Conscience

[Bill]

The other day I got a couple of plants for my mothers birthday on Friday. Last night we took her out for a meal but I'd completely forgotten to get a plant for the neighbours who look after our dog.

So I was faced with a decision. Give them the plants I got for my mother and get a couple more for my mother on Friday or face them empty handed and give them a plant at a later date. However, I must admit I liked these plants myself and would have liked to keep them!

In the end I felt happiest by giving them to the neighbours, get replacements for my mother and a couple for myself because I know there were alot of the same types where I bought them and I'll have time.

Anyway, it made me think about this scenario.

If there were 2 people, one man, one woman, both "equally ill" and you had the cure to save just ONE of them, which one would you save? How would you decide?

If though that you too were just as ill and you had to decide whether to save one of these 2 people OR You, who then would you save?

It's difficult enough to decide the fate of 2 people but could you let both of them die to save yourself?

If you saved yourself, could you then live with the guilt of letting them both die? Would the guilt make you feel SO bad that you couldn't live with yourself in which case ALL 3 people would die so then what would have been the point in saving yourself?:shrug:

It's always good to find a compromise so that you feel you've done your best for all you care about but sometimes I feel in life we are put into a "no win" situation and so we have to do what we feel makes US feel "happiest" which often means putting our "own happiness FIRST" and let others think of us as they like without beating ourselves up because we all have an EQUAL right to happiness and an EQUAL right to live!

No matter what we feel about ourselves, we should have more faith in our decisions and let our conscience be clear in the knowledge that we did our BEST, we did what we felt was RIGHT, we did what we felt CAPABLE of doing, ACCEPT that we have an equal right to happiness and ACCEPT ourselves for having good intentions.......... because that's all anyone can do!:hugs:

So going back to that scenario, could you let the other two die to save YOURSELF?..........if so, then you can also put YOUR happiness first too because you're JUST as Important as anyone else! You have the Right and the Power to put your Own happiness First and live YOUR Own life with a Clear conscience because that's what we have! - A Conscience because we Try to think of others so always do our Best.:hugs:

[Franz]

Although I'm not religious as such, part of me always took on board the Christian doctrine of self-sacrifice and I've had a life-long guilt complex about putting myself first. When I've put others first, I've sometimes regretted it. But hey, it wouldn't be self-sacrifice if it felt good, would it?

We live in a terribly selfish society and we're always making excuses for our own selfishness. Few people aspire to /heroism/ any more. I saw a documentary about the chap who was in charge of security at the World Trade Center, who gave up his life to rescue as many people as possible as the buildings collapsed. How many people REALLY want to be "a good person" to that degree? Most of the role models we now have, we admire purely because of their glamour, not because of any moral qualities they possess.

I'm not saying I'm any kind of hero, just that part of me feels I ought at least to feel shabby about not being one. So I kind of disagree with what you're saying.

[marie1974]

hi bill glad to see that you are still writing these great threads, when my gran died 3 years ago, she had a huge funeral and loads of family. i was so upset because she was like a 2nd mum that i couldnt go. now i could have gone to keep family happy because its the right thing to do, but i choose to do what i want to do and not go because i couldnt face it and i wanted to deal with it at home and remember her for how i knew her. this decision prob upset alot of people and i was probably looked down on, but i know it was the right decision so i dont feel bad my conscience is clear, if people really knew the real me theyd know why i didnt go.xxxxxx

[Bill]

Donna:hugs: ,

Yes, if our conscience is clear then it should be up to others to understand our reasons and if they don't then we shouldn't beat ourselves up just because it upset them or they felt hurt.:hugs:

Francis,

Yes, I agree with you that this is a selfish world we live in which is why I too don't like it because there appears to be a lack of care and compassion in todays society.

I also think the media often sets at bad example in the programmes they produce and the stories they write. Often they seem to focus on the negative aspects of humanity such as greed, selfishness and plain nastiness. I think they call it "excitement" to watch one person win thousands of pounds of the "poor publics" money and also "drama" to watch people back stabbing each other rather than portraying the "boring" caring side of humanity.........but that's just me.:shrug:

As for heroes, I think there is a hero in the majority of people. The hero only appears though when faced with the choice of running or putting their life at risk to save another in danger. A true hero though I feel is someone who saves others knowing that they won't survive themselves.

It's right to care but self sacrifice should be for the right reasons and not because we feel someone is more worthy than ourselves. We are all equals in this world. The good people are always worth saving purely because they are good and we need them in todays society. I would include yourself in the good category!

If someone wanted to sacrifice themselves for you, would you think it's because they value you more than themselves or because they saw the good in you? No doubt either way you'd say they shouldn't.

However, if you let them, would you feel "guilt" because you'd feel inferior and not worthy? If you told them not to but they felt hurt and took their hurt out on you for preventing them, would you feel bad for saying no and beat yourself up for feeling "guilt" for upsetting them?

So how would you win in a no win situation?

Of course the above illustration is extreme but it's to demonstrate that we should allow people to do what makes them feel happiest providing they're doing no harm to others just as we should allow ourselves happiness too because we're all equals. No one is or should feel inferior to anyone else and none of us should feel guilt for wanting happiness in our lives, and the same should apply to you especially as you're one of the "good" people.:winks: