Do You Listen to Your Inner Voice?

According to most religions and many scholars people have a conscience. 

An inner voice or feeling that guides rightness or wrongness. Kind of like having the Disney character Jiminy Crickett perched on each shoulder. Good Jiminy and bad Jiminy.

"The concept of "conscience" as commonly used in the moral sense, is the inherent ability of every healthy human being to perceive what is right or wrong and, on the strength of this perception, to control, monitor, evaluate and execute their actions," according to a study from the National Institutes of Health.

I discovered that there are three types of conscience. "Certain conscience" is the complete absence of doubt in whether our decision is good or bad. Doubtful conscience limits our ability to make a choice between good or bad. Then there's the Delicate conscience which is very meticulous and careful about our decisions.

Apparently, we aren't born with a conscience which experts say is shaped by our experiences, interactions with others, and reflections on our actions. It's a lifelong process.

The answer to where is your conscience lodged... the brain or the heart will probably surprise you. A 2004 study conducted by McCraty, Atkinson & Bradley determined that the heart receives intuitive information BEFORE the brain. That certainly adds a new dimension to the definition of conscience. It comes straight from the heart. 

So why doesn't everyone have a conscience? 

The simple answer is while we may be capable of knowing right from wrong there are other factors to consider. 

Like greed. It makes people set aside their values to obtain wealth. The lust for power makes even the so-called moral man ignore the warning from his good Jiminy who is jumping up and down frantically on his shoulder.

I've wrestled with my conscience numerous times in the last seven decades. It's been a win-lose situation (like most people I suspect) but I like to think I do have a good heart, and I do know right from wrong. Not everyone is guided by their heart/conscience. I'll bet you know some people like that.

As it Stands, I think a lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience!