Honesty and Integrity Are the Cornerstones to Business and Society
As I was contemplating on today’s topic for an article, a small business man, that I had the privilege to know and who is the best example of self rule in business, came to mind. His name was Constance Palubicki, my Dad. Today there are many problems both in business and society as a whole. By using my Dad, I think I can share with you the core of where the problem lies. If business and society would adopt his approach, it would solve the problems we see today.
My Dad had a small farm in West Central Minnesota where I grew up. He has had the most influence on me in recognizing the true values in life. He was a man of strong character and very much respected by all those that knew him.
My Dad was a man of great integrity both in his personal life as well as in business. His greatest strength was his honesty and was the cornerstone of his character. In all of his business dealings he never demanded more than he had coming but expected every penny he had earned.
I see four corner stones in his character that are essential to self rule. They are as follows.
1)honesty, we must be committed to honesty in all of our dealings including our self
2)vigilance, always on guard against those who would try to take advantage of us
3)hard work, anything of true value is only acquired through diligent effort
4)kindness, willingness to help others but not be taken advantage of
My Dad lived by these principles. People recognized this and that is why he was so respected. But that is not why he did it. He understood that the greatest value in life is when you can look in the mirror and say I respect myself and who I am.
These corner stones are not automatic to anyone. They have to be developed. It first takes commitment.
Then it takes discipline and hard effort. But in the end it is worth all the effort.
If our politicians in Washington and Sacramento had and applied these principles things could be different. If business was operated on these principles we probably would not be in a recession. And if society as a whole could adopt these principles, we would not have the problems of stealing, cheating, and killing that we see today. The world today could be a much better place. We will not acquire these corner stones in our life by going to church or by passing laws. There is only one way it can happen, by looking in the mirror and making a commitment to our self and to exert the discipline and effort necessary to make them part of our life. The only way this will happen is on an individual basis. That is what self rule is all about. We must guard them diligently as part of our domain. I truly believe this is the only way that we can guard our self rule (freedom).
It is important that each and every one of us take a look in the mirror and make a commitment to honesty and integrity, it is our only hope.
By: Thomas Palubicki
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Filed under Society by on Sep 3rd, 2010. 