Integrity
The winds of change are blowing in our community.
With success, comes imitators.
With success, comes envy.
With success, comes those who would do anything to steal some of that success.
And they are not always easy to spot; sometimes they lift with us, and eat our food, and sleep in our beds – but make no mistake, they seek to use us and care not for this movement, but only for themselves.
TuPac Shakur put is this way: "Say money bring bitches, bitches bring lies."
Sadly, there are those without integrity in every community.
To them, the truth is nothing but a trifle. They would lie to you with every breath they take. They would cheat and undermine and act without honor, caring only for themselves and no other.
"It's business," they will say, as if excuses could actually excuse.
The real question is not: "Who are they?" The real question posed to us is what do we do about them?
Once upon a time, there was the concept of shame.
A community would stand together and say, "This is not right."
Do we still have that? Or is that lost to us? Are we now a collection of individuals for whom anything goes, and so we turn our heads when there is wrongdoing and say "It's none of my business."
The answer to that question is the answer to what lies within your very soul.
I cannot answer it for you, nor do I want to. I can answer only for me. And you for you. We each must decide for ourselves.
There are no answers, only questions.
It is up to you to decide who and what you would be in this world, and who you want in your community alongside you.
"The only thing that incurs worse karma than doing evil, is allowing evil to happen." – A former Buddhist monk.
"I'm an atheist, but I do believe the universe will mete out its punishment on those who f*** their friends." – Jon Gilson
"Every wrong seems possible today, and is accepted. I don't accept it." – Pablo Casals