Letting the Conscience Win

I think of it when I’m tempted to leave my grocery cart in the grassy knoll in the parking lot instead of walking a half -mile to the nearest cart holder. I think of it when I change my mind about buying something at Target, and want to put my unwanted beauty product on the shoe shelf in front of me. Who walks to the other side of the store to put it back where it came from?  Let’s face it; the trek from Beauty to Shoes is a journey. But then a stereotypical image of a worn out cart boy or a tired stock clerk pops into my mind. “Treat people how you want to be treated,” bounces off the walls of my head as I try to ignore it. "Not now. I’m in a hurry, Conscience. Come back later when I’m in a do-gooder mood." Ultimately, the conscience usually wins out and I pout my way to doing the right thing.

It’s not exactly the cheerful giver attitude I’d be proud to have, but I’m a work in progress like everyone else. Treating people how we would want to be treated, paying it forward, and doing unto others as you would want them to do unto you is a revolutionary idea. It takes a certain amount of removal of self to do it though. Who wants to do that? Most days, not I.

Maybe that’s the problem.  Most of us, most days are playing out that “not I” mentality even though we know from experience we always feel better if we decide to listen to that inner conscience. Could it be that the world would have less violent crimes, theft, abuse, and even loneliness if we could all embrace the concepts of love, kindness, and the value of treating others how we would want to be treated?

So many blame guns for violence, media for laziness, poor laws for crime, and government for the condition our society is in. What about us? Are we not to blame? Imagine a freeway with less road rage, passive aggressive-less (I’m aware that’s not even a word) arguments with loved ones, a hate-less society, and a world where everyone looks out for their brother instead of constantly looking over their shoulder.  I realize the reality of this is slim other than it playing out in a Disney movie on the big screen.  But maybe it could start in our own home, our own city block, our own workplace, or even just at our local grocery store.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going, and in the wake of a time of so many terrible things going on, maybe a spark here and there could actually make a difference.

Call me idealistic, (You wouldn’t be the first) but I have hope. Although we are all self-centered, I do believe there is an innate sense of doing good and ability to love in us all. After all, we were born with it, and it’s why we were created, to love and be loved in return.   

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” – Gilbert K. Chesterton