Liberty requires Integrity
If libertarians want a world with less cops, courts, and bureaucrats, it begins with being our word.
“Integrity. Without it, nothing works.” -Michael Jensen
It’s no secret I am a Ron Paul fan. When I worked on his 2008 grassroots campaign, I spent every free moment I had on it. Sign waves. Meetups. I drove around town with an illuminated “Ron Paul for President” sign fastened to the top of my car. And right now, 15 years later, I have a RONPAUL license plate on my Jeep.
What was it that fired up so many people back then? To commit so much time, energy, money, and passion to the campaign? Dr. Paul did not have movie-star looks. He was not the most charismatic candidate. He didn’t use ninja-like NLP persuasion tactics when he spoke.
But he had (and still has) integrity.
In those days, I would frequently run into people who would say something like this:
“I don’t always agree with Ron Paul, but he sure says what he believes.”
Integrity, as I am defining it here, is not “morality” or “ethics.” It’s about having a consistency between who you are and who you hold yourself out to be in the world. Your actions and your words are congruent. It’s being your word.
Integrity is a way of being, and it generates real power, an “x-factor.” When you posses it, people notice it, even if they can’t quite define what “it” is or put their finger on it. Integrity also has a way of revealing the lack of integrity in everything around it.
In fact, the only real “chink in the armor” that Dr. Paul’s critics, to this day, have ever found to condemn him was when there was an apparent lack of integrity regarding the “Ron Paul Letters” from the 1990s. A situation in which “Ron Paul’s words” didn’t seem to match who he held himself out to be in the world.
That’s how powerful integrity, or a lack of integrity, or even a perceived lack of integrity, can be. And just for the record, I’ve always stood with Ron Paul.
But this article isn’t about Ron Paul. It’s about what I see as a fundamental problem in the world today, and specifically in the libertarian movement.
Think about the rise of Bitcoin. Bitcoin has integrity. 21 million total bitcoin. Immutable. It is integrity. And because it is integral, it exposes the lack of integrity present in every other currency in circulation around the world. The integrity of Bitcoin is the foundation of its power. Compromise the integrity of Bitcoin, and it’s done.
Libertarians have long talked about their vision of a world of voluntary cooperation between free individuals. No need for the State to settle disputes. We can handle that. Through some form of privatization or the competitive marketplace, solutions to all of our problems will be produced, if only the State would stop meddling.
But even this depends entirely upon the integrity of those solutions. And of the people who are involved in those solutions.
Have you ever been asked to speak at an event where promises were made about compensation, or accommodations, only to find out that they weren’t going to make good on their word?
That’s being out of integrity.
Or maybe you invested in a project or company with another person, only to find the rug pulled out from under you, and you lost it all? Galt’s Gulch, Chile anyone?
That’s being out of integrity.
This is by no means exclusive to libertarians. It’s happening all around us. And it happens in small ways too. People don’t show up for a meeting on time, like they said they would. People make promises like “Let’s get together soon...I’ll call you,” and don’t. We build in “fudge factor” on due dates when working with employees or contractors because we know that people just aren’t their word.
It’s not just other people. I do it, and you probably do too. Integrity is a “mountain with no top.” We are all a work in progress.
But there is good news. When we find ourselves out of integrity, there’s an opportunity to have that integrity restored. It’s very simple, but it’s not easy.
We tell the truth.
It’s simple because, in most cases, the truth “is what it is.”
But here’s why it’s not easy. We might find ourselves out of integrity intentionally if we have engaged in lies, deception, or fraud. Or unintentionally because we forgot to write something down, it slipped our mind, or we just flaked.
But in either case it can be very difficult to restore our integrity because human beings, every one of us, have a powerful urge to cover our ass and save face. We want to be liked, get approval, look good, be right, look smart, look successful, fill-in-the-blank.
So what’s this have to do with being a libertarian?
Libertarianism is a philosophy that, if it were ever going to work in real life, depends on integrity. On being our word to one another. On owning up to our mistakes and making things right that we’ve made wrong. On telling the truth when we’ve misrepresented someone, or a situtation. On honoring agreements and contracts and commitments like we said we would. We can handle our conflicts peacefully, in the community, without getting the State involved.
Or so we say.
I’ve been around the libertarian movement in one way or another for the last 15 years. I’ve listened to many presentations on topics such as sound money, ending the wars, ending the Fed, the non-aggression principle, legalizing drugs, the right to bear arms, how to successfully fundraise for a libertarian non-profit, and how to craft your message to make a convincing case for liberty to the masses.
But I can’t recall a single one on the topic of importance of personal integrity.
If libertarians really want to “change the hearts and minds” of the people around them, it doesn’t begin with having all of your arguments down, with documentation and footnotes. It doesn’t begin with writing another book, recording another podcast, or making another video. It begins with a commitment to being the most high integrity person you can possibly be in each and every situation, interaction, and relationship you find yourself in.
If libertarians moved through the world in this way, it would be extremely powerful. And it would lay the foundation for a much more compelling case to be made when you do have the opportunity to share the ideas with the world.
NOTE: If you are serious about becoming a person of high integrity, I encourage you to check out this article. It’s best piece I have ever read on the concept.