Promise
July 25, 2017
Webster Dictionary
defines promise as “a declaration that
one will do or refrain from doing something specified”. Chinese symbols for promise is:
The 1st character means “utmost sincere”,
the 2nd symbol means “word”.
Both words have a very commanding annotation: Integrity, which means consistency between thought
and action.
Nothing upsets me more than receiving a false assurance and later it is broken
with an irresponsible and shameless excuse.
Keeping one’s promises matter! Nobody should make promise that he/she does
not intend to keep. When getting to know
someone, it is crucially important to watch for his or her consistency in words
and deed. To a healthy person, it is of paramount importance to
“say what I mean, and mean what I say”. Unfortunately, that is such a rare quality in
today’s society.
I have a friend, the nicest person in the world, very
friendly, very cheerful, and very accommodating. He is a good father, a good husband, a good
grandfather, and a good friend. If you
ask him for a favor, he will not hesitate to extend his helping hand. However, when it is time for him to honor his
pledge, he fails miserably with many poor excuses. “My friend
is visiting me, I cannot do it”, “I
am sorry, my wife would not allow me to leave the house” or “Something just comes up, I need to cancel
our plan”. In other words, he has better options, he
changes his mind and that is that! He breaks his promises so lightly that he does
not even feel badly of breaking it. His
apology habitually comes with a charming smile, which irritates me even
more. Making plan with him is the most frustrating
thing.
Many who break promises want to be
liked. They view being liked as the most important thing. They make a promise
because they want your approval, your high regard or your respect. They are
not worried about tomorrow. They only care how it goes right now. If the
interaction with you goes well, then their job is done – for now, which is all
that matters.
I was bought up to be a dutiful
daughter to my family, a reliable person to my friends, and an honest citizen
to my country. I perform and fulfil
those promises every day. Even when I
have a 103-degree temperature, I still pick myself up to attend a meeting that everyone
is expecting me. Integrity is for
yourself. Yes, others benefit from your having integrity, but the basic reason
you strive for consistency in words/ideas and practice is for yourself. Without
integrity, you will never feel a sense of serenity. The degree to which you
lack integrity is the degree to which you become at odds with reality.
Work on integrity within yourself.
That way, you will expect the same from others, and you will not settle for
anything less. Raise the bar on yourself, and you are much more likely to
attract the right people and drive away the wrong ones. Today, I no longer
associate with this friend for I truly believe my life is better off without
him.
