This looks like a job for me...

"...nobody wants to see Marshall no more, they want Shady...I'm chopped liver."

Ah, words from that great and noble poet, Eminem, or Marshall Mathers, if you're nasty.

All that to say, guess who's back...back again!

I'd love to say that I used this time away from the blog wisely...that I accomplished such and such and conquered several small nations. That is not, however, the case. (Watch out though, Republic of Malta, I've got my eye on you.) Life carries on (as it usually does) much as it used to. I am now, though, thirty years old. As such, I'd like to think that I've grown up some, even if only a little bit.

To that end, I bring forth the following topic. Integrity. What is it? Why does it matter? How can integrity help me conquer small nations?

For starters, let's take a look at the definition of the word:

Dictionary.com (a favorite site of mine) lists three main definitions for "integrity"
1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

While definition #2 may come in handy when establishing my dominion over Malta (later to be renamed Rob's Republic of Awesome), and definition #3 is good to understand for inevitable space travel (my shuttle better have plenty o' integrity), I believe that the "integrity" the I'm referring to is more in line with definition #1.

Moral and ethical principles. Sounds fun, right? I know that when I go to a party, the first person that I look for is the one with solid moral and ethical principles.

No?

Ok, so integrity isn't the most fun topic in the world, but it definitely matters. In today's world, most people are only interested in results. The ends justify the means.

Is that the way it ought to be, though? Should the ends, however they are found, really make up for what is lost in the method used to find them?

I'm proposing no. While it may not matter in each and every circumstance, integrity helps shape and mold you in a way that tells other people that you are trustworthy and honest. If we focus more on relationships, integrity will matter more and more.

Where am I going with this? I'm not really even sure. What I do know is that in the past week or so, my integrity has been challenged on many, many levels. I'd like to think that I handled things relatively well in most cases. In some of those cases, though, I know I fell short.

Fortunately, I know that part of integrity comes from perseverance. So it's time to press on.

So, how have you been? Miss me? (Feels good to write again.)

Much luv,
Rob
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Song of the Day: "Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan