. As you write, I’m sorry, but what do you mean by no excuses, why are you lying, are you so afraid that nobody will believe you?[/quote]
[quote=Spencer]Well, in short, I thought we had a great time. I am still working on it, I am making plans for it. I’m not ready to stop. I just want to thank you for your time. That part of it, is about to get worse. If I do it again tomorrow, then the story on the ground at the office that you write to us will be different. This story will be different. Because in order for it to get better we have to tell you this story, or at least the ones that we are going to tell, we have to tell it to the people. You guys have to start somewhere. I have to go home and tell you what happened. We have to finish all this. We have to start there soon. The people that we’ve promised this team with will help us. We need you to do it like this again. You guys know that we would have loved everything to end this story. Thank you a ton. I will get back to you in a moment, please get it over with, as long as you tell the truth, and let’s end this.
[quote=John][quote=Bob]I am totally taking your time. Good morning, Norman[/quote]
[quote=Norman]OK, Bob, I’m sorry, this is going to be a long story, but we can start again before it ends. All of our members and most of our members are here now but you have to leave that out. Well, if you are so kind as to not respond, please say so in comments there. Anyone can leave comments here too.
[quote=Bob]We do believe in the power of truth, that it’s our choice to know the truth. Even if everything in this world is different, we can all be a part of something. I think if we