So I listened to a sermon this morning on integrity and the importance of it in this world, in the church. I think most people of any character would quickly agree that having integrity, being honest and true, is important to a successful society and good relationships. We need our word, our heart and our life to be one. It is no good us saying one thing and then doing something else. Or for us to do one thing but feel something completely different. We need our ‘back stage’ life to be the same, or as close to the same as possible, as our ‘front of house’ life. We should aim to be in a place where we would not be ashamed if all we do, think and say in private was suddenly made public.
As I started to think about this need to have integrity I began to think a little about how this works in a culture like Tanzania’s. When looking initially, you might think it’s clearly important, perhaps more so than in the west even, because of the importance of relationships. Everything here resolves around relationships, ‘I do business with you because I know you and I know your father, not because of your skills or experience’. In this culture it would appear essential that your home life, your work life, your church life and your rest life all match up. If there is any sign of discrepancy then your relationships could all be damaged. You need integrity.
However, on the other hand this is also a shame culture. This means that appearance is often more important than reality. To be seen to be a good person is most important. So long as you go to church, it doesn’t really matter whether your personal faith is strong or not. Outwardly shaming another is the worst possible thing to do, and being shamed publicly is a terrible situation for anyone. Knowing this makes it difficult therefore to really know whether people have integrity or not. Is this for show, is this a front, or is this real? Of course this is true in the west too. Few people like to show their real self; it’s vulnerable and painful. However, here it is worse. Because the culture of shame is so bad for all involved, including the person who causes the shaming of another, people actively look away from signs that the reality may not be what it appears to be! If confrontation has to be done, and it often is not, it must be done through another and in a very delicate way.
So, what does this say about integrity in this culture? I guess to me it seems that there is any even greater need of genuine integrity. We need to be open with our lives, showing the good and the bad, and not being ashamed of what we know is still a ‘work in process’. Having integrity is not about having it all together and being ‘a good person’. Rather it is about being honest and real. This is not an easy path to walk. It involves letting people see your struggles and failures. However, it also results in greater trust, in deeper relationships and in greater respect. In a culture where relationships mean so much, and so much of our work and its success is dependent on these relationships, it is essential that we build trust with those we work and interact with. My hope is that as we grow as people of integrity this trust will also grow and we will see breakthrough in all the areas in which we work.
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