The other day I had an encounter that really made me stop and think about the state of the things around me.
It was something super small, that I wanted to share with you folks.
The other day I had taken my clothes to a local tailor in the small town where I live, and she had agreed on a price at the completion of her work.
She told me to come back next Tuesday to pick up the clothes I wanted altered and that it would be 40€
I came back late Tuesday around 6 PM to pick up the alterations and the seamstress looked astonished and surprised to see me, and told me that I was early and that I had to come back Thursday.
Of course, I was a bit taken back, and replied, that I thought it was today.
She looked at the ticket and it was indeed Tuesday that she had agreed to alter the clothes.
She told me to come back tomorrow.
When I came back, she had me try the clothes to see how the alterations were, and then told me that she had to do a lot more work than she originally thought. She told me that the pants required a lot of work and that she worked really hard to get them altered to the highest quality.
She then told me that the two pants each would be 5€ X 2 = 10€ and the jacket 40€ for a total of 50€.
Of course I was taken back and reminded her that she had agreed upon a price but she began to tell me her sob story about how she has to pay taxes and that she really doesn’t make that much with the IVA (the taxes).
I reluctantly acquiesced, and walked home a bit perturbed.
It never fails to surprise me how a person can sacrifice their honor and integrity for some measly paper notes.
I can honestly say it’s a bit sad to see just how far we have come as a “civilization”, the very word, “civilized” makes me begin to doubt the legitimacy of the very word. We are neither civil or civilized when it comes to how we treat one another.
I remembered a movie that I had seen awhile back that starred Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding, Jr. called, Men of Honor.
The theme song was quite memorable and poignant and for some time it was sort of my mantra. Here are the lyrics:
“Win”
Dark is the night
I can weather the storm
Never say die
I’ve been down this road before
I’ll never quit
I’ll never lay down, mm
See I promised myself that I’d never let me down[1] – I’ll never give up
Never give in
Never let a ray of doubt slip in
And if I fall
I’ll never fail
I’ll just get up and try again
Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There’s much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I’m not looking for place or show
I’m gonna win
No stopping now
There’s still a ways to go, oh
Someway, somehow
Whatever it takes, I know
I’ll never quit, no no
I’ll never go down, mm, mm
I’ll make sure they remember my name
A hundred years from now
When it’s all said and done
My once in a lifetime will be back again
Now is the time
To take a stand
Here is my chance
That’s why I’ll…
Mmm, I’m gonna win
My favorite part of that song was and still is, “See I promised myself that I’d never let me down.”
For me honor is all about, respect. It’s about having respect for yourself that you will never settle for anything less than the best version of you. The absolute very best. It about valuing and appreciating the single most important thing on this planet. YOU.
Integrity, is about following through on your truth, whatever that may be. We all can not be honest 100% of the time, I realize that, but it’s our integrity that gets us back on course.
Its integrity that helps us to recognize that we have not been so truthful and a little reminder to get back on course.
Integrity is about following your own internal moral compass whatever that maybe, so long as you cause no harm, damage or physical, mental, emotional or spiritual violence to any living creature.
Honesty is telling the truth and integrity is how well you can live that truth.
Probably what most disappointed me about my encounter with the seamstress was not that the price had changed, but it was that she felt justified in changing her prior agreement.
When will we learn that no amount of money, power, fame or prestige can make up for our own honor and integrity?
When all is said and done, at the end of our lives we will have two final questions that will forever haunt us and the answers to those two questions will sum up your time on this planet:
1) Did you live to the very best of your potential? Compared to the very best version of you, did you do and be your very best? Did you live to your full potential?
2) What did you contribute, what did you give? Not what did you get out of life, but what did you give?
Life is short, far too short to compromise our honor and integrity.
So please do not settle for second best.
Be the very best version of you.
