Corruptibility Yet Integrity

This months reflection is one that I think we can all learn something from. Corruptibility is the ability to fall into corruption. This is defined as as dishonest or fraudulent conduct. However it is more commonly use to define any poor behavior that deviates from your normal behavior or behavioral or moral norms. So we can see that this is really anything that is considered harmful usually to others but can refer to actions or thought patterns that harm you as well. So this is something we might define as falling into the dark side. If we are honest with ourselves we are all capable of falling into the dark side of life. In fact we are all guilty of this at some point. I mean at some point in our life we will fall into petty, mean, or jealous behavior. We are human and all have times of weakness where emotions rule us. We must be honest and accept this. Which is part of integrity. You see integrity is is defined as being honest and having strong moral principles. This means that we have to start within ourselves. We must admit that we will fail, fall, do things we would normally not and might regret later. So while we can fight this and do our best to be good we will slip at times. Somethings badly some times in small ways. If we have integrity we will admit this to ourselves and forgive it so as to move forward. If we can see this flaw in ourselves and must forgive it to move forward how can we hold it against others? We should not and to do so is done at a risk to our own spirit. To hold the failings of others against them leaves us open to arrogance, cynicism, and spiteful behavior. It can eat at us and twist us from within corrupting us. It is easy for judgment and lack of forgiveness to twist us into the things we are judging in the first place. As we can see integrity means having the honesty to admit our own flaws and the moral uprightness to forgive those same flaws in others. To fail this is to fail to make compassion central to our lives and leaving us open to the corruption of our values. It is through integrity to the Jedi code, teachings and maxims that we give the compassion to others that we should give to ourselves when we fail as mortal beings are wont to do. Another interesting use of the word integrity is to mean something is whole or intact. As much as we seek to be beacons of light to the world like the light side of the yin yang we carry a touch of the dark within us. Fear, anger, sadness, selfishness all have their place in human survival. To lack those emotions is to lack wholeness. To let them rule us is to fail in our goal of being a servant of the light. Just as the candles wick darkens to bring light so to do we all carry that small touch of dearness within us. Our goal is not to eliminate it, but to admit its existence and not let it rule over us. No matter how great a soul is we will all feel that pull at some point in our lives. More honestly there is likely many times in our lives where this pull will trip us up. What we can see is that we are all corruptible beings that have a touch of darkness in us. These flaws make us whole and honest people. We cannot eliminate our inner darkness totally and I do not know that we ever should. What we can do is have the integrity to to admit this in ourselves and forgive this in others. Let the light of the living Force shine through and any shadows within will seem minor in comparison. Walk with the light my fellows but fear not the shadows that pull at you. It does not make you weak simply human.