War, what is it good for? (Absolutely nothing)

Well, I've definitely been falling behind on my writing goals lately, though I did do a bit of work outside of this blog. In order to make up some of the lost time, though, I will be writing about something I'm rather passionate about.  I can't go into a lot of the details surrounding it, but I recently found out that when asked what their values were, someone I wouldn't have expected it from answered, among other things, "Integrity." This threw me a bit, and came across as blasphemous. So I'm going to go ahead and write about why, etc.

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Integrity is an impressive word.
It looks a bit like "Integer," which is another word for a number without anything after the decimal. Another word for these kinds of numbers is "Whole," which implies they are full, missing no pieces, no dents, bruises, or scratches. Integers are clear, with no hidden meanings or data.
It also looks a bit like "Integral," which means necessary. Without any integral component, the system simply falls apart. This is, in barest terms, a need. So breathable air is integral to you being able to stay alive, for instance, but that new iPod isn't. Having a working internet connection is integral to you getting online, but having a working mouse or keyboard isn't... though you might not be able to do much without them.
The reason why I bring up these other words is because of their similarities. Like Integer, Integrity is clear-cut and whole. Like Integral, it means something is so important that even bending on the issue could cause complete system failure.

Integrity is not a line in the sand.
Integrity is the hull of the Titanic. One does not bend another's integrity, it must be breached or broken. This is not a chain link fence that you can go under or through. Integrity is the Berlin Wall, and the guns are loaded and pointed before anything can cross it. When it comes to integrity in your morals, it goes beyond your willpower. If Batman has a choice of shooting the Joker with a gun or dying, he will die, because he doesn't use guns. No rationalizing about when it is acceptable, no excuses, just no guns. Because yes, to sacrifice one's integrity is to sacrifice your sense of self.
Integrity is the woman that during war time grabbed a knife to defend against the armed enemy soldiers. And when the witnesses laughed at her and asked "What are you going to do with that," she stated "I will show them whose side I'm on."
If you have moral stance of pure nonviolence and are offered $10 to punch a clown in the face, and your concern is about the amount of money offered for it, then it isn't a stance you hold with integrity. If you are the President of the United States of America and publicly state that you will not negotiate with terrorists, but you do when you can see the faces of the hostages are your own children, then you lack integrity. If you say that you like banana nut muffins, but will eat a blueberry muffin if no banana nut are available, then that's a preference and not a question of your integrity. But if you tell people you would rather die than eat a blueberry muffin but you eat blueberry muffins, integrity is possibly a trait you lack.

Integrity means it's worth the time every time. Integrity means 100%. Integrity means that you do not bend on the issue, but may try to make way so that the issue doesn't come about. In a situation of do or die, you would literally rather die. This is what makes the SAW movies so thrilling to so many people, the question of how far people will go off of their moral path. Because after the first step is taken, it can be nearly impossible to get back.

According to Webster's dictionary, Integrity is uncorruptible, unimpaired, and complete. When the integrity of the hull of a ship is breached, the ship sinks. If a bucket of white paint has a single drop of black, and becomes a shade darker for it, the paint lost it's integrity of being white. Which is not to say that you have a can of black paint, but there are no shades of grey with integrity. Either it is pure, whole, and uncorrupted, or the integrity is lost.
One especially emotional situation dealing with integrity are rape victims, or victims of other assaults. In a perfect society, your body is your own, and there is never any question about it. When this one simple truth is put under question by someone else forcing their will upon you, it is hard (if not impossible) to recover from. You lose your self-worth, your sense of purpose, your innocence and your confidence. You hold your integrity and who you are, and how you define yourself. If you lose it, you've often lost yourself. And no matter how many times you wash your hands after it, a part of yourself will always see them stained.


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Now, after that little tirade some of you may wonder what caused me to be so passionate about it. What sort of person could list it as a value and cause me to be so worked up? Well, issue one would be that it wasn't a person so much as a group of persons. And issue two would be that it's the same group of persons that yesterday in writing expressed to me that I should care less about what the rules are, and more about what people say.
So, last comment on that is this: Doing what is right isn't always popular. Doing what's popular isn't always right.

Anyway, I usually like to end with a question, just so it's clear that's there's room for audience participation. And I definitely encourage you to respond if you would like. But instead of a question, I'll leave you with something I understand if you don't want to make public. It's a bit more somber than my previous posts, but I think it's a memory worth having.
Think of the last few times you felt guilty. Think of why you felt guilty. Take a moment and just ask yourself "What did I sacrifice to cause the pain of guilt?"