Rectitude

Okay. I have to be honest with you guys. When I first heard about this word (which was literally 2 hours ago), all I thought of was that one part that is in our bodies that is way down below. If you guys have ever learned Biology in school, you’ve probably figured it out. I know, right? Michelle, that’s gross. But to be honest, I wouldn’t have found the real definition of it without searching through Google and I wouldn’t have found it if I never searched the word “integrity”. Now who wouldn’t know what integrity means? It’s pretty obvious, yet pretty hard to grasp, especially put an act into it.

So, I first started looking through the word “integrity” because a friend of mine needed help on writing some stuff about it. And since, being the Michelle I am, I had to look it up since I kind of know about it but don’t actually know the true meaning of it. Instead of writing literal crap about it, I did my research. And lo and behold, I got the definition after the first attempt.

Integrity is a pretty big word. Why do I say that? Because most people just don’t have it in them. Wow, Michelle, that’s pretty harsh. But it’s true, though, right? You guys can say whatever wise crap you want, you probably don’t even mean them.

Anyways, to get you guys really thinking about it, integrity is honesty and having strong moral principles. Let’s use an example to explain this. Pretend that you have a friend who everybody adores. They’re quick-witted, very opinionated, and have strong personalities. They’re probably the hottest topic in your school. They’re just all over the place because of their wise little lips and soft hands. But in reality, they’re just not so perfect. They don’t mean what they say and say what they mean most of the time. And they’re pretty judgmental, too. But who are you to tell them? They’re everybody’s coolest friend. Get the picture? Anyways, you probably have that one friend lying around somewhere.

To be fair, I, too, can be like this. I can say all the sweetest lollipops but do all the dangerous chemical reactions. I can say that we should all respect one another and be nice whenever possible, but be the meanest person you’ll ever meet.

Having integrity in your life is so, so important yet so hard to do. You have a million critics that are your friends, parents, teachers, lecturers, leaders, pastors, and bosses that can somehow turn your good or open-minded point-of-view upside down. You experience pressure from your peers to fit in and do exactly like them. And you’re probably traumatized being the nice guy among a bunch of chicks who only appreciate dicks (unfortunately).

But why should implementing integrity be so important? Maybe you’ve all heard of grey life choices. You’re a leader in church but also corrupt in your political life. You’re a “feminist” but deride and below other women. You are adamant – so to say – but you’re indecisive at the same time. You say you have discernment but support and protect criminals in court for cash. You can’t live a double life, you guys. Choose one – black or white? It honestly doesn’t matter. You can be a stripper for all I care, but don’t preach about how women should dress and act femininely. You can definitely be contra-LGBT, but never speak about judgment. You can be the number one corruptor in the entire world, but hold your mouth about honesty.

For the conclusion, I only have 4 words for you guys: just choose one life.