inner work is essential to developing our full humanity. so we come to the fifth of the 10Cs…character. we might see this ‘C’ along with moral development and integrity.
this inner work is particularly important in our elderhood. we have the opportunity to acknowledge our fallibility, our imperfection and mistakes… the times we acted without integrity, outside our moral code of right and wrong. we can make amends for the times we acted unjustly or without compassion.
all of this is a vital part of the elders’ process of life review. this process liberates us from the guilt and pressure and shame of some of our words and actions. with the inner work done, we can open our hearts to the present moment.
buckminster fuller is said to have valued “the power of personal integrity as a force in the world, available to each of us, that transcends our ‘position’ in life, our particular abilities and skills, and the specific circumstances in which we find ourselves.” only such a force was “capable of steering humanity towards the realisation of a world that truly works for everybody.”
a grounding in our personal integrity, in our moral values, allows us to take part in community, being a force for compassion and a force for shifting the paradigm of ageing. integrity, in addition, denotes soundness, the quality or state of being complete, undivided. our integrity guides us to self-respect and self-care. from this place we can care for others.
our elder wisdom, and the wisdom of the ancestors, can exemplify for those who follow us, the lessons of history as we solve today's challenges. it is the soundness of our wisdom, the integrity of our being, that opens a life of joy, and the choice to love and live as complete humans.