Friday, October 14, 2011

Quick, No one's watching!



Apparently Rob Sloan missed the message that cheating gets you no where in life.  After running 20 miles of a marathon and finding himself extremely exhausted, Mr. Sloan decided to hop on a bus and finish off the race that way.  To make this stupid choice even worse, he didn't just "duck out" and withdraw himself from the race, no, he actually crossed the finish line.  And won 3rd.  Robbing another runner of that actually deserved award. 

I know that I'm not alone in admitting that I've "been there".  Being at that point in a race where I'm so freaking tired I'd do anything to just BE at the finish line. I get the desperation in Mr. Sloan's move.  In the last half I ran, there was a run out 200 yards and turn back point.  3 miles from the finish line.  I was hot.  I was SO.VERY.TIRED.  And, there was no one watching.  No one would have seen me do it.  I literally could have u turned and saved myself 400 yards of running.  But it would have eaten me alive to cross the finish line knowing I essentially cheated.  And I was no where near getting 3rd place.  Integrity.  Doing the right thing. 

What's the difference between people who have integrity and those who don't?  As a parent I wonder, is it a trait learned, instilled, or inherited?