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On the evening before I was required to report, I found myself dreading the thought of jury duty. I was facing the prospect of dragging myself out of bed early in the morning, sitting in traffic, allowing extra travel time for increased security requirements, and it was all going to be for nothing.
All of a sudden, I found myself whining and complaining about jury duty. I didn’t want to do it. I started dreaming up ways to get out of showing up. I wondered if they really would put out a warrant for my arrest if I didn’t appear pursuant to the subpoena. Jury duty just wasn’t fitting conveniently into my personal plans.
Then I stopped. What was I doing? I was criticizing the very process that I so devoutly believed in. What did this say about my values if they could be so easily discarded because it wasn’t convenient for me?
So I stopped complaining. And I got up at 5 a.m. And I sat in traffic for over an hour. And I allowed an extra half hour so that I could get through all the new security precautions. And I sat through the hour-long orientation. And I went to my assigned courtroom. And I participated in the voir dire process. And I was excused from service. All that, and nobody wanted me on their jury! So what was the point?
For me, the point is more than just showing up and performing my civic duty. It’s about doing the right thing, and acting in accordance with my values and priorities. We may be tempted to ask: “What’s the point??If no one knows that we’ve taken a short cut, is it really so bad? Is it okay to compromise our values when it’s inconvenient, and no one will find out?
I believe that acting in harmony with your values speaks volumes about who you are as a person. It establishes you as a person of integrity, a leader worthy of respect and emulation. In refusing to let situational ethics become the norm, you do your part to keep integrity a primary focus of the Toastmaster organization, and in doing so you are an example of the very best in service leadership.
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