Resurrection
of
Conscience


Resurrection
of
Conscience

By
Uday
Dandavate

December
1st,
2010.





Stephen
R
Covey
a
famous
American
author
and
a
professor
at
the
Jon
M.
Huntsman

School
of
Business
at
Utah
State
University
once
said,
“Every
human
has
four

endowments‐
self‐awareness,
conscience,
independent
will
and
creative

imagination.
These
give
us
the
ultimate
human
freedom...
The
power
to
choose,
to

respond,
to
change.”
My
work
as
a
researcher
of
people,
cultures
and
change
has

cultivated
in
me
a
curiosity
for
these
innate
endowments.

While
pursuing
my

professional
responsibility
to
drive
innovation
through
insights,
I
have
learned
that

in
order
to
drive
change
one
must
understand
what
influences
people’s
sense
of
self

and
how
they
relate
to
each
other
and
make
sense
of
the
environment
around
them.

The
purpose
of
this
article
is
to
discuss
one
of
the
four
human
endowments
alluded

to
by
Stephen
Covey:
The
conscience.

I
believe
many
conflicts
inside
our
minds
and

around
us
could
be
resolved
and
many
creative
solutions
to
everyday
problems

could
be
found
if
we
learn
to
harness
this
human
endowment
more
effectively.



Philosophers
have
often
used
different
metaphors
to
explain
the
concept
of

conscience.
Mahatma
Gandhi
used
the
metaphor
of
voice
when
he
said,
“The
human

voice
can
never
reach
the
distance
that
is
covered
by
the
still
small
voice
of

conscience.”
Bill
Murray
refers
to
it
as,
““that
still,
small
voice
that
is
sometimes
too

loud
for
comfort.”
A
French
proverb
uses
the
metaphor
of
a
soft
material
to
describe

conscience,”
“There
is
no
pillow
so
soft
as
a
clear
conscience.”
Historian
George

Bancroft
calls
it,
“the
mirror
of
our
souls,
which
represents
the
errors
of
our
lives
in

their
full
shape.”



I
would
like
to
borrow
a
new
metaphor
to
explore
the
concept
of
Conscience‐
a
light

flickering
insides
each
one
of
us
that
illuminates
our
soul
when
we
are
surrounded

by
darkness.
Like
a
flame
conscience
illuminates
our
path.
The
heat
of
our

conscience
keeps
us
warm
when
we
are
lost
in
the
wilderness.
The
flame
of

conscience
is
nimble
enough
that
it
can
be
put
aside,
but
it
is
potent
enough
that
it

can
light
an
inferno
in
our
heart.
It
can
be
used
to
search
our
soul
or
to
show

direction
to
another
person.
One
can
smell
it
at
a
distance
both
when
it
is
in
full
glow

or
when
it
is
burning
out
the
wick.
Like
one
can
enjoy
the
sound
of
a
flame
on
a

winter
night,
conscience
too
has
its
way
of
making
its
presence
felt
through
a
soft

and
subtle
flickering
sound
when
the
noise
around
us
mellows
down.
The
only

difference
between
a
real
flame
and
conscience
is
that
conscience
can
never
be

extinguished.
As
I
watched
my
father
pass
away
in
front
of
me,
I
realized
that
even

on
deathbed,
the
flickering
flame
of
conscience
fuels
the
conscience
inside
one’s

near
and
dear
ones.



That
takes
me
to
the
concept
of
God.
Honestly,
the
concept
of
god
has
always

remained
outside
the
boundaries
of
my
curiosity.
However,
I
have
learned
to

recognize
that
it
is
an
important
concept
because
it
drives
people’s
behaviors.
Since

understanding
people
are
central
to
my
work,
I
cannot
ignore
the
concept
of
god.
I

consider
God
a
conceptual
embodiment
of
human
conscience,
developed
to
make

the
power
of
conscience
comprehensible
and
usable
to
everyday
person.
Depending

on
one’s
religious
affiliation
the
embodiment
of
god
is
available
in
a
variety
of
forms

and
narratives.
Saints
have
often
referred
to
“the
god
within
us”.
I
call
that
god
our

conscience.

Whereas
the
embodiments
and
narratives
of
“God”
vary
across
religions

and
the
extent
to
which
people
find
it
helpful
depends
on
whether
one
is
a
believer,

atheist
or
an
agnostic,
one’s
conscience
is
available
to
everyone
regardless
of
one’s

beliefs.



Conscience
follows
us
everywhere;
the
only
way
to
disregard
the
conscience
is
to

shut
one
eyes‐
to
one’s
own
peril.

We
would
never
be
lost
if
we
followed
the
path

illuminated
by
our
conscience.

Cumulative
glow
of
a
community
of
people
following

their
conscience
together
can
lead
us
to
a
new
renaissance.
That
is
why
I
believe
it
is

important
to
bring
together
those
flickering
flames
inside
people
lost
in
dark
alleys.

A
new
strategy
for
change
and
innovation
should
not
be
limited
to
just
tracking

people’s
behaviors,
needs,
desires
or
aspirations.
That
is
how
market
centric

corporations
manipulate
people
they
call
consumers.
Responsible
corporate

behavior
must
include
the
attempt
to
understand
and
align
with
people's
conscience

in
order
to
lead
to
truly
sustainable
solutions
for
the
good
of
the
larger
society
and

environment.