Chinese Religions and Human Conscience

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The Chinese were the first to recognize that humans were fundamentally good and not primarily driven by selfish motives. Thousands of years ago Confucianism and Daoism taught the masses to believe in the better nature of people. In the present day, particularly in the United States, one could argue that the antediluvian Chinese were mistaken. Recently, it seems that humans are indeed driven by wealth, power, and fame. However, there is still one thing that precedes selfish goals and is a part of every sane human being, a conscience. The conscience is a voice of honesty, integrity, and the underlying decency in every individual. Throughout history people have sacrificed their own welfare for a cause or principal their conscience told them was worth fighting for and dying for. In the twenty-first century it is possible to see evidence of a strong conscience even in those who seem to be the embodiment of greedy and power hungry.

Jesus, Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, the Dali Lama; when one of these names are said it is synonymous for an advocate of peace or the morally outstanding. In essence, they are the epitome of great people, centered on what their conscience told them what was right. Is it possible that they are the only ones driven by moral values and their conscience? I don’t think so; I believe there is a spark of decency in every person. It depends on how much you nurture and blow on that spark that determines if it becomes a conflagration of passion and morality.

The recent media storm on a wide variety of the rich and famous has caused some to base all of humanity on the deeds of those in the spotlight. It has resulted in a number of people to forget the old view that people are good and exchange if for a much more cynical perspective. Nevertheless, if one looks closely at any situation it is possible to discover the spark of a conscience in even the most corrupt. Tiger Woods is a great example. Lately, the all-star golfer was caught sleeping around. Some say that he is corrupt from all of the money he has or that he is amoral.

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