Integrity is one of the 6 Virtues of the Jedi Compass. To have integrity means that: “A Jedi seeks to maintain their integrity to the Jedi Code at all times. A Jedi should hold themselves to a high standard knowing that what they do when no one is looking is just as important as what they do when people are looking.” -Jedi Compass, Integrity.
For most, this might sound like we are telling you that you should always feel like someone is watching you. But that really doesn’t grasp the full meaning of integrity. Instead, it is important that we know the discipline of ourselves when we are outside the observation of others helps us to improve upon how we act in their presence. To give you an example, let’s say that you are a recovering alcoholic. In public, you might be able to conceal that you did not slip a shot of vodka the night before, but little by little if you continue to have these guilty pleasures, the alcoholic inside of you will fall back into his old habits creating heartache for those around you. Having integrity when you are not around others acts very much the same way. If you can do something in private when no one is looking, it takes considerable effort to prevent yourself from doing it in public as time wears you down.
“A Jedi must herself be impartial, cautious, merciful and of pure morals. In practicing discernment the motive must be to distill the truth, through kindness liberate the essence that may be trapped in the icy clasp of fear, anger or despair. Always aware of the grave responsibility, always conscience that the errors she may discern in others she may herself possess.” -John Camillieri
This slide should be self-explanatory. We have to hold ourselves to a standard, but recognize that we are fallible ourselves. It is the blessing and curse of having free will. And if we recognize it in ourselves, we should also recognize it within others. Integrity, especially when there is peer pressure all around us, is incredibly difficult to maintain if you are beholden to an ideal of perfection, or trying to fit into the crowd.
It’s no secret that taking on the name Jedi already invites a certain amount of ridicule from the people around us who believe we worship some puppet from a franchise thought up by Lucas. You’ve already taken on the role of being the outsider when you decide that this is the lifestyle to you, therefore you owe it to yourself to embody the philosophy fully.
As Jedi “we find ourselves caught where acting as a Jedi brings us scorn. Where doing the right thing is not popular. Where we don’t fit in because we believe differently our friends and relatives.” -Spark Vallen
This is line is not about the name Jedi, but the act of being one. Sometimes we are put into situations where the choices are hard to make. As I mentioned in the last slide, being amongst peers can be difficult when you make a decision. When I served in Iraq, there was a situation where I knew a great deal about the religious observances. I won’t get into the details specifically, but suffice to say that I learned my friends, my family, because that’s what we are in the military, were becoming a bit lazy in their duty to fulfill their role to our Islamic detainees. To most, the laziness was innocent, but to me I was faced with a decision to either stand up for what was right or to ensure that my family was not causing religious harm to our detainees. Our detainees never knew what I did, but after trying to argue it at the lowest level, I went up the chain to resolve the problem. Being the only person that cared, a number of the people on the shift that I “ratted on” really had a dislike for me. It hurt, but later on, they understood and were appreciative that the incident wasn’t bigger than what it could have been.
Without Integrity, there is no reason to trust you. Going back to the alcoholic reference, if you relapse and cannot discipline yourself, then how can anyone expect you to be honest with them, how can they count on you to be available to help them, how can they believe that you will accomplish anything for them or a mission you have said you would try to. All of this makes you valueless to others.
Would it be true that you could be there for others, that you aren’t trustworthy, that you don’t have something to offer even though you’ve relapsed? Maybe not, but the views of others are important, because if they don’t have respect for you- you can never do anything for them.
With Integrity, we can overcome these obstacles of having no trust, not being counted on, and not being valued. It also helps you relinquish undue drama. You can rest assured that you are done everything you can to give the best opportunities of success to others. Whether that is in moving forward for a mission, or simply giving advice. And finally, others will believe in your ability to help them.
Ultimately it is important that we understand that how others view us is the product of our actions. While our experiences can influence how our actions go forward, our experiences only help people understand us. But only you can decide whether or not you want to maintain a position of influence to aide others- which is at the heart of a Jedi’s alignment to the Force.
As with everything, however, you should seek to balance your actions with care. People are fallible, and subject to a variety of variables. We cannot always judge a situation by the same situation as another. “A Jedi practices empathy, always placing oneself in the shoes of the other. If one was in a strange and foreign land, without shelter, food, water or money - would she be tempted to take an apple from the marketplace? What if it was not her own mouth to feed, but that of a little one she is charged with the care of?” (John Camillieri). Someone that steals a piece of jewelry from Claire’s is not even on the same level as a mother taking a simple piece of food. Although both are taking from someone, it might be in a Jedi’s best interest to remedy a situation by paying for the stolen food rather than become party to hanging the person. And then, if time permits, stepping up to help that person get into a situation where they no longer have to steal. But in the case of jewelry, then it would be best to reprimand the individual and teach a lesson on the value of someone else’s time and energy that produced the $20 cubix zirconia piece, or simply turning them in to the local authorities. In all things there must be balance of compassion and action.
“Sentiments are general, temporary and involuntary sensations that do not rise to the character of virtue. They are like summer storms, flashing suddenly in the heart and are then gone as quickly as they arose.” -John Camillieri
Finally this slide speaks to the value of recognizing that integrity requires thought and consideration. Sometimes it does not take long to make a decision, and other times it is of great importance that we slow down and analyze the situation before us.
Every action we make, whether it is visible to others or it is only known to ourselves, creates ripples outward into our spheres of influence. It is important that we understand the interaction between our ability to be disciplined in what we do when no one is looking and when we are interacting with others. For your homework, consider what you believe are the pitfalls of your integrity and how you plan to work on resolving those issues in the future. Although we would like for you to tell us in your journal what your vices are so that we might be able to help you better establish goals and cheer you on as you work on them, your written assignment is to explain what you feel it means to live with integrity to the Jedi Code. Some key points we would like to hear are concepts that you feel embody the Jedi Code itself, and how that relates to integrity.