Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Morality, Integrity, Ethics

I race to class from a conference, figuring that this will stand me in better stead than attending Salsa Dancing or how to be organized breakout sessions. I was right.
Today we tackle the the domains of morality, integrity, and ethics.
Morality= judgement/ ="something's wrong, I'm wrong," or "something's right, I'm right."
Integrity= workability
this is wholeness, but not just of me but that community I'm in. Our class has integrity- we all attend, we all contribute. If we're going to be absent we call or email. Dr. R uses the example of a bicyle wheel. When one spoke is taken away, it still works as a wheel, but the integrity is missing. When it hits a bump, the wheel crumples.
At my conference earlier, the people at my table worked together to build a bridge out of wire, styrofoam, wooden sticks, and marshmallows. One of the facilitators was so impressed that we were all participating, actively. Someone would throw out an idea, and we would run with it. None of us dug in our heels about what we wanted, so we didn't argue with each other; we listened and adapted our own ideas to fit with others. And we won a prize. Our integrity as a group produced a positive affect.
Ethics is releated to character, values. It works with morality.
If you get integrity- around you, people are never wrong. (and that draws them to you.)
Listen for where people are coming from.
Dr. Reese- "I listen for the inhales." (Aha moments)
Morality and Ethics are linked to our cultural values and ideals. Integrity floats free. I like the idea of integrity being wholeness. This echoes the Spanish meaning of integral. (Like whole wheat bread.) When something is integral in English, it's absolutely necessary. And integrity as a person leads to peace. When I know who I am, I am not threatened by who you are. I don't have to judge you, because you do not affect the wholeness of me.

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