The Fruit and Vegetable Man Was Honest, and Protective - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

The Fruit and Vegetable Man Was Honest, and Protective - Dr. Ed Iannuccilli

I remembered the fruit and vegetable man of some years ago as I painfully watched the news one evening, whereupon two elected officials were about to be thrown out of office for not being honest and for lacking integrity. For not presenting a product (themselves) upon whom others could rely. Why connect the fruit seller with my pain?

“Don’t touch that fruit. Don’t pick up that tomato!” he screamed as I backed away as if I had touched a hot stove. “ You touch it, you own it! I gotta protect it for the next person. I stand behind what I sell.” Would that we heard more of that from our elected politicians nowadays?

I thought of this man who arose at four in the morning to go to the farmer’s market to buy the best for his customers. And he went a step further. He protected his clients by guaranteeing his product. And though his customers might snicker at his behavior, they knew they could trust him. What a treat to trust.

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And then I awoke from my daze. The reporter. “This politician continued with a constant stream of lies to his constituents, donors, and staff.”  It is a good thing I was sitting. An elected official bearing a standard of trust, representing people, and lying? Stunning, but unfortunately no longer surprising. What is going on?

I thought of a venerable patient of mine, who I liked to think of as a working man’s philosopher, who chanted, “Doc, If someone tells the truth, they need never worry. But lie . . . worry.” Why are we losing those admirable traits in our great country? What happened? Have we misplaced, forgotten perhaps, the simple definitions of truth, and integrity?

They are attributes to live by, especially for our leaders during trying times. Honesty is more than just not lying. It is speaking the truth . . . saying how something is. It shouldn’t be difficult. Your actions, with emphasis on your, are honest, truthful, and visible.

It means affirming how something happened, based on facts. Yes, facts. Why is that so difficult to understand? It also means you don’t say things about people that are not true, you don’t generate rumors, and you admit to your actions.

Integrity requires a bit more effort. It is not only the need to be honest but also to adhere to moral and ethical guidelines despite personal interests or outside pressure. Ponder the power of integrity, upholding personal and professional standards while maintaining sound judgment and NOT yielding to pressure. Or imbuing personal gain. Judges without integrity? Whoever heard of it? C’mon.

Do the right thing. Be honest. Adhere to the facts. We need our leaders to do so, especially now when we are so divided as a nation.

My fruit and vegetable man was possessive. Touching his precious product tainted it, and somehow made him dishonest and questioned his reliability.

Embrace honesty. Embrace integrity. If so, you need not worry. Our culture demands it. It keeps the product fresh, and trustworthy.