Integrity

2023-12-11 · Ho Chanh Nghia

Originally published on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/integrity-khanh-pham-omdcc/

Integrity

PRESERVE YOUR INTEGRITY (PT Barnum)

It is more precious than diamonds or rubies. The old miser said to his sons: “Get money; get it honestly if you can, but get money:” This advice was not only atrociously wicked, but it was the very essence of stupidity: It was as much as to say, “if you find it difficult to obtain money honestly, you can easily get it dishonestly. Get it in that way.” Poor fool! Not to know that the most difficult thing in life is to make money dishonestly! Not to know that our prisons are full of men who attempted to follow this advice; not to understand that no man can be dishonest, without soon being found out, and that when his lack of principle is discovered, nearly every avenue to success is closed against him forever. The public very properly shun all whose integrity is doubted. No matter how polite and pleasant and accommodating a man may be, none of us dare to deal with him if we suspect “false weights and measures.” Strict honesty, not only lies at the foundation of all success in life (financially), but in every other respect. Uncompromising integrity of character is invaluable. It secures to its possessor a peace and joy which cannot be attained without it—which no amount of money, or houses and lands can purchase. A man who is known to be strictly honest, may be ever so poor, but he has the purses of all the community at his disposal—for all know that if he promises to return what he borrows, he will never disappoint them. As a mere matter of selfishness, therefore, if a man had no higher motive for being honest, all will find that the maxim of Dr. Franklin can never fail to be true, that “honesty is the best policy.”

To get rich, is not always equivalent to being successful. “There are many rich poor men,” while there are many others, honest and devout men and women, who have never possessed so much money as some rich persons squander in a week, but who are nevertheless really richer and happier than any man can ever be while he is a transgressor of the higher laws of his being.

The inordinate love of money, no doubt, may be and is “the root of all evil,” but money itself, when properly used, is not only a “handy thing to have in the house,” but affords the gratification of blessing our race by enabling its possessor to enlarge the scope of human happiness and human influence. The desire for wealth is nearly universal, and none can say it is not laudable, provided the possessor of it accepts its responsibilities, and uses it as a friend to humanity.

The history of money-getting, which is commerce, is a history of civilization, and wherever trade has flourished most, there, too, have art and science produced the noblest fruits. In fact, as a general thing, money-getters are the benefactors of our race. To them, in a great measure, are we indebted for our institutions of learning and of art, our academies, colleges and churches. It is no argument against the desire for, or the possession of wealth, to say that there are sometimes misers who hoard money only for the sake of hoarding and who have no higher aspiration than to grasp everything which comes within their reach. As we have sometimes hypocrites in religion, and demagogues in politics, so there are occasionally misers among money-getters. These, however, are only exceptions to the general rule. But when, in this country, we find such a nuisance and stumbling block as a miser, we remember with gratitude that in America we have no laws of primogeniture, and that in the due course of nature the time will come when the hoarded dust will be scattered for the benefit of mankind. To all men and women, therefore, do I conscientiously say, make money honestly, and not otherwise, for Shakespeare has truly said, “He that wants money, means, and content, is without three good friends.”

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Truth, Sincerity, Integrity - Benjamin Franklin

“I grew convinced that truth, sincerity and integrity in dealings between man and man were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life; and I formed written resolutions, which still remain in my journal book, to practice them ever while I lived. Revelation had indeed no weight with me, as such; but I entertained an opinion that, though certain actions might not be bad because they were forbidden by it, or good because it commanded them, yet probably these actions might be forbidden because they were bad for us, or commanded because they were beneficial to us, in their own natures, all the circumstances of things considered. And this persuasion, with the kind hand of Providence, or some guardian angel, or accidental favorable circumstances and situations, or all together, preserved me, through this dangerous time of youth, and the hazardous situations I was sometimes in among strangers, remote from the eye and advice of my father, without any willful gross immorality or injustice, that might have been expected from my want of religion. I say willful, because the instances I have mentioned had something of necessity in them, from my youth, inexperience, and the knavery of others. I had therefore a tolerable character to begin the world with; I valued it properly, and determined to preserve it.”

