ON INTEGRITY

Integrity is a shared process.

Integrity is interrelational.

Integrity is contextual.

Integrity is integrating.

Integrity is unscripted.

Integrity is a kind of super-attention.

Integrity is watching for the cracks in what you thought you knew.

Integrity is willingness to learn together.

~ Nora Bateson

Integrity is an important word and concept. It is critically important in spiritual and religious circles. Without integrity there can be no real spiritual growth in an individual or group. You can say that integrity is integral to attaining true fulfillment as a spiritual student.

The revelation that spiritual guru Deepak Chopra is mentioned multiple times in the email files linked to the Jeffrey Epstein case is, at a minimum, disturbing (LINK). A deeper dive into the situation, including how often so-called spiritual celebrities have difficulty maintaining integrity is here (LINK).

“My intent is to be generous of spirit and live with total integrity every day of my life.”
~ Deepak Chopra

“There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity.”
~ Tom Peters

I have often considered some spiritual celebrities as conduits to New Thought for many people. Author Wayne Dyer was such a way shower for me, leading me to being open enough to explore the Science of Mind in the 1980’s. I am grateful for that, and for much of the wisdom that Dyer shared over the years, even though he had his own lapses of integrity, including this (LINK).

One of the most disturbing factors of the crimes associated with Jeffrey Epstein and his wide circle of influential friends and clients is the extent to which such horrific behavior went on and was widely known (and therefore condoned). The victims numbered in the hundreds, and almost all were children at the time. The perpetrators number in the dozens, perhaps even the hundreds, and include world and business leaders. What all of this says about our society is worthy of deep reflection.

But our own house in spirituality and religion is far from perfect. The victims of failures of integrity by religious leaders number in the millions. This has been compounded by the repeated failure of those responsible to demand accountability by transgressors. And even when accountability has occurred, the results are often kept confidential allowing the perpetrators to relocate and offend again. Such violations of trust drive people from spiritual communities.

“As long as you have certain desires about how it ought to be you can’t see how it is.”
~ Ram Dass

We in spiritual communities and organizations have an interest in thinking of ourselves as good people, and we have an interest in being spiritual, which often means to be “nice,” no matter what. I have seen spiritual leaders who were toxic (LINK) protected by congregants, boards, and organizations. This was done for reasons including personal loyalty, a desire not to have a scandal revealed, or a sense that accusations must be proven beyond a doubt.

We in New Thought are nice people as a rule. We tend to think that we live in a friendly, even moral, universe and that people are basically good. We often pay a severe price for these beliefs.

“The opposite of reflexive niceness is integrity.”
~ James Hollis, Jungian analyst

Let’s look at these beliefs:

Our universe is not friendly or moral. It is evolutionary and amoral. We exist in our current forms because of violent collisions of planets, stars, and galaxies which allowed more complex elements to be formed and spread over wide distances. We exist in our current forms because of biological evolution, whose processes toward greater complexity and adaptation have resulted in the extinction of over 99% of all the species which have existed on earth. And we know that we are a transitional species, just as all others are; we will either evolve to more complex and well-adapted beings or become extinct as an evolutionary dead-end. Evolution is careless of the individual and of the species by nature.

Morality does not appear in our universe except as a human invention. Other species may and do cooperate, but they do so as a survival mechanism. Humans are capable of moral thought and actions, but it is something which must be learned and reinforced in the social structures around us. It too, is an evolutionary adaptation.

People have the capacity to be good and moral, but any number of things can limit that capacity, sometimes severely. We know scientifically that psychopaths have little or no ability for moral action or regret due to brain injuries, often occurring when in childhood. Research has shown that most psychopaths and sociopaths are incapable of regaining a sense of morality through any known treatments.

Of course, everyone who commits a violation of integrity does not have a physical condition limiting their capacity. In most cases, people simply decide to act out of integrity, usually by using rationalization. Everyone has done something out of integrity; most of us just about every day in some minor or significant way. It is important to remember that such actions are the result of a divided self, a self which is not integral.

Spiritual study and practices are in large part about realizing one’s wholeness, one’s integrity. To be in integrity means to be in your deepest truth. As that truth is realized more and more, it means to refuse to participate in behaviors which are out of integrity. It also means to speak out for integrity and justice and love in every community to which one belongs.

The Beloved Community does not tolerate behaviors which are out of integrity. Therefore, it requires people who are compassionate to fulfill their potential. We cannot be truly compassionate if we are out of integrity in our own lives; our communities cannot be compassionate if members are silent or complicit in behaviors which are out of integrity.

Our spiritual gurus know this yet often fail. We know this yet often fail. Our compassion is the only thing that can lead us to the realization of our true spiritual potential.

“Contradictions, whether personal or social, that could once remain hidden are coming unstoppably to light. It is getting harder to uphold a divided self….The trend toward transparency that is happening on the systems level is also happening in our personal relationships and within ourselves. Invisible inconsistencies, hiding, pretense, and self-deception show themselves as the light of attention turns inward….The exposure and clearing of hidden contradictions brings us to a higher degree of integrity, and frees up prodigious amounts of energy that had been consumed in the maintenance of illusions. What will our society be capable of, when we are no longer wallowing in pretense?”
~ Charles Eisenstein

Copyright 2025 – Jim Lockard

A TIME FOR INTEGRITY ~ A TIME FOR DISCERNMENT

“We live in an era when rapid change breeds fear, and fear too often congeals us into a rigidity which we mistake for stability.”

