A story about integrity
1. Zeng Zi kills pigs
Zeng Zi’s wife goes to market, and his son should go with her, crying as she goes. His mother said to him: "You go back, and when I come back, I will kill a pig for you to eat."
His wife came back from the market. Zeng Zi wanted to catch pigs to kill. His wife stopped him and said, "Then But you are talking to children for fun." Zengzi said: "You should never talk to children for fun.
Children are not sensible at all. They should learn from their parents and listen to their instructions. If you lie to him now, you are teaching your child to lie. If a mother lies to her child, it is impossible to teach her well." Zengzi then killed the pig.
2. Car repair shop
A customer walked into a car repair shop and claimed to be a driver of a transportation company. "Write more parts on my bill, and I will share in the benefits with you after I return to the company to submit the expense account."
He said to the shop owner. But the shop owner refused such a request. The customer persisted and said, "My business is not big. I come here often, and I am sure you can make a lot of money!" The shopkeeper told him that he would never do it anyway. The customer shouted angrily: "Anyone would do this. I think you are too stupid."
The shopkeeper was angry and asked the customer to leave immediately and discuss this kind of business elsewhere. At this time, the customer smiled and held the shop owner's hand with admiration: "I am the owner of that transportation company. I have been looking for a fixed and trustworthy repair shop. I will come here often in the future!"
3. Comparison between Washington, Nixon and Clinton
Washington chopped down a cherry tree belonging to his father with a small axe. When my father saw that his beloved tree had been cut down, he was very angry and threatened to teach the man who cut down the tree a lesson. And Washington admitted his mistake without hesitation in front of his furious father. The father was moved and said that Washington's honesty was much more precious than all the cherry trees.
Similarly, US President Richard Nixon was forced to resign because he was exposed for lying in the "Watergate Incident"; Clinton also narrowly escaped impeachment because he lied in the disgraceful scandal. One was loved and respected for his honesty, the two were stained in political history for lying.
4. Ji Bu's "a promise of a thousand gold" saved him from disaster
In the late Qin Dynasty, there was a man named Ji Bu who always kept his word and had a very high reputation. Many people established relationships with him A strong friendship developed. There was even a proverb circulating at that time: "It is better to get Jibu Yinuo than to get a hundred catties of gold." (This is the origin of the idiom "A promise of a thousand catties") After that, he offended Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and was offered a reward for his arrest.
As a result, his old friend not only was not deceived by the huge sum of money, but also risked the destruction of the nine tribes to protect him and save him from disaster. A person who is honest and trustworthy will naturally get a lot of help and can gain everyone's respect and friendship.
On the other hand, if you are greedy for temporary comfort or small gains and break your trust with your friends, you will get "benefits" on the surface. But for this benefit, he ruined his reputation, and reputation is much more important than material. Therefore, breaking trust with a friend is like losing a watermelon and picking up sesame seeds. The gain outweighs the loss.
5. Establishing Yan Shu’s credibility
Yan Shu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, was known for his honesty. When he was fourteen years old, someone recommended him to the emperor as a child prodigy. The emperor summoned him and asked him to take the exam at the same time as more than a thousand Jinshi. As a result, Yan Shu discovered that the test was one that he had just practiced ten days ago, so he reported the truth to Zhenzong and asked for other questions to be changed.
Zong Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty admired Yan Shu's honest character very much and gave him "the same background as a Jinshi". When Yan Shu was in office, the world was at peace. As a result, officials of all sizes in the capital often went to the outskirts to play or held various banquets in restaurants and teahouses in the city.
Yan Shu's family was poor and he had no money to go out to eat, drink and have fun, so he had to read and write articles at home with his brothers. One day, Zhenzong promoted Yan Shu to the East Palace official who assisted the prince in his studies.
The ministers were surprised and did not understand why Zhenzong made such a decision. Zhenzong said: "Recently, the ministers often go out to play and have banquets, and only Yan Shu studies behind closed doors. He is so self-respecting and cautious, and he is a suitable candidate for the East Palace official.
Yan Shu thanked him and said, "I am actually a person who likes to travel and have banquets, but I am just from a poor family." If I had money, I would have participated in the banquet long ago. ”
These two things helped Yan Shu establish credibility in front of the officials, and Song Zhenzong also trusted him more.