38. Integrity is being faithful to a cause
Faithfulness is an important aspect of integrity, because it shows that SPs are consistent. This can relate to (1) other people, (2) institutions, (3) promises, and (4) oneself. However, faithfulness does not mean never changing course. In order to be faithful, SPs must have courage.
Faithfulness is a central concept in the oaths or promises many SPs swear when appointed. For instance the president and prime minister of Italy promise “to be faithful to the Republic”, the US president to “faithfully execute” and the ministers in Poland“to be faithful to the provisions of the Constitution”.188 Faithfulness is an important aspect of integrity. It shows consistency, persistence, conscientiousness, and loyalty in keeping promises.189 Without being faithful it is impossible to be trustworthy,190 so in important matters SPs must, as US president Thomas Jefferson put it, “stand like a rock”.191
Faithfulness varies according to its object.
To start with, we can be faithful to other people, such as colleagues, employees, supporters, leaders, and group members, not leaving them in the lurch, standing up for them, supporting them through thick and thin; such as an elected leader who promised to be faithful to voters, a chairperson who called for members to be faithful to one another, and two coalition parties who promised to be faithful to one another during their term in government.
SPs can also be faithful to institutions. You can be faithful to authority, to the institution you work for, or those who selected you, to the interests you are expected to serve, and the written and unwritten rules. In a public address Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi said, “Opposition or supporters, I urge you all to adhere to legitimacy together with me, to stand steadfast safeguarding this legitimacy. […] If the price for safeguarding legitimacy is my blood, then I am prepared to sacrifice my blood for the sake of stability and security of this homeland.”192 Morsi called on others to be faithful to legitimacy, promising to do the same himself.
Faithfulness can also be about fulfilling promises and commitments one has made, and acting according to the policy and program one has endorsed. Being faithful to such duties requires precision because people subscribe to them voluntarily and failure to comply is therefore inconsistent, showing a lack of integrity. When George W. Bush changed his mind, Al Gore, his opponent as US presidential candidate, accused him of being lower than a zebra, because “a zebra does not change its spots”.193 Later Bush in turn accused Gore of failing to keep his word when, soon after the election results, Gore promised Bush over the telephone that he would acknowledge his defeat publicly a quarter of an hour later and subsequently failed to do so. Bush informed him that “in Texas, it meant something when a person gave you his word.”194 This does not only hold in Texas: in life in general, giving your word and not keeping it is seen as a sign of lack of integrity.
Finally, we can be faithful to ourselves. According to Aristotle a virtuous and trustworthy person has a steadfast, unchanging character. Being faithful to yourself means being faithful to the ideals and values you stand for. In this spirit, George W. Bush closed his autobiography with the words “When I walked out of the White House this morning, I left with the same values I brought eight years ago. And when I look in the mirror at home tonight, I will have no regrets about what I see.”195 He then expressed the hope of being remembered as a president who “kept my vow to keep the country safe; who pursued my convictions without wavering but changed course when necessary.”196 The fact that this appears on the final page of his autobiography shows the importance the US president attached to it. Realizing the importance of being faithful is essential not only once things have finished, but also when starting out in office. As a prime minister was advised by his brother when appointed, “Back straight. Set your own course. You’re the one at the wheel.”197
Being faithful does not mean never changing direction, as Bush also indicated.198 People with integrity are unbending but not rigid. People who are unbending do not cave under pressure; they keep their backs straight. Those who are rigid refuse to adjust at all,