Among the practices I was introduced to in martial arts was a recitation at the end of each class.

It was called “The Four Virtues” and was said to be integral to the art I had chosen to study, Nine Dragon Baguazhang, and the key to internal health.

The key!!

We would bow to the four compass directions and say these words:

“I honour the masters who’ve come before me and seek to

develop the Four Virtues.

Honesty, to myself and others at all times

Humility, towards all people in thoughts, words, and deeds

Patience, I serve others according to their needs

Sincerity, is the foundation of my every action.”

As you might expect, these are not easy to follow. I struggled with them more than once, especially Patience. I did not understand what “serve others” exactly meant. But standing in front of the class and saying these things had an effect on my sense of what I can best describe as integrity. I define this as “actually being as you appear to be to yourself and others.”

Integrity is an increasingly rare jewel that I’ve come to value more as I’ve entered my senior years. I’ve recognized the simple but, for me, inescapable fact that I either have and practice integrity…or not. In any given situation, I am being virtuous…or not. This realization is a difficult master that led me to redefine the Four Virtues as the Four Irritations!

I would encounter a situation in which I could easily be dishonest and almost certainly get away with it, but for that irritating virtue. Yes, I can lie or cheat, but I will know it and be unable to hide the contradiction between my commitment to the Virtues and the behavior I was considering. So annoying!

But over the years, I’ve come to understand the effect of that commitment and what was meant by it being the key to internal health. Namely, the overall reduction of what I call inner agitation. This loosely refers to conflicting feelings around doubt, worry, moral choices, treatment of others, etc. I say loosely because each practitioner of the virtues must assess situations individually and make choices. But integrity offers a guide that can make those choices clearer.

The hardest realization to accept is what I said above. Either I am acting with integrity or not. I can rationalize, excuse, and justify almost any thought or deed. But I will always know whether I am acting with integrity. There’s no escape from myself.

Here’s a perfect example. I’ve been writing a personal blog on the platform, Substack (New martial arts writings are at “The Ninth Dragon”). I recently read a story from last year about the payment service used for subscriptions there. Substack is partnered with Stripe and offers no other option for paid subscriptions. Last year, there was an issue with Stripe making demands of some writers that involved violating their privacy. The issue was resolved via a legal challenge, but I was left with a very low opinion of both Stripe and Substack.

I was faced with the choice of continuing to accept paid subscriptions (for which I’ve been grateful), thereby dealing with a service I no longer approved of, or walking away from the payments.

Either I have integrity…or not.

So, I’ve refunded the prorated subscription payments and am in the process of closing my Stripe account.

Interestingly, the immediate effect within me was calm and clarity. Any conflict around this issue vanished! It is this inner freedom from agitation that is promised by the Four Virtues. As for the money, I know there are other services should I wish to use them.

What I can say with certainty is that I will do my best to maintain honesty, humility, patience, and sincerity. These have served me well in my inner life. They have helped me value integrity as an indispensable guide to a peaceful life.

It has simplified my outlook on my behaviour. In any situation, I either have integrity…or not.