Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Crowds, Corporations, and Conscience

Neither crowds nor corporations have a collective conscience; conscience is something that only imbues individuals. And happiness is always fleeting, as it presupposes the attainment of a specific point of pleasure. Human beings experience contentment when they are serving their greater values. This presupposes a mission in life in which one is following one's individual conscience. This pursuit is always a journey, never a contest for a finish line.

Democracy can only be better than other forms of government when we engage our individual consciences toward a greater good, both now and in future generations. Justice will only prevail when we stop believing that Christianity is a contest for who has the place closest to God in heaven. It seems to be each of our individual imperatives in a just world that we use the burning embers of our own individual consciences to help ignite the faltering flames of those around us. Already burning bonfires will continue to burn on their own, finding their own fuel.

The mission fields that we are all called to serve are outside of the doors of our churches, in every interaction we have with every point and person in creation. The energy we impart will continue in all of creation that we touch. We must each ask ourselves, "Am I a catalyst for justice or simply a part of a crowd?"