Integrity is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” Although it is one of the foremost qualities that all societies seek to inculcate in their young, it is unfortunately the most elusive of all. The perpetual question, therefore, is simple: does it matter, or is it just lip service intended to create a façade of honour and impress peers? The question becomes more pertinent in societies like ours, where religious edicts play a very important role in the evolution of children into adulthood.
Today, when one looks around the globe, it is a very sad reality that there are hardly any people left whose integrity is their defining contour. It seems that as materialism has progressed, the character of societies has regressed. Take the example of Israel and its ongoing genocide in Gaza. It is simply unbelievable that we are witnessing, in today’s world, a state indulging in genocide, which does not care two hoots for international law and attacks countries with impunity, without fear of reprisal. The Muslim world is a silent spectator. The so-called custodians of the Magna Carta are themselves covert facilitators. The United Nations is helpless. The ICJ ruling is violated as a matter of right. And the killings of innocent human beings continue unabashedly daily.
We do not have even one person, institution or country with the integrity to force Israel and its supporters to stop this extermination. The international law regime, so carefully crafted after the Second World War, is in tatters. The power of the gun is back with a vengeance. The vacuum left by the death of integrity remains unfilled. There is no Muhammad Ali Jinnah. There is no Abraham Lincoln. There is no Kofi Annan. There is no Nelson Mandela. There are no giants left—only small men and women for whom the sanctity of their word is mere lip service.
Integrity of the “word.” This was once the equation between individuals, families, societies and empires, and it was this integrity that defined human interaction for millennia. The concept of written treaties and contracts came to human civilisation very late. Take the example of the integrity of our most beloved Prophet (PBUH). The tribal society of Arabia respected the integrity of his person even before his Prophethood and repeatedly requested him for adjudication. And these were people who were more powerful and wealthy than our most beloved Prophet (PBUH). The story of Hazrat Khadija entrusting the caravan to our most beloved Prophet (PBUH) is well known, and it was his integrity which mattered most to her.
In our homeland, the most oft-repeated question asked by the younger generation is: Does integrity matter? This question raises many other allied queries. It seems that young people feel let down. With the debasing impact of social media, every person and institution has its severe critics. And when reports of Transparency International and other similar organisations are published, showing Pakistan as a country rife with corruption, the above question is but natural. Can only hard work lead to material well-being? Can integrity overcome the malaise and darkness in the Land of the Pure? The price of being honourable and not compromising on principles is high. With success being synonymous with wealth, irrespective of the means and mode adopted for becoming rich, integrity becomes an ephemeral concept. When the unabashedly corrupt flaunt their power and wealth publicly, integrity retreats further into a darker cave.
However, in the final analysis, integrity is what matters most. Legacy is dependent on the level of integrity exhibited. A family where children are doubtful of the veracity of the father’s word is unfortunate. Life also shows repeatedly that corruption does not end well. Karma is a reality. The wheel turns full circle. Corrupt practices result in eventual doom. Innumerable examples exist in which very powerful and corrupt people across the world ended up in a very sorry state of affairs. Ill-got wealth generates condemned circumstances. Lack of integrity produces very weak family structures. Corruption money comes to light either in one’s own lifetime or a generation later.
Nature has its own rules. And the most important thing is integrity. Just imagine a cosmos without it—nothing could survive. Every progress we have made is based on the integrity of the quantum world. Science depends in totality on the integrity of different equations. When we say 2 + 2 = 4, it is the integrity of it being 4 that makes us believe in it, and, consequently, the entire edifice of the scientific world is formulated.
Integrity remains the cornerstone of human experience. Its value needs to be inculcated across all strata of society, but primarily in the youth. In our beloved Pakistan, we have shining examples of people who exhibited this attribute despite facing extreme odds, and as a state, we need to exemplify them to provide hope to our children. Every society needs heroes. And besides some odd examples, history bears witness that only those people left a mark on it whose integrity was unquestioned.
I hope that, sooner rather than later, we develop into a society where, when on a bottle it is written “100% natural honey,” people would buy it without a second thought. This may appear to be a very small step, but if you give it deep thought, it encompasses the whole concept that, indeed, integrity does matter.
