About an abstract notion. Conscience

Nowadays it is often said so as to be a success you should be scruples. Is that really true? I am not going to be moralistic, let’s just think if we can do without conscience.
 

So the first question that inevitably comes to mind is what is conscience? The dictionary gives the definition that it is a set of feelings that stop you from doing something wrong or that make you feel guilty when you have done something wrong. Well, this is a good definition and as expected it is too abstract. Let’s try to make it more concrete giving some examples.  I even suggest that we should group them. Of course all the illustrations are very personal, because each of us has their own system of values. And I hope you will not react to these innocent unpretentious attempts to reflect upon very serious things with an air of sanctimonious disapproval.

Let’s start. The first group of examples is when we should not have pangs of conscience, but we have. It is a very strange feeling, when you have done nothing, but something is gnawing you like a starving dog. I suppose, this is a topical problem for very responsible and worrisome people. For instance, if you have a very important appointment, but suddenly fall ill running a very high temperature. Usually we have two options: the first one is to take a ton of pills and to keep your word or, the second option, is to phone and cancel the meeting. Without any doubts we usually choose the first variant forgetting about our precious health, but what if we really seriously ill and cannot afford such luxury as to go out, infect all people around and get complications of the disease? We cancel the appointment and SHE comes. The inability to keep our promise oppresses and the pangs of conscience worsen the situation.

Let’s imagine the same situation with a few corrections. We are not fatally ill but still we call off the meeting and…wonders never cease!...we feel perfect both physically and morally. That is the second group when we should have twinges of conscience but we do not. That is not really bad, we retain so many nerve cells, and good actors even may sniff, with a mixture of self-righteousness and self-pity, if somebody dare doubt their lies or almost lies, as it is said “just a small exaggeration”. We can generate some more illustrative examples that are more close to life. You had a blind date and as it usually happens the partner is turned out to be absolutely not to your liking. That is great if the second participant of the date feels the same, and if he or she does not? In most cases we cannot put it directly and even indirectly. Trying to avoid an unpleasant talk, with an enviable ingenuity we invent all sorts of the so-called get-outs until the person understands that he or she is not a desirable person in our circle. Wicked, isn’t it? Oh, yes, but that’s the truth of life, nobody likes unpleasant talks. We can include in this group an enormous number of more, so to say, innocent things that we see in the street every day: laughing when somebody slips on the ice or stumbles, giggling over somebody’s appearance and behaviour, discussing a person behind his or her back and many-many other things that by the way we, I also include myself in this “we”, also do from time to time or even more often.

And at last the third group when we should be ashamed and we are. This group is the most simple and doesn’t need any examples, because you can easily recall some yourself.

So what conclusion can we make after all? I guess we will not be able to find an adult with clear conscience even if we do our best, at least I hope so :) . Conscience comes when we don’t need it and would not appear when we badly need it, but it is a restricting feeling that still helps us sometimes not to be absolute swine.