A500.2.3.RB_MatsonAlan

Important Standards

            The standards that are most important in my life are integrity and reason.    I define integrity as doing the right thing at all times, even when it may have adverse personal consequences. If a person does not do this it is my belief that they cannot be trusted with important matters. They may act in their own self-interest at the expense of others or of the organization.

            In order to do the right thing a person has to have the ability to reason well, or in other words to use critical-thinking skills well. Decisions as to the right thing should only be made after gathering all of the available information and then thinking things out to a degree that allows for reasonable answer or solution to a problem.

            An example of why integrity and reason is so important can be seen in the functioning of our national lawmakers. While there are no doubt a number of senators and representatives who have integrity and reason, the gridlock that we see happening today is the result of a significant lack of integrity and use of reason. Self-interest is apparent in party affiliations, project funding and in compensation plans that these lawmakers create for themselves. If these people had integrity they would use their ability to reason to identify the right thing to do for all Americans, rather than identifying the things that serve themselves the best.

            Integrity and reason does not mean that we should always tell the truth. If a crazed killer shows up on our doorstep looking for one of our loved ones and he asks where that person is, the right thing to do would be to not provide that information. It would be best to lie and say that that person is not in right now (but thanks for stopping by). So in other words, not telling the truth for the right reason is doing the right thing and shows the use of reason.

How did you acquire those standards?

I think that I began to acquire my standards of integrity and reason when I was in the military. Those standards were taught to us as ideals that we should seek to exercise, and that we would be held to those standards. At first I believed that most people would act accordingly, but was soon disillusioned by the many people who acted entirely in their own self-interest. I further developed my thinking through self-study and through participation in leadership instructing in the Civil Air Patrol.

How have they changed over the years? 

Over the years I have held onto my belief that if people acted according to the principles of integrity and reason that we would have a much better world. I have come to accept the fact that many people will never find their way to act according to these principles, but I teach them to Civil Air Patrol cadets all the time. I am very proud to say that a number of my cadets have gone on to considerable success in their chosen fields as a result of the standards to which they held themselves.