The Visionmaker's Code

This old anvil laughs at many broken hammers, There are men who can't be bought.

–Carl Sandburg

We are currently in a cycle of high exposure. All the narcissistic excesses and abuses of the system that were hidden or 'normalized' by boom times are now in high resolution.

Scandals on Wall Street, cheating in sports, and corruption in politics are nothing new. However, they take on heightened visibility and repugnance, when the times turn difficult. 

Daily, we are treated to the tearful apologies of those who have been cheating the system for personal gain. We can argue that compassion needs to be extended to them. They are products of a society where it is increasingly difficult to locate a moral compass. Especially when millions of dollars are the prize for bending the rules.

Most of us are fed up with the nonsense of entitlement and double standards that have shaken our political and financial institutions to their foundations.

More importantly, what these times reveal is the growing importance of integrity as a foundation for conduct-and the integrity gap that currently exists in our society.

In an age where so much promise has been undermined by its absence, integrity may seem like a quality belonging to an earlier, more innocent time, unachievable in the modern world. 

Visionmakers reject such notions.

A Visionmaker doesn't see integrity as a conditional commitment dependent on what is to be gained or lost. He or she sees integrity as a matter of personal honor and the ground on which the journey of meaning unfolds.

Integrity requires a code of moral and ethical principles and values. The Visionmaker's Code is such a framework and is rooted in three primary responsibilities: the responsibility to self, the responsibility to others, the responsibility to the world.  These three responsibilities were outlined in my post on February 9th.

The Visionmaker's Code has seven conventions that govern behavior.

1. Follow What Has Heart and Meaning

2. Do No Harm

3. Keep Your Word

4. Be Honest and Direct

5. Be Respectful

6. Mind Your Own Business

7. Assist Others

In my next post, I will begin to address these conventions as a foundation for 'right action'.

Thank you for visiting Visions.  I hope that these insights help you make your way towards your heart's desire. Your thoughts and comments are most welcome.

© Patrick O’Neill 2009. All rights reserved.