Conscience in uncertain times

In an address to the nation, President Muhammadu Buhari extended the lockdown that is already past two weeks by another 14 days of uncertainty in the land. But in uncertain times like this that the world is under an emergency, a pandemic of unimaginable proportion that has claimed a chunk of the global population, it is an opportunity for some to be smiling. They smile because they are benefiting from the misfortune of humanity.

Their happiness comes from milking the nation, from exploitation, from hoarding, from price inflation of essential commodities, instead of helping to mitigate the pains of the time. It is all in the smothering of their conscience. It is in the corruption of their humanity and morality.

It is because they lack the personal, innate regulatory and enforcement instruments or the criterion, Al-Furqan or al-Bayaan that clarifies, life choices, decisions and actions for them. This is the moral police-conscience.

Conscience is, of course, a moral and spiritual policeman that clarifies what is right, true and just. It is a personal prism or gauge for measuring individual actions, choices and decisions in contexts one finds himself.

Conscience is not a situational value. It is neither subjective nor relative. Conscience is constant. Because conscience is associated with discreet values that have no variants or colorants, it is measured in absolute, altruistic terms.

It is either your conscience is living or dead. There is nothing like weak conscience or ailing conscience. Conscience, like truth, is constant. To be aligned with conscience, however, is courage. The health and vitality or existence of one’s conscience is, therefore, to be seen in the courage that one possesses or applies in the defence of truth or one’s conscience.

When such is the courage that powers your conscience, you are unwavering; you are forthright and righteous. Your actions and judgment are not dependent or colored by any other consideration or motivation, except that it is true, just, right, fair and moral.

This is because you know and you have taken wider cognizance of the consequences as your knowledge and faith convinces you of the rightness of your decisions, choices and actions. That is why you do not need to appeal to the corrupt to give up what he has amassed illegally and promise him reward for giving it up. If he wants to give it up or gives himself up in search of redemption, his courage will propel him to the choice or decision.

This time of uncertainty is when to bring out the beauty of our humanity and not to bare the talons of man’s bestiality.

Abdulwarees Solanke

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