Editor’s Note: Our Sunday School lesson this morning was on the topic of integrity. ‘The Point’ of the lesson was subtitled ‘Be the same Christ-centered person at all times.’
Our lesson for the day was by Ron Lucerini. Ron asked the class, “Who is someone that we hold up as someone with great integrity?” Ron then mentions his admiration for Peyton Manning, the acclaimed quarterback nicknamed “the Sheriff.” Manning spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with the Denver Broncos, and is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Manning exemplifies integrity through his unwavering commitment to excellence, respectful treatment of teammates and opponents, and accountability in both victory and defeat. His meticulous preparation, composed leadership under pressure, and continued charitable work after retirement demonstrate that true integrity means consistently doing the right thing regardless of circumstances.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Most everyone would hail Manning as someone with the ultimate example of high integrity—except me.

Beyond Books: Students Obsessed with Online Gambling

I hate to be the contrarian in the classroom—but I mentioned to Ron that I disagreed with him. I stated that I also have admired Peyton Manning over the years—but how I have been very disappointed in his continuous endorsements of alcohol and gambling commercials. Many may not realize that gambling among young people is rising due to easily accessible online sports betting platforms that minors can use.

This increased participation puts youth at risk for gambling disorders, leading to serious mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Experts stress the need for education on responsible gambling, similar to drug and alcohol awareness, and urge parents to recognize how pervasive these activities have become.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

In my opinion, Peyton Manning is not only earning millions from these endorsements but also adds to the problem. Many people, both young and old, look up to Manning. Money has a funny way of making folks pick and choose what is right and wrong—thus selling themselves to the highest bidder.

Case in point—raising interest rates to benefit predatory lending companies like I witnessed this year is simply WRONG! Why would a legislative body, comprised of both Republicans and Democrats who hold the power to help shape the next generation, raise interest rates while President Donald Trump is trying his best to lower rates? Lower interest rates benefit “We The People;” raising interest rates on the least of these only benefits the predatory lenders.

Here’s an example. Ms. Helen thought she was borrowing money at 11%, only to find out it was 11% each month—totaling 132% interest! What was so sad is that she was caring for her older sister who was special needs and battling breast cancer. Her sister has since passed. Ultimately, what Tennessee Title Loans in Murfreesboro was doing was baiting unsuspecting consumers into their stores to prey on them. I would argue mostly single black females (please fact-check me). It’s the classic “bait and switch” practice. She had already had one loan and paid it off, then did another loan while she had that one. Ultimately, what they are doing is luring them in, and when they cannot pay, they repossess their vehicles and sell them. The repo man “Dale” had been calling and texting her. He’s in on the deal as well—making probably $200 to $400 by repossessing the vehicle and taking it to some lot they have somewhere.

Maybe I’m becoming “old-fashioned” and cynical about what I’m seeing today. It’s really not the evil people we need to worry about, but as Edmund Burke once said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

As of this writing no one seems to be paying attention—but i will predict that in the next few years people will start asking “why?” The media doesn’t ask “why?” Let me explain and give you earth-shattering news—the media is in on the ‘deal.’ Mainstream media is making a boatload of money by selling advertising. Advance Finance, Title Max, Check Into Cash and countless others (I challenge you to count them all—you can’t there way too numerous) are paying them millions each year to manipulate people into borrowing money thinking it’s a low interest rate—only to hook them with their talons and hook and enslave them for life. I equate the practice to a drug dealer handing out samples much like the current gas station heroin is happening with law enforcement not even knowing what gas station heroin is. Folks—I can’t make up the things I’m seeing in our culture today. Both young and old will fall victims to this predatory practice and that’s what it is ‘predatory.’

If I could teach only one value to live by, it would be this: Success will come and go, but integrity is forever. Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, whether or not anyone is watching. It takes having the courage to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences will be. Building a reputation of integrity takes years, but it takes only a second to lose, so never allow yourself to ever do anything that would damage your integrity.

We live in a world where integrity isn’t talked about nearly enough. We live in a world where “the end justifies the means” has become an acceptable school of thought for far too many. Sales people overpromise and under deliver, all in the name of making their quota for the month. Applicants exaggerate in job interviews because they desperately need a job. CEOs overstate their projected earnings because they don’t want the board of directors to replace them.  Entrepreneursoverstate their pro formas because they want the highest valuation possible from an investor. Investors understate a company’s value in order to negotiate a lower valuation in a deal. Customer service representatives cover up a mistake they made because they are afraid the client will leave them. Employees call in “sick” because they don’t have any more paid time off when they actually just need to get their Christmas shopping done. The list could go on and on, and in each case the person committing the act of dishonesty told themselves they had a perfectly valid reason why the end result justified their lack of integrity.

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It may seem like people can gain power quickly and easily if they are willing to cut corners and act without the constraints of morality. Dishonesty may provide instant gratification in the moment but it will never last. I can think of several examples of people without integrity who are successful and who win without ever getting caught, which creates a false perception of the path to success that one should follow. After all, each person in the examples above could have gained the result they wanted in the moment, but unfortunately, that momentary result comes at an incredibly high price with far reaching consequences.  That person has lost their ability to be trusted as a person of integrity, which is the most valuable quality anyone can have in their life. Profit in dollars or power is temporary, but profit in a network of people who trust you as a person of integrity is forever.

Every one person who trusts you will spread the word of that trust to at least a few of their associates, and word of your character will spread like wildfire. The value of the trust others have in you is far beyond anything that can be measured.  For entrepreneurs it means investors that are willing to trust them with their money. For employees it means a manager or a boss that is willing to trust them with additional responsibility and growth opportunities. For companies it means customers that trust giving them more and more business. For you it means having an army of people that are willing to go the extra mile to help you because they know that recommending you to others will never bring damage to their own reputation of integrity. Yes, the value of the trust others have in you goes beyond anything that can be measured because it brings along with it limitless opportunities and endless possibilities.

Contrast that with the person who cannot be trusted as a person of integrity.  Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway  said it best:, “In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy.  And if they don’t have the first one, the other two will kill you.”  A person’s dishonesty will eventually catch up to them. It may not be today, and it may not be for many years, but you can rest assured that at some point there will always be a reckoning.

A word of advice to those who are striving for a reputation of integrity: Avoid those who are not trustworthy. Do not do business with them. Do not associate with them. Do not make excuses for them.  Do not allow yourself to get enticed into believing that “while they may be dishonest with others, they would never be dishonest with me.” If someone is dishonest in any aspect of his life you can be guaranteed that he will be dishonest in many aspects of his life. You cannot dismiss even those little acts of dishonesty, such as the person who takes two newspapers from the stand when they paid for only one. After all, if a person cannot be trusted in the simplest matters of honesty then how can they possibly be trusted to uphold lengthy and complex business contracts?

It is important to realize that others pay attention to those you have chosen to associate with, and they will inevitably judge your character by the character of your friends. Why is that?  It is best explained by a quote my father often says when he is reminding me to be careful of the company I am keeping:  “When you lie down with dogs you get fleas.” Inevitably we become more and more like the people we surround ourselves with day to day. If we surround ourselves with people who are dishonest and willing to cut corners to get ahead, then we’ll surely find ourselves following a pattern of first enduring their behavior, then accepting their behavior, and finally adopting their behavior. If you want to build a reputation as a person of integrity then surround yourself with people of integrity.

There is a plaque on the wall of my office which reads: “Do what is right, let the consequence follow.” It serves as a daily reminder that success will indeed come and go, but integrity is forever.

~Amy (for my daily blogs go to www.amyreesanderson.com/blog)

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