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An old sketch of mine.
Integrity is not easy. But it's important, and it's worth it.
Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations as a personal journal while he was Roman Emperor. The journal was written between 170–180 AD. it was never intended for publication nor public reading. These were private reflections on virtue, self-discipline, and the Stoic philosophy he followed.
The etymology (word history) of "integrity" is interesting in showing us words that were initially related. Via old French, the word came to us from Latin. Integrum/integritas/integratum (masculine, feminine, and neuter adjective forms) was Latin for "whole, complete, intact, or sound." Figuratively, it can mean "pure, correct, or blameless." The Latin root integer literally means "untouched", from in- ("not") + tangere ("to touch"). English words that seem clearly related are "entire" and "intact."
Inspection of the words show us that "integrate" and "integer" are related. A person of "integrity" has "integrated" and "owned" various aspects of themselves. From this derives the broader concept of integrating a society.
Integers in math are the whole numbers that include zero, positive numbers, and negative numbers. They do not have fractions nor decimals, so in that sense are self-contained and "integrated." (I think I have some background to speak on these things that expand the meaning of my art.)
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