The Way Of Integrity

The Way of Integrity uses science, spirituality, humor, and Dante’s Divine Comedy to teach you how to find well-being, healing, a sense of purpose, and much more by rediscovering integrity, or the recently lost art of living true to yourself by what you do, think and say.

Is your life not what you want it to be? Look deep inside and think about how your life makes you feel. You might say you’re fine, but is fine really what you want for the rest of your life?

If you relate to this at all, the cure is integrity. Integrity originally meant “to be whole” or “intact.” For example, a plane with integrity will fly smoothly through the air because all the parts work properly and simultaneously. Losing its integrity could mean it crashes.

Life is the same. We put off how we really feel or what we really want to live up to social standards, so we end up tired, unhappy, and even sick. When we do things that don’t align with who we really are, we suffer because we get out of sync with ourselves.

On the flip side, when you are aligned mentally, physically, and spiritually, your work will absorb you. As a result, you will enjoy being around other people, sleep better, and be excited to start the day. Let’s see how to get re-aligned by taking a walk through Dante’s world!

Like Dante, you’ll first find yourself in the Dark Wood of Error. You feel alone, and you don’t know how you got to where you are. We feel this inner fog because we live with a dichotomy. The first step to emerge from the woods is to finally acknowledge you’re lost. Doing this will likely present you with challenges like the sorrowful wolf (depression), the terrifying lion (panic), and the ravenous leopard (neediness). To move forward, find a teacher. You might find yours through therapy or even yoga. Also, learn how to listen to your most important teacher—your inner self. Start doing this by focusing on the present. Soon you’ll enter the Inferno. This is the hellish place where sinners live out punishments. Each one of us has an inferno inside that happens when we aren’t true to ourselves. Dante’s teacher, Virgil, tells him to observe the demons, question them, and move on. For us, that means determining which beliefs bring us suffering and asking ourselves whether or not they are true. If you realize they are not, let them go. To leave, however, you have to go to the center of Inferno, a frozen lake — because Dante compares lying to being frozen in ice. When you lie to yourself, you become numb and…