God spoke to Moses: “When a person betrays his trust and unknowingly sins by straying against any of the holy things of God, he is to bring as his penalty to God a ram without any defect from the flock, the value of the ram assessed in shekels, according to the Sanctuary shekel for a Compensation-Offering. He is to make additional compensation for the sin he has committed against any holy thing by adding twenty percent to the ram and giving it to the priest. (Leviticus 5:14-16)
Integrity when it comes to words is something that many people seem to struggle with. This is especially the case when we proclaim that we will do something due to the passion felt at the moment, and then later realize that we are unable to follow through with what was said.
We must learn to think before we speak and only make promises that we intend to keep, otherwise, we cannot be expected to be taken seriously. Werner Erhard tells us that speech-acts are things that we should uphold. We cannot simply speak, and then not act on our words later on. For any form of language to be effective, it must be sincere and followed up with the corresponding deeds.
The next time you feel compelled to make a promise or proclaim a vow, stop and think. Do you really intend to keep your word? Is what you are saying truly in line with your interests and goals, or are you just allowing yourself to get carried away by the passion of the moment?
