AWARENESS

 

a) Awareness

        A compass is a small but very useful instrument. Its needle always points north, and with that, you know which way to go on a path. Within us, we have something similar to a compass, which tells us what is right and what is wrong: it is our conscience.

        Conscience, therefore, is the judge of our own actions, the (invisible) spiritual capacity that we all have to know, remember, or warn, whether we have done something right or wrong.

        For this capacity to always guide us well and provide sound judgment, it must be nurtured, cared for, and respected by us (a compass can age, become damaged, or break). This is the need to educate our conscience.

b) Types of consciousness

        People are all different, and no two people are alike. However, in their ways of reasoning, it is possible to establish different groups or ways of thinking (the scrupulous person who continues to take medication even when healthy, the distrustful person who believes the doctor is going to poison them...).

        There are 5 types of consciousness:

- True. This is the one who judges correctly and is right about what happened;

- Erroneous. This is the one who takes bad for good and remains as they are, mistaken and without caring about the person;

- Guilty. This is the one who has not wanted to know the truth, whether through carelessness, negligence, or malice;

- Innocent. This is the one who has never heard the truth and would correct themselves at a later opportunity;

- Doubtful. This is the one who does not know what to expect, does not know how to act.

        In cases of doubtful conscience, one should always choose "the lesser evil" or "the least risky option".

c) Object of the action

        It is the specific action that is performed, and it is independent of everything else, purpose, or circumstances. And that is because an action:

-It is either good in itself (working well, obeying parents...),

-or it is bad in itself (cheating a customer, hating a sibling...).

        The object of the action answers the "what" that has been done, and is the most important thing for an action to be good or bad.

d) End of action

        It is the intention behind a person's actions. It is not the most important thing (what is done is what is most important), because:

-the end does not justify the means,

-something does not depend on the intention with which it was done.

        The purpose of the action answers the "why" and "for what" something has been done, and points to the desire and the way to achieve it.

e) Circumstances of the action

        These are the accidental elements of the action, and they only secondarily influence the morality of the acts. They correspond to:

-who did it (if it's a novice, repeat offender...),

-where it was done (in public, in private...),

-how it was done (consciously, while intoxicated...).

        Sometimes the role of circumstances can profoundly alter the narrative of events.

 

 

TRUE

 

True
        It consists of expressing a judgment about something accurately. It therefore requires clarity of understanding and humility to recognize things. Truth sees things:
-as they are (objectivity),
-as they should be (honesty).
        The truth doesn't erase my opinion , but it does put it in its place. It has no minor flaws (every lie is a lie, whether big or small). It excludes mental constraints (creating my own world in my head), and it must repair the damage done.
        The truth cannot be told only if it is secret :
- of summary, from a judge or doctor (in certain cases);
- of secrecy, from a priest (always).
Sins against the truth
        They can be committed through words, actions, or omissions. These are sins of speech :
- lie: trying to deceive another,
- false testimony: stating the opposite of what is true,
- gossip: talking about other people's affairs,
- slander: giving rise to false judgments,
- mockery: pointing out someone's faults,
- criticism: judging another person with or without foundation.
        These are sins of action :
- hypocrisy: feigning qualities or feelings,
- impersonation: taking the place of another,
- simulation: exhibiting what one is not,
- demagoguery: dominating by making faces or with empty words,
- duplicity: having a double standard, a double face...
- vainglory: boasting or showing off oneself,
- information manipulation: distorting images or information.
        These are sins of omission :
- suspicion: thinking badly without reason,
- distrust: not believing what is true,
- secrets: publishing a judicial summary, violating the anonymity of the patient, breaking the seal of confession,
- omission: failing to tell the truth.

JUSTICE

a) Justice

        Within the world of work, and the economy in general, there must be one virtue that regulates everything: it is the virtue of justice.

        Justice consists of giving each person what is due to them, and giving more to those most in need, and it can be of 3 types:

- Commutative. It consists of receiving according to one's output (if you have worked 4 hours, you receive 4);

- Distributive. It consists of receiving according to one's needs (if one is disabled, one receives for 4 hours what was worked in 3);

- Social. It consists of giving everything to the common good (if you have worked 4, you give 0.4% to the common treasury).

        In order for justice to prevail, the following must also be taken into account:

-not everything that is legal is moral,

-not everything that is possible is necessary.

        Morality always takes precedence over legality, and necessity always takes precedence over morality. The possible leads to the good, the good leads to the best.

b) Values ​​of justice

        It is the collection of goods belonging to others that other people cannot obtain, but which we have in excess and must share. These are the works of mercy, both material and spiritual goods.

These are material         values ​​of justice :

-visit and care for the sick,

-feed the hungry,

-give drink to the thirsty,

-clothe the naked,

-give shelter to the pilgrim,

-visit the imprisoned,

-bury the dead.

These are values ​​of spiritual justice :

-teach the ignorant,

-give advice to those who need it,

-correct those who error

-comfort the sad,

-forgive injuries,

-patiently endure the faults of others,

-pray to God for the living and the dead.

 

c) Sins against justice

        They can be committed at both a personal and a professional level.

        These are sins on a personal level :

- greed: disordered appetite for money,

- wastefulness: spending money excessively,

- gambling: spending on vices what is needed for something else,

- betting: playing with the future and luck,

- profit: living only to earn money.

 

        These are sins at the workplace level :

- robbery: to seize someone else's property,

- theft: to possess someone else's property,

- retention: to keep what belongs to another,

- claims: to return what was not damaged,

- corruption: to threaten the decision-maker.