Have you ever wondered if integrity even exists anymore? It's easy to become cynical when all around us we see examples of dishonesty in the form of half truths and misused context, not to mention outright lying and cheating. Is nothing as it appears? Is no one truly honest? Two recent experiences have reassured me that integrity is not a dead value and restored any faith I might have lost in the genuine goodness of human beings. One involves a company, and the other a young man.
First let me say that I am seriously skeptical of insurance companies. It seems they do all they can to sell me policies and are more than happy to take my money, but then when something happens and I need to file a claim, they do everything they can to find some loophole so they don't have to pay. They are for-profit businesses, after all. Why wouldn't they be more interested in looking out for themselves than helping me? So generally, I don't buy any add-on insurance policies when I purchase products. I take my chances. I don't trust insurance companies to follow through. Yes, I have auto and homeowners' insurance, and (finally) health insurance, but other than that, no. With one exception.
Just over a year ago, we got Seth his first cell phone. We moved into our new house in Utah and decided not to have a home phone line. For Seth's safety and my peace of mind, I wanted him to have a cell, so he could call me when he's home alone or dial 911 in an emergency. It seemed prudent to get him a phone. Before that time, I had never purchased insurance for a cell phone, but Seth was 11 years old, and I let the salesperson talk me into insurance. I would pay $6.99/month to insure the phone against loss or damage.
Fast forward 14 months. In all that time, Seth kept his phone safe and functional. I considered dropping the insurance. Sure, it's only 7 bucks a month, but then again, it's 7 bucks I could use for other things. And obviously Seth had proven he was mature enough to take care of his phone. Then one day about a week ago, the phone stopped working. It took a while to figure out what had happened, but ultimately, we learned that Seth's phone had sand in it from our beach day in California, so Seth had tried to rinse the sand out. Yep, with water! Now Seth is a very smart boy. He really is. But somewhere along the line, he never picked up on the fact that we can't mix water with electronics and have a good outcome.
Let me just tell you, I was not optimistic. Nope, my cynicism took right over, and I figured when I tried to use this insurance I'd been paying for all these months, there would be some loophole. Surely, they couldn't just give me a new phone. No way. I was so wrong. That's exactly what they did, with absolutely no hassle. Okay, I was on hold for maybe five minutes, but as soon as I connected with a live person, she happily and professionally took my information and told me Seth's new phone would be delivered to my house the following day. And it was. I'm not kidding. I don't know if this is typical or if we just got lucky. But I am certainly thankful I let the Verizon salesperson talk me into getting the insurance plan for Seth's phone. And I'm awfully glad I didn't cancel it.
Integrity. And now for the story of the young man. He was a student in my English 101 class this past semester. He suffers from a condition called Narcolepsy, which causes him to fall asleep at random times, entirely beyond his control. He had an accommodation which allowed him extra time on assignments, and that helped him to do okay through the first three essays, but by the last one, he really struggled. In the end, he only wrote 1-1/2 pages of the required 6-8 page essay. Even with extra time and support, this was all he could produce. He told me he could do no more, and he would have to accept the grade he earned. He wasn't angry or resentful; he even told me how much he had enjoyed the class and thanked me for my effort. Absolutely no attempt to blame me, or anyone else, for his situation.
When I figured final grades, his was a D+. I felt sad about that, but I knew I could only give him the grade he earned. To do anything else would compromise the integrity of the entire course. A couple days after grades were posted online, I received an email from this student. Once again, he told me how much he enjoyed the class, and then he explained the reason for the email. He had received a B+ in the course, and while he would have been delighted to earn that grade, he knew it had to be a mistake. "I only had 68% going into the final essay, and I only wrote a page and a half." I instantly realized what happened. I had submitted grades over the phone to the administrative assistant, and she heard "B+" when I said "D+."
I cried when I read his email. I deal with cheating of one kind or another every single semester. Students get behind in the end, and the pressure overtakes them, and they compromise their integrity. They cheat. They copy other students' work. They buy essays off the Internet. They "borrow" material from others and don't cite their sources. They cheat. This student didn't cheat. More than that, this student cared enough about his personal integrity that he emailed me to point out a mistake that could have benefited his GPA tremendously. I am simply in awe of him. One day when he walks across the front of the Tabernacle on Temple Square to receive his degree, he will be able to look back at his college career and know he earned that degree honestly and without cheating. And that means more to him than one grade in one class.
So if you ever wondered if integrity is a dead value; or if no one cares about honesty, so long as he gets what he wants in the end; or of no company or individual is trustworthy; let me tell you that is not the case. Integrity is alive and well. It's a value worth striving for and defending in ourselves no matter what. Thank you, Verizon Wireless and Jonathan Jones [named changed] for reminding me of this.
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