Integrity - Khanh Pham

In 40+ years of my search for the absolute truth (absolute reality), there is not much that can be salvaged without integrity. A faulty cog in the machine, a saboteur in the organization, a traitor in an army or country–what good is it if not for ill wish against an enemy?

11 years in the USAF with the highest security clearance–the United States of America is as rotten inside as it is outside.

Every opportunity and every friend have shun the USA–why? Was it because it claimed the Japanese were inferior human, so it was easier to use them as test subject for the nuclear fallout? Was it the fake Gulf of Tonkin attack used for invasion and genocide of Vietnam? Was it the fake evidence of nuclear weapons in Iraq that with intention or not, ravaged the population no less than Vietnam? Was it the Iraq exit plan into Afghanistan? Was it the betrayal of Gorbachev’s good will to build world peace by taking the first step back? Was it the broken promise to Norway to share in the blunder of Iraq? Was it the broken promise of security for NATO members or the sabotage of the northstream? Was it the abuse of printing money to pay the debt? Or was it the funding of Adolf Hitler to ravage Europe, and rush in the save a maiden in distress (that you created)?

10 years ago, I had an honest conversation with a Hispanic senior NCO in the US Air Force reserve, she told me I had a very tall stack of documents stating I was plotting to overthrow the US government. What sort of military honorably rewards a soldier they accuse of plotting to overthrow the government?

Perhaps we can take a more narrow scope investigation:

Kathy Query: 20 years retired military police. After many attempts at trying to cause me to lose my Top Secret Clearance, she almost succeeded with this last attempt. She asked me at the end of the workday (classic ambush tactic), to pick up some routers from the warehouse near my house and take it to work tomorrow. The next morning, the security manager received a report that I had taken classified equipment home. It will be interesting for the history chapter, for all the intelligence services around the world.

Michael Lindley: 20 years military police walked around base spreading rumors that I was trying to flee to China to sell secrets. Fortunately, I am a social butterfly and received many little voices that alerted me to this secret plot. I told him that I wanted to speak to a lawyer, and he asked why would I need to speak to a lawyer. This young Capt Mulligan who graduated West Point chimes in, “are you selling secrets?” After much stupid diversion, Michael Lindley agreed to let me speak to a lawyer. I showed up, and it was the prosecuting attorney. I ask the attorney, so are you the prosecuting attorney or defense attorney? Why are you asking me questions as a prosecuting attorney, when I am the defendant in whatever you’re working on?

Anthony Vlachos a police of New Jersey won the reality TV show where the winner has to lie and cheat better than everyone else.

When I was running a small auto body repair shop in El Monte in 1999-2002, a police officer called to ask for a donation. My father, who hardly can use English, demands that if he’s a cop, he shows up in the squad car and my dad can donate some. (He probably has no clue, police cannot take their police car around town begging for money). The next morning fire department came and turn the place upside down looking for illegal activities “safety inspection”.

There’s a trend in America. From the individual to the most sacred institution, to the highest office in the country–integrity or lack thereof is obvious. President Trump was not a phenomenon or anomaly, he was the true color of America. President Biden is not an exception, he is the standard of American values. Biden and Trump are two faces of the same coin, American values–old white men. To borrow a quote from Subrahmanyam Jaishankar foreign minister of India, “dangerous. because these old white men have opinions about how others should live and the money to force it”.

What are the people of the country to do with a government without integrity?

What are the world to do with a country without integrity?

“But when, in this country, we find such a nuisance and stumbling block as a miser, we remember with gratitude that in America we have no laws of primogeniture, and that in the due course of nature the time will come when the hoarded dust will be scattered for the benefit of mankind.”

If you’re looking for a man with integrity, please give me a call. I will see what can be done.

If you’re trying to solve a problem that has never been solved before, I should be the first on your call list.

If you have a problem that keeps coming back, you need to give me a call.

Pham Consulting Inc

Delivering Integrity and Generosity for Mankind