1. Katie Lighthall
11/10/14
9:30 Class
Your morals and financial instability collide when you find yourself at the mall and watch as a
50 dollar bill slips out of an old lady's back pocket, and lands gracefully on the smooth floor. The
falling money goes un-noticed by people passing by. The devil sitting on your left shoulder whispers
foul persuasions, and you reach for the money. You subtly crumble it into the front pocket of your
worn-down jeans, but your right shoulder weighs heavy. The angel is scolding you like a young mother
when her child is caught stealing out of the cookie jar.
Integrity is what drove you to run after the old lady, tap on her shoulder, and watch as she
accepts her hard-earned money with a tooth-bearing grin on her face.
The devil is the one scolding you now, asking why you didn't take the money, when you could
really use a new pair of jeans. You shake him away and look to the right. Integrity is doing the right
thing when no one else is watching. It is never the easy thing to do, but you always have to hope that if
it were you that dropped the money, that the stranger behind you would return it.
Much like the boy that cried wolf, your word not only becomes nothing to the people around
you, but to yourself. By proving your integrity, your word becomes true.
Looking to the right of the moral compass will get you further in life, as money can be easy to
come by if you always look to the left. On the other hand, if you left the money spoiling in your
pocket, your pocket would not just be full of money, but dirty money. Relatives and even strangers
would begin to notice your negative compass, and your word would eventually become invalid.