From Wikipedia:
Conscience is an ability or a faculty that distinguishes whether one’s actions are right or wrong. In plain English, it is a person’s inner sense of what is right or what is wrong morally. It leads to feelings of remorse when one does things that go against his/her moral values, and to feelings of rectitude or integrity when one’s actions conform to our moral values. It is also the attitude which informs one’s moral judgment before performing any action. The extent to which such moral judgments are based in reason has been a matter of controversy almost throughout the history of Western philosophy.
Commonly used metaphors refer to the “voice of conscience” or “voice within.”
The “Conscience Police” came about a few years ago on New Year’s Eve at our neighbor’s house. I have to apologize to Candy for stealing this concept. So you might ask – what is the conscience police? It is an elite force on a covert mission to enforce a conscience on those who don’t seem to possess one. The conscience police will lock you up!
I think you know what I mean.
At work for example we have:
- Customers yelling or even swearing at support personnel for things they couldn’t possibly be responsible for, nor fix.
- People who will eat your food in the work fridge without asking or replacing it.
- Co-workers who won’t clean up the kitchen when they caused the mess.
- Teammates who take ideas and pass them off as their own.
In the rest of the world we find:
- People who can’t be bothered to say please or thank you to service workers.
- Drivers who will run you off the road to get one spot ahead in traffic.
- The hurried who park in fire lanes and handicapped spots because “they will just be a moment”.
I know, I know. These are minor things. It’s not like someone is out there murdering children. However, it demonstrates a distinct lack of empathy for the rest of the world. I’ll go even further and say that it is fall-out of our me-centric society. If I can justify the benefit to myself it’s good enough. Who cares how it impacts someone else.
Imagine a world in which the conscience police existed. Ok, I agree it’d probably be pretty scary – I know that I’ve had some lapses! Guilty as charged! But think – you’d take a minute and smile at someone who looked like they needed it. You’d stop treating service workers like they were invisible. You’d be kinder to your coworkers and your family. I’d also venture to bet that people who start treating you better in return too.
