Who are you when no one is looking?

Recently, I posted a quote on FB which received a big response. It read, "Do the right thing, even when no one is looking. It's called INTEGRITY! " 

Doing the Right Thing is many things. It's brave, inconvenient, requires effort, requires character and conscience, can be personally difficult, even dangerous. It is also uplifting, esteem building and meaningful, and so much more.

There is a small prayer from the daily morning service which translates as, "Humans should always have Yirat Shamayim (Revere Heaven, God, Karma...) in private and in public. We should acknowledge the truth in our hearts, and practice it in thought as in deed."  Are we the same in private as in public? How about our wonderful elected officials? CEOs? Clergies? Those with the money and power? 

When you're with people socially are they the same when no one is looking? I dare to say, that many people have a public face and a private face. Performers have "personas", actors, roles, but privately, they can be very different people. The heart of the matter is this -- your values should reflect your actions publicly and privately. Religion has firmly placed the idea that "God is always watching!" There used to be a "fear of heaven", but that's lost on the succeeding generations, where the only thing that's important is Power and Profits. If No One or No Thing is watching, Who Cares?

I remember a tirade someone once directed at me personally, but it was meant for all religions and clergies. They were enraged at "God" and whichever representative was standing there at the time. He asked me accusingly, "What if you woke up tomorrow and found that there really was no God, What would you do?" I answered, "I would still act like there was one." Why?

First of all for me, there is no question -- there is something there. And, there is Karma as well. But even more important, I need to be able to look in the mirror and not be repulsed if I am going to find a way to Love (Accept) myself. For me again, imperfect, flawed, but meant to serve the Creator by serving the Creation the best I can. These are the acts that lift my spirit and give my life meaning.

Mother Teresa wrote a poem called "Do It Anyway," which encourages people to do just that. Doing the Right Thing when no one sees, when no one knows, when there is no reward or accolades, if you're made fun of, or taken advantage of, or not appreciated, Do It Anyway. My feeling is that Hesed, Hebrew for Lovingkindness is never wasted.

This is one more reason why I teach people about the TOV Standard, so they have a Values Yardstick for their words thoughts and actions, TO PROTECT LIFE, PRESERVE LIFE, ADD TO LIFE'S FUNCTION AND QUALITY, AND NOW WE ADD, TRANSPARENCY!!! In Public and Private The Values should be the same!

So my friends -- Do the Right Thing, Do the TOV Thing!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor