Cygnus’ Wager

It seems to us that the way to get better at Integrity is to practice it at a lower level as often as possible. To be ready for the game on Friday requires time on the field the rest of the week. But how does one practice a thing that by its very Nature requires it to be a surprise? This, of course, being the reason one must practice it because if it is NOT Second Nature, meaning inscribed in your current epigenetic expression of Life, then when it counts you’ll risk not doing the right thing. This might not be important to you right now, but it will count at some time or you’re not playing at advanced levels, and you’ll miss some Trophies.

What does this have to do with Integrity? Well, its the reason Revenge of the Nerds failed as a moral compass and CPT America triumphed. The reason Steve (my favorite uncle, after Sam and before Dudley) jumped on the grenade was because he had considered it in advance. The moral animal considers the consequences of his actions and inactions, and considers all possibilities as he can.

I consider Integrity to be on the same string but different fret as jumping on a grenade, in that you can either trust your gut, or you can program your gut to do the right thing. Nerds think about systems, not just sex. And RotN could have said THAT, (after basically Rosemary’s Baby raping the cheerleader by pretending to be her boyfriend, let us not forget), because being a good lover is part of a successful pair bonding system, as Birdman would tell ya, instead of saying all we think about is sex. No. Sex is a drive, which is just a very strong 1st degree desire, upon which Life builds the next Frame.

Societal standards are only as good as the standards to which we hold ourselves. Now let me begin by saying I am a good teacher but a poor example, in many things, many of which I probably would have known better if I had practiced in advance. I’d have done differently, but you can only go back if you get a second chance, and luckily the electron does, so hypothetically, as below so above.

Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. Religion solves this need for integrity by promising God is watching. I’ve come to realize there is certainly something out there, and I talk to it and probably piss it off. I solve this need for integrity, to be watched is to fear shame, by saying the Yous are watching and the Yous from the past is watching and thee yous from the future are watching you create the person you will become. It is just Jesus meets Rick meets Jet Li in the One meets the Highlander but I covered a lot of bases, see? Better than Pascal, at any rate.

The number one complaint is being unappreciated. This destroys relationships and progress and so much in between. A metric is keeping score. If you start doing that there will next come a resentment. But the thing is, integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching but when we see someone watching we feel slighted… We could practice doing without appreciation just like we practice doing without air or food or sleep or comfort: to get better at it. And this practice will lead to integrity, because you have put your awareness into where you wish your soul to grow.

There is never a need to feel unappreciated for it becomes the analog of unrequited Love, in that if it is chaste and from afar, it is akin to worship, and the energy goes back to source. This is the way to not covet another’s good fortune but to be happy for them, and yet still express the yearning, but the yearning goes to source and says, ‘make me worthy of this’.