Cleaning Up a Broken Word Is Part of the Word

A promise can be broken without integrity becoming impossible forever.

That is an important distinction because a definition of integrity based only on perfect promise-keeping fails the first time reality, forgetfulness, error, or changed capacity intervenes.

Werner Erhard distinguishes keeping one's word from honoring one's word.

Keeping the word means doing what was promised.

Honoring the word includes what happens when the promise will not be kept.

We communicate.

We address the impact.

We repair what can be repaired.

We make a new promise only if a new promise is appropriate.

This does not turn broken commitments into integrity by renaming them.

The break is still a break.

Consequences may remain.

Trust may need time.

Some damage cannot be undone.

Cleanup matters because silence adds another failure to the first one.

The original word organized other people's expectations and actions.

When the word changes, they deserve timely access to that change.

Integrity therefore includes more than the moment of promising.

When a promise breaks, the word still has work to do.