~ Lynn Townsend White

The world around us is growing more and more complex and the vast array of media outlets, commercial and social, are competing for eyeballs and ears, many of them all too willing to feed the fears of those who feel left behind by the growing complexity.

Maybe we should stop lining his cage with the newspaper. ~ The New Yorker 2019

Trust is fading in our institutions and, all too often, in one another. Those on a spiritual path must double down on spiritual practices (LINK) and be open to the new while using discernment (LINK) in consuming information. And we must increase our ability to act with impeccable integrity toward ourselves and our fellow human beings.

If these times seem particularly challenging in this regard, it will get more challenging as complexity continues to increase and people are left farther and farther behind. The rush to conspiracy theories on both sides of the political spectrum in the US over the death of Jeffrey Epstein (LINK) this week gives a glimpse into this dynamic. We seem to be falling deeper into a hole of manipulation and “fake news.” Along with this resistance to complexity comes a rise in nationalism, which is essentially a fear-based desire to return to a more predictable time in the past. But evolution only goes in one direction, and we have to learn how to survive and thrive in more complex human societies. Our integrity and discernment are essential to this process.

I understand personal integrity to mean a conscious connection with my deepest self, cultivated through practices of meditation, spiritual mind treatment (affirmative prayer), contemplation, and other practices. As I engage in these practices, I learn to live less in a fear-based egoistic self and more in a love-based higher self. This is also a key element in what is called spiritual intelligence (LINK). This integrity, which needs constant tending, brings me to a place where I can be more honest with myself and others, yet also compassionate in my expressions. These qualities of integrity and discernment link to every area of life, as Osho points out in this quote:

“A mature person has the integrity to stand alone. And when a mature person gives love, he or she gives without any strings attached to it. When two mature persons are in love, one of the great paradoxes of life happens, one of the most beautiful phenomena: they are together and yet tremendously alone. They are together so much that they are almost one. Two mature persons in love help each other to become more free. There is no politics involved, no diplomacy, no effort to dominate. Only freedom and love.”

~ Osho

Integrity and compassion mean caring for others to the extent that you are willing to use truth in the most skillful way possible – even if it upsets others (or yourself). It is not just being nice – it is being real but holding oneself accountable for expressing as clearly and lovingly as possible. When we are living in our fear-based egoistic selves, we resist any attempt to change us or to challenge our beliefs. I often catch myself in defense when another points out something about me that is unflattering – and I have learned to make every effort to be open to such comments, take them under advisement, and explore their truth. Only then can I grow, but it isn’t easy – a glace at the comments sections in most social media sites will confirm how difficult it can be.

“You can’t make everyone happy. And someone shouting at you doesn’t mean you’re wrong. What matters is maintaining your integrity.”

 ~ Henry Cavill

Integrity means that I recognize, as much as possible, what others need to hear from me and see me do. It also means that I recognize my own agency, my own vulnerability, and be willing to be truthful even when it is difficult. This is true at work and in my organizations, as Frederic Laloux points out:

“Crashing through the woods is how we have learned to be together in organizations. All it takes to scare the soul away is to make a sarcastic comment or to roll the eyes in a meeting. If we are to invite all of who we are to show up, including the shy inner voice of the soul, we need to create safe and caring spaces… We must learn to discern and be mindful of the subtle ways our words and actions undermine safety and trust in a community.”

~ Frederic Laloux, Reinventing Organizations

Multicolored plasticine human figures concluding an agreement on a white background

To the degree that I am capable, I ought to be creating atmospheres of welcome and connection, where people are heard and respected, but not shielded from the truth. Can we create spaces where it is safe to be truthful – where people come to see that they will not be attacked, nor however, will they be safe from all discomfort. We have important healing work to do in our spiritual and work communities, and we ought to make them places where integrity and discernment are honored, expected, and allowed to develop.

“I am most proud of my integrity and least proud of my cynicism.”

~ Chloë Sevigny 

When we fail to develop sufficiently, we need to use compassion in getting back on course and not fall into the trap of recrimination and spite. The world around us has no sympathy for our need to slow down – the rate of change is accelerating and we are called to adapt, seemingly continually. In order to do this, we must be in integrity. Compassion (LINK) the deep quality of seeing others as one with oneself, is essential in these times. Compassion is the surface action of inner integrity and discernment.

‎”Having compassion does not mean indiscriminately accepting or going along with other’s actions regardless of the consequences to ourselves or the world. It is about being able to say no where we need to without putting the other out of our hearts, without making the other less of a fellow human being. There is a difference between discerning & sometimes even opposing harmful behaviour and making the other wrong – less than we are, less a part of that presence that is greater than ourselves- in our own minds & hearts.”

~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Our present calling is to move into an increasingly complex future while developing and expanding our inner capacities for integrity and discernment, AND by increasing our expression of compassion in every area of our lives. It is no small thing; however, it is within our capacity to grow into this calling. Our spiritual communities can be havens for this kind of development, but we must each own the accountability for our own development as we build #TheBelovedCommunity together.

 “The world will be saved by individuals of integrity freely joining together.”

~ R. Buckminster Fuller

Oh, and as for the news and social media – if you can’t find any compassion in the message, be skeptical (not cynical), and find a way to add compassion to it before passing it along or responding to the author.

As always, your comments are welcomed!

Copyright 2019 – Jim Lockard

 

ANNOUNCEMENT:

I am accepting a limited number of private students for a 9-month program in metaphysics and psychology beginning in September. There will also be an informational video call on 31 August for those seeking more information.

If you are interested, email me at JimLockardTravels@yahoo.com and I will send you more information and put you on the list to receive the link to participate in the video call.