Garbage in - garbage out

Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly. 

(Proverbs 21:21)

Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people. (Dennis Prager)

Aesop told us, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Being kind and honest may not seem like actions that can move mountains, but I believe with all my heart as Aesop did, no good or kind action is ever wasted. If we want goodness in this world, we must begin to model goodness toward all people. 

I agree with Prager - how we treat others is so very important. We might not think our actions matter all that much, but they add up. One bad, harmful, or wrong action on our part may only seem like a 'drop in the bucket', but when it is compounded by the bad, harmful, or wrong actions of others who 'mimic' our actions, those 'drops' add up!

Integrity is something we live out - it is more than words. The sum total of all our actions reveals the most about what is inwardly transpiring within our heart and mind. One action alone may not reveal much about us, but when we begin to add them all up, there is much revealed about our character. What others 'see' when they look upon any of our hurtful actions may actually be giving them license to do similar bad actions.

Perhaps this is why God always emphasizes being on guard within our lives - allowing his Holy Spirit to temper or control what enters into our lives because it is what directly influences what comes out of our lives. Just sayin!