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Moral Integrity “l hope shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. ” -George Washington. The Oxford dictionary states that moral integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Our moral principles are the values that influence the decisions we make, the actions we carry out, and form our character. To have good character and be a good person someone must have moral integrity. My definition of moral integrity is always doing hat you believe is right, even if it may have unpleasant consequences.
They are ethical, honest, and selfless; they are willing to go out Of their way to help others. These people always try to stay true to their values and do the right thing, even when nobody is looking and they aren’t getting credit for it A person with moral integrity does not have to be a perfect person that never makes mistakes, but they have a conscience and feel guilty when they do something wrong. Someone with compromised morals is a person who consistently and knowingly does wrong. People with compromised morals are soonest, selfish, and do not care about the consequences of their actions.
They make decisions based on how it will benefit them personally and will bring others down if it will help them be successful. Although a person who cheats and steals their way through life may seem successful, the good people that follow concrete moral principles are usually the people that achieve true success and happiness. One of the moral codes live by is the golden rule which is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. I try to always treat others with respect and kindness until they give me a reason to to.
I avoid making bad decisions and think about how the consequences of my actions will affect me and the people around me. Was taught by my family to always show respect to my elders and not to take anything that I have for granted. I believe that many people stick to their moral principles because these values are influenced by their family, culture, religion, and experiences in life. There are many factors that cause people to abandon their beliefs. In high school, students make bad decisions that they know will have negative consequences all the time.
I have seen many students compromise their values cheat on assignments and tests very often. I compromised my own moral principles and cheated on a Chemistry test. I was struggling in Chemistry and when took the test I didn’t know a few questions so I asked for help from a friend. I never got caught and I would normally never do something like this and I didn’t feel right doing it. I think many teenagers compromise their values because of peer pressure and feeling like they need to please others to fit in and don’t always think about the consequences of their actions.
A lot of people change their beliefs to conform to the beliefs of a group because they are afraid to be different and share an unpopular opinion. A person with moral integrity is a person with good character who will do the right thing and will be honest and fair even if the outcome does not benefit them personally. Our values and moral principles are the rules we live by that for our character and make up who we are. There are factors in life that will tempt people to turn their backs on their moral values but if you stay true to what you believe in, you can’t go wrong.