Integrity

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.”

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here after one year from today with what you have frown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!”

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Everyday he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn’t have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrive, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey nice try.”

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. “What great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the emperor. “Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!” All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. “The emperor knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!”

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd. “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!” Ling couldn’t believe it. Ling couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!”

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you reap forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you reap openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.

If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.

If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.

If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.

If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.

If you plant greed, you will reap loss.

If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.

If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.

If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So be careful what you plant now. It will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter, will make life worse or better, your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.

Once, five fingers stood side by side on a hand. They were all friends. Where one went, the others went. They worked together. They played together. They ate and washed and wrote and did their chores together.

One day the five fingers were resting on a table together when they spied a gold ring lying nearby.

“What a shiny ring!” exclaimed the First Finger.

“It would look good on me, “declared the Second Finger.

“Let’s take it,” suggested the Third Finger.

“Quick! While nobody’s looking!” whispered the Fourth Finger.

They started to reach for the ring when the Fifth Finger, the one named Thumb, spoke up.

“Wait! We shouldn’t do that!” it cried.

“Why not?” demanded the other four fingers. 

“Because that ring does not belong to us,” said the Thumb. “It’s wrong to take something that doesn’t belong to you.”

“But who is going to know?” asked the other fingers. “No one will see us. Come on!

“No,” said the Thumb. “it’s stealing.”

Then the other four fingers began to laugh and make fun of the Thumb.

“You’re afraid!” said the First Finger.

“What a goody-goody,” sang the Second Finger.

“You’re just mad because the ring won’t fit you,” muttered the Third Finger.

“We thought you were more fun than that,” said the Fourth Finger. “we thought you were our friend.”

But the Thumb shook its head.

“I don’t care what you say,” it answered. “I won’t steal.”

“Then you can’t hang around with us,” shouted the other four fingers. “You can’t be our friend.”

So they went off in a group by themselves, and left the Thumb alone. At first they thought the Thumb would follow them and beg them to take it back. But the Thumb knew they were wrong and stood fast.

That is why today the thumb stands apart from the other four fingers.

Thumb 

• Be myself, be my best self.

• Be a role model, be exemplary in conduct, be your best self, you are important

Index Finger 

• Don’t point fingers at others.

• Point directions for others (guide others), give clear directions and instructions, not point finder at others (blame others)

Middle Finger

•  Don’t be a rude self

• Strongest finger, use your strength to help others, not abusive

Ring Finger

• Commitment to self and team

• Commitment, integrity

Little Finger

•  Others first, me last

• Others first, me last (others before self), be humble