The courage to be an integral person

When we were children, mum and dad —or whomever fulfilled the role that is usually attributed to them— gave us some moral standards. They taught us, among others, not to steal, not to lie, not to break down things and to respect other people's property. Now that years have passed, however, we follow only some of these recommendations and —even— according to our convenience. We call it common sense, but actually it is not that. We have got used to behave in different ways before different situations just because we are afraid of the consequences that may come if we don't.

Examples? Think on those moments in which you have lied and ask then yourself if those lies were not to avoid a negative consequence of your actions or just to win some extra time to finish what you had to do. Now think on any occasion in which you have cheated in an exam and now tell if it was not to avoid the punishment you could be subject to for flunking it. Last, remember the first time in which you kept your lips closed and tell if it was not because of you were afraid of the consequences that speaking or denouncing may have brought.

As you can see, dishonest behaviours are a consequence of some kind of fear.

Now ask yourself if —at your age— it is worth living like that. Soon you'll have an answer. In the meantime, we remind you that being an integral person, even in the dictionary, is synonym of being someone complete. A complete person does not live with fear.

Knowledge + You