Every person has
an inner voice that guides his decisions and his action towards the good,
towards what is right; however, his human condition makes him an imperfect
being. From a philosophical-anthropological perspective, it presents in a very
succinct way the importance of knowing what moral conscience is, how it acts;
how and why we should form it and know the limits of respect for the conscience
of others.
Reflecting on
moral conscience constitutes a path to understanding the excellence of the
human person, to understanding the reason why we are called and endowed to
perfection and to doing good, being in each one of us to know how to take
advantage of it by virtue of our freedom.
Man is the only
animal that makes a moral assessment of his actions and questions the causes
that motivate them; on the one hand, we lament the opportunities wasted and on
the other, we are convinced by arguments from the decisions taken.
It is worth
remembering the difference between moral conscience and psychological consciousness,
the latter is basically the intimate knowledge that the human being himself has
of himself and of the reality that surrounds and limits him; to be Me and to
know Myself, the notion of being present, that our Self is acting or not.
We observe, for
example, a subject assaulting a young woman in the street. We feel worried and
scared, but at the same time, our moral conscience tells us that what the
subject is doing is wrong and dangerous, we also know that the right thing to
do would be to help the person who is being assaulted, but that is something
that very rarely happens because our psychological conscience limits us from acting
for fear of getting hurt.
Because we are
free men we live in a complex world; since we are obliged to decide and even more,
to decide for the good. Psychological and moral consciences are functions in
the human being that constitute unity of body and soul. Consciousness is the
capacity of reflection of the human being on what is right in relation to
acting.
What is consciousness?
"Conscience
tells everyone what to do"; this assertion, as simple as it seems to be,
can lead to error. Moral conscience is the capacity of reflection of the human
being on what is right in relation to acting. Consequently, it is directly
related to ethics; Since, ethics reflects on the goodness or wickedness of our
actions.
In animals there
is an external law that moves them, the natural law, instincts. They lack
intellect (which seeks the truth) and will (which pursues the good), and
consequently freedom. The will puts into practice what my conscience dictates,
which is based on reason and for believers, on reason and faith. The judgment
that is the fruit of conscience is not a practical calculation; sometimes it
requires going against the system and/or getting out of the comfort state.
In short,
conscience is the act by which reason discerns the morality of a past, present
or future action. But how can we not fall into self-deception? with a dialogue
about the good and just; reasons and counter-reasons must be known. Whoever is
not interested in delving into the reasons for his actions, the one who
believes himself to be aware of the truth, will be confusing conscience with a
particular whim. But getting stuck in reasons and against reasons has no end,
since in life it is necessary to act in a timely manner and do it responsibly.
The conviction with which our discourse ends is called conscience; however, you
are not always certain to objectively do your best. What can be known is what
is the best possible solution at that time according to one's own knowledge, so
forming consciousness well is an imperative.
A doctor (or any
professional) who by negligence is not aware of the advances of medicine will
be acting without conscience and as that action becomes vice, the voice of
conscience slowly fades; likewise, the one who closes in on himself, ignoring
the observations of others.
Formation of consciousness
In every man
there is a germ of conscience, an organ of good and evil. It is a matter of
seeing children, they have a keen sense to distinguish the authentic from the
false, with a natural tendency to kindness and sincerity.
Where does
consciousness come from? is a question similar to Where does language come from?
because who has never heard of it is still mute. Man cannot be said to be, by
himself, a species that speaks or thinks. Man is a being who needs the help of
others to become what he is called to be. Upon hearing consciousness, it seems
that we completely subtract from an external impulse or that we act
automatically. That momentum has been programmed by our parents in the first
instance, by the educators and the cultural environment in which we have been
raised. The modes of behavior that we were instilled in childhood and that we
learned to obey, have become orders that we give to ourselves; although it
should not be understood as nothing more than the reflection of education,
because sometimes conscience also leads us to question the patterns of behavior
that seem correct.
Consciousness is
formed in education from childhood, instilling the recognition of the good and
the way to practice it. For the latter, the example of parents and educators is
invaluable. Sincerity with oneself, recognizing one's own limitations, is also
a force for the voice of conscience that invites us to ask for good advice from
whom we recognize as more prudent. Another basic means for the formation of
consciousness is the permanent study and acquisition of knowledge of duties,
obligations and all kinds of knowledge.
Conclusion
Whoever is
raised in lies and bad examples will be characterized by a conscience devoid of
finesse. On the contrary, the delicate and sensitive conscience is
characteristic of an inwardly free and sincere man; who despises and is not
prey to violence, fear, ignorance and passions. He who does not form the
conscience acts negligently because this is the gateway to the virtues; if
consciousness is turned off, then nothing matters to us.
