image: firebrandphotography

Writing is personal. It makes you vulnerable and similar to that show on that cable channel, feel naked and afraid. Naked in that your thoughts and your feelings are exposed for everyone to judge and afraid of what they may think or say. However writing is also an opportunity to put positivity into the universe, to lead by example and to stimulate conversation around things that truly matter. I recently read a blog post by a person I admire and trust, and in her post, she asked the question: Where have you seen integrity in action?

In our digital age of Johnny Football and Kim Kardashian breaking the internet for reasons that frankly piss me off because I have an eleven year old niece, who is much like an internet ninja; and I know she sees the same trash as I do. It worries me to the extent I let it, but more than a worry, it is a sobering reality of the world we live in. A world void of integrity in many spaces and places.

We have all arrived in the digital revolution. I know this because my dad and I are texting about baseball now, and he is also checking with Google for clues to his hard copy of the weekly Wall Street Journal crossword puzzle. Yes, we all have click decisions to make; and we make them every day because it’s the digital world we live in that drives our society. Our friends, our families, our bills, our entertainment, our news – it’s all online. In addition to these things, also available online are our vices, our temptations, our obstacles and our evils. When we go online – we either do or do not publish, share, like, or comment with integrity. It’s unavoidable and it’s all being captured and studied by data experts and social scientists who are somehow able to tell us what we value and would purchase and what we don’t.

I have been told many times that my posts and the content I share is over the top, Polly Anna, weird, too warm and fuzzy, not really me, corny, and my favorite – “Oh man, I wonder what it’s going to be this time!” Well, I am many things, and those who know me would maybe say some of these things about me (probably weird and over the top would come up) but more importantly, is that I would rather be corny and spend my free time contributing a positive message than break the internet with trash. As I previously mentioned, if you are trash, by all means be trash openly and take advantage of our capitalist world. But if this is your choice, know that there are eleven year old nieces who are playing in the same space you are. If that matters or if it doesn’t – it makes me no difference.   But unlike beauty, integrity – is in the eye of the beholder.