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"A conscience is that still small voice that people won't listen to. That's just the trouble with the world today..." - Jiminy Cricket to Pinocchio in the Disney film Pinocchio, 1940

"I dub you Pinocchio's conscience, lord high keeper of the knowledge of right and wrong, counselor in moments of high temptation, and guide along the straight and narrow path. Arise, Sir Jiminy Cricket." - The Blue Fairy to Jiminy Cricket in the Disney film Pinocchio, 1940

"Now, remember, Pinocchio, be a good boy. And always let your conscience be your guide." - The Blue Fairy to Pinocchio in the Disney film Pinocchio, 1940

According to The Oxford American Dictionary, conscience is the "moral sense of right and wrong". Human beings are taught from an early age to follow their conscience in all situations. It exemplifies the choice we always have, based on our free will, to choose between good or evil, the high road or the low road, and sinfulness or sinlessness. Obeying "that still small voice" brings forth a feeling of virtuousness, yet disobeying it leaves us with intense feelings of guilt and wrongdoing. Our conscience is indeed our own personal judge, who dwells within our hearts and minds, forever determining us guilty or not guilty based on our actions. All people are born with the ability to develop this internal moral compass, and the majority of the time, we live according to its guidance. How then, do we account for those in whom a conscience seemingly does not exist?

It is relatively easy to believe that sociopaths and psychopaths who show no remorse for their behavior and actions lack a conscience which operates correctly. However, there are many individuals who, while not in that category, seem to pay little attention to their conscience. They are those who lie, steal, and cheat on a regular basis. They might or might not experience feelings of guilt, yet they continually repeat these behaviors, either out of need or pure habit. Therefore, it could be argued that people such as these have found a way in which to ignore their conscience to the point where they are able to easily dismiss, justify, or rationalize away any pangs of regret. We cannot classify them as psychopathic, yet they are also not the type of individuals whose presence we desire in our lives. Oftentimes, the simple act of associating with them causes our own consciences to nag at us.

Many believe that the essence of a virtuous individual is the ability to trust and comply with the guidance of the conscience. It is entirely likely, based on the fact that we human beings are not, and never will be, perfect, that we will falter from time to time along the path of life. The key is in the effort we make to listen to the inner voice as often as we can. We will feel the consequences when we do not, and hopefully, the price we will be forced to pay for our disobedience is the very thing which will prevent us from making the same mistakes in the future.

Learn more about this author, Mary Ann Rudy.
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