The Tao of Conscience
Right...
or wrong.
Too much or too little.
Too near or too far.
The Gift
is decision.
The ability to choose,
come to one's own conclusions,
rather than unthinking obeisance
to authoritarian institutions.
An intrinsic ethics
structured deep into the mind
reveals the direction
in which integrity lies.
Danger follows sheep
who refuse responsibility
for action,
and wolves who see god
in their own satisfaction.
Other animals may not choose.
They must listen to instinct.
Conscience allows reasoning
which makes actions deliberate.
This power gives man
an evolutionary advantage
and the petard for his hoisting
through hubris or inaction.
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties." - John Milton