I think we really have to take a look at these two words, “conscience” and “compassion” to understand what has happened in our society today. “Conscience”, affects all walks of life from political to personal, and involves the human activity of everything in between. There is no human activity that does not involve the question of “is this the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do.” (Then I suppose we have to analyse the definition of right and wrong. Right: morally good or justified. Wrong: not correct or true; mistaken or in error; unjust, dishonest or immoral.) Without "compassion" to bring your conscience into focus, conscience is nothing more than self-serving.
With the above definitions in mind, we must look at Society
today and ask ourselves the question “Where has its conscience and compassion gone?" It seems to have lost its sense of right and
wrong on a political level and on a personal level. And it would now seem that the boundaries of
political and personal have overlapped.
Politicians: how well does their conscience work when making
decisions and laws that will affect every citizen and are the decisions
buffered with compassion? Their decisions
will have an affect on every part of the life of every citizen.
Public Servants: They are the arms of the Politician and exist
to make political decisions functional.
Where is their conscience? And is it always buffered with compassion?
As these two groups will affect every part of the lives of the rest of society, then they must have impeccably “good conscience” and compassion or the whole of society will suffer the consequences. The bar must be set very, very high! If it is not set high all else will crumble!
As these two groups will affect every part of the lives of the rest of society, then they must have impeccably “good conscience” and compassion or the whole of society will suffer the consequences. The bar must be set very, very high! If it is not set high all else will crumble!
Without a doubt, the most important issue in a civil society
is health care. It will affect every person in some way, at some time in their
life. When it comes to health care, how “well” is the political “conscience”
functioning. Its decisions must be
carried out by: Health Authorities, Hospitals, Doctors Nurses, care aids, and anyone
else who is remotely involved with the caring and well being of its fellow citizens.
How well are they using conscience and compassion when dealing with the lives
of the patients in their care? All too often they are more concerned and
preoccupied with their own personal lives and benefits rather than that of
their patients.
It is only too clear, when you read the story of Ashley Smith,
or “The Case of Electro shocking Mia” that Society has ultimately failed. It has lost its ability to “Care” for one
another. How can
anyone with a conscience... anyone with
compassion... possibly do, or allow those types of things to happen to a fellow
human being?
From the top, with Politicians who refuse to revise draconian
mental health laws, adjust uncivil attitudes or hold abusers accountable, down through
the doctors and nurses only too eager to carry out inhumane, unjust, treatments
- to the public, the average person on the street who cry foul over animal
abuse, but forget their fellow human being, their neighbour, their relative, their
friend, who is being abused ... where are the voices of “conscience and
compassion?”
Conscience and Compassion have become hollow... empty words without meaning ... and like leaves scattered by the winter winds, “Civil
Society” has crumbled and decayed.
