Conscience is the voice of character. Character depends strongly on conscience.
Some modern thinkers scoff at the idea of conscience, considering it outmoded or foolish. They believe there is not really a moral voice inside us that distinguishes right from wrong. They ignore what the entire human race, in every era of human history, has accepted – that there is a moral conscience inside every man or woman, boy or girl who has ever existed on this earth. I disagree with the scoffers. I think every young person and adult needs to understand that conscience is real.
Conscience is the voice of character. We need to teach this to children. Our character education programs need to incorporate it. Very young children need to learn that conscience speaks for character. Older elementary children need to learn that character listens to conscience.
Conscience is the inner voice of moral awareness. It speaks to you. It speaks in your mind. It speaks loudly and clearly. Like character, conscience desires moral excellence in all matters of life. It speaks about right and wrong, and tells you whether you are doing right or wrong. Conscience never guesses what might be right or wrong. It never speculates as to what might be right or wrong. It never makes an assumption in the matter. It knows clearly. And it tells you what it knows. Conscience always deals with right and wrong. It always talks about your relationship to right and wrong.
For example, if you decide to engage in sending SPAM on the Internet, conscience will speak up. It will tell you that sending SPAM is wrong. It won’t leave you speculating or guessing. You will know. You will know that people do not want to receive SPAM. You will know that if SPAM were good, you could send it freely. You could use your own name on it. You could use a true e-mail address. You could use a frank and honest subject line, and a clear message. Conscience will tell you all of this. It will urge you to choose the moral high road. If you are a person of character, you will listen to the voice of conscience and exercise respect for those who would be annoyed by SPAM. You will exercise responsibility, ready to give account for every e-mail sent. You will exercise compassion for those receiving e-mail. A person of character will refuse to send SPAM. Full stop.
Conscience is the voice of character. Think how important that is if you are teaching others how to build character. If you begin to teach the trait of responsibility, you may have trouble convincing your listeners that they will know right and wrong in regard to responsibility. The missing point in your teaching may be the reality of conscience – the voice of character.
People through the centuries have used stories to teach, and you doubtless use them to teach character. As preschool and lower elementary children listen to you read Cubby Bear’s Big Responsibility, conscience will tell them that Cubby is wrong. Conscience will tell an upper elementary student, deep in the mystery of Lost on Superstition Mountain, that the twins are not doing what is right. Teenagers, too, will hear the voice of conscience as they get caught up in the riveting story, Date with Responsibility, and know unerringly who is doing right and who is doing wrong.
Conscience is more important to character than your voice is to you. Without it, we would never know for sure what is right and wrong, and character would not live. With it, we can build strong character.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?