Be the change by Rev. Karen Linsley

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” 

 Mahatma Gandi 

When I think about being the change, my mind automatically goes to this quote. And as much as I love the quote, I also want to be in integrity with it, and tell you that there is some evidence that he did not really say that, it’s a misquote. It is still a great quote, but he didn’t say it. What he did say was this: “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a [person] changes [their] own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards [them]…We need not wait to see what others do.”

Does it really matter whether or not he said it? I think it does. Integrity is one of our shared values in Centers for Spiritual Living, and if I wish to be the change I wish to see in the world, I must properly attribute the correct quote. Imagine how much trouble could be avoided if we fact-checked what we say and what we post on social media BEFORE we posted it! Integrity is one of those values that hits us on both personal and global levels.

If we are out of integrity on a personal level, it means that our walk isn’t matching our talk. Why is this important? Simply put, if we are out of integrity life isn’t fun. We destroy trust in ourselves if we are out of integrity. And if we can’t trust ourselves to do the right thing, we certainly won’t be able to trust others.

And if we are out of integrity on a personal level, chances are we are also out of integrity on a global level. Because how we do one thing is how we do everything. And we are all connected.

So the question becomes: how do I get, and stay, in integrity with myself and others? Turns out the spiritual practice of personal self-awareness comes in handy. I have a couple of key questions I ask myself: Am I doing anything that I would not want anyone else to know about? Am I afraid to share my actions with another person?

Integrity is a key spiritual value, and being honest with ourselves and others is one way to achieve it.