The conscience is a mental warning system containing accumulated ethics from the past, some would say from previous lifes. It functions as a mental warning system. It sends signals causing pain, when going against those inner ethics accumulated in the conscience.
If the mental warning system does not work, people may do horrible things without feeling any pain, any uncomfortable feelings at all. They’re just indifferent. Then they need warnings from the outside, as it doesn’t come from the inside. It’s the difference between ‘Better not steal this else (correction from the outside) I might get caught and go to prison/I will be punished for it in the afterlife’ and ‘Better not steal this because (correction from the inside) I do not want to steal, I would feel bad about the act of stealing.’
Having gained the knowledge that something is harmful is not enough. As knowledge alone does not release any pain such as burning shame, guilt and other uncomfortable feelings that keep us away from it. The mind might know what harmful is, but will only realize it through getting signals from the conscience. Without realization, it might decide upon harmful deeds anyway, simply by finding distorted justifications for them. A logical consequence is, it is impossible to learn AND realize without a functioning conscience.
Therefore:
1) Those that do not have a working conscience, cannot learn, only accumulate knowledge. They do not get wise, as they cannot realize this knowledge.
2) Training the mind will only work if there is a working conscience
3) Training the mind will not stimulate the conscience to start functioning
Yet nobody talks about conscience. It’s all about ‘consciousness’ and ‘awakening’ and speculations about miraculous bliss that will come down on us if only we sit long enough in lotus-position and meditate. Great Buddhistic teachers from the past already said, this is just another teaching that utterly fails.
Religious teachings are for this life here in the world. A guidance, how not to fall in the trap of suffering all through this life. It isn’t about constantly reaching beyond, nor is it all about earning some personal reward in the afterlife; it’s about earning rewards for the benefit of all beings that are alive in this world.
Now will introducing secular ethics in education succeed? To answer that question, it is not enough to contemplate where religious teachings failed; we have to know WHY they failed.
The initial mistake is ‘I am / better than you’. Buddhist philosophy extensively treats the ‘I am’. Through the realization, there is no independently existing ‘I’, we may end suffering in society if we take action and follow the path. Other religions emphasize on the second part, the ‘better than you’; the attitude of the fallen angel, causing us to loose paradise.
WHY do they both fail? Isn’t it remarkable, how generally speaking the theistic religions suffer most from the ‘better than you’ even though their teachings emphasize on conquering this; while Buddhism doesn’t show much social involvement even though their teachings emphasize on interdependency.
Some think: There is a purpose in suffering; it is to purify us. So we should welcome suffering. It’s not true. It is pain, mental pain that serves to purify the mind. If we don’t listen to this pain, it causes suffering. But if we do listen, we can escape suffering. And this pain comes from the conscience, just like pain in the body is a warning signal there is something wrong. If it functions.
But the conscience doesn’t function in many cases. It has been silenced, by blind obedience, by upbringing, by cultural influences, maybe even environmental influences so more on the physiological level. Or simply because we’re not born with a strong one.
It would be great if this century would become the century of dialogue. But then we surely need a new strategy for this era of blaming games, hiding own imperfections, propaganda, silencing of the conscience, corruption and oppression by arrogance. What could we do?
For example, this:
1) We could all try to use this basic principle as an example for the children that will greatly help the development of their conscience: To find our conscience back and listen to it, not blindly following all that our culture imposes upon us. To admit mistakes, to be publicly honest. To correct them. To not be focussed on forgiving others, but to ASK for forgiveness FROM OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS. Instead of praying for it. To show the example. To say sorry – especially to the children – if we did something wrong. If they still feel hurt, we should say we understand; but we’re hoping they’ll forgive and we’re not going to do it again. To explain.
3) Corporal punishment of children – including spanking by parents – has been outlawed in 44 countries now. It’s devastating for the conscience, as it is a correction from the outside. A threat that silences the conscience instead of stimulating it. Obedience should be taught to come from the heart, not from fear for punishment. So if corporal punishment of children is permitted in your country, try to have it outlawed.
4) To not get too angry at those without a working conscience, who cannot recognize they are being harmful and will not ask for forgiveness, let alone see their arrogance. They can’t help it. They have no choice. But we have to stop oppression by arrogance and distorted justifications. It may not be physical violence, but it is just as devastating when we corrupt our systems and destroy the environment. So if they harm us seriously, we should speak up and do something, if necessary sue them, for their own sake too: They need this correction from the outside, that’s their mental disposition and we can’t change this fact. We have laws. We need to use them. We must uphold human rights, get rid of all nonsense interpretations that violate them, and bring justice alive again.
4) In the meantime, we should continue thinking about ways to get the conscience functioning (again); they haven’t been invented yet! It is why religious teachings are failing that it simply cannot be done to educate ethics when the mental warning system doesn’t work.
Those 4 points are an implementation of compassion; it’s compassion in action. ‘True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.’ – Dalai Lama
It’s not only about forgiving others
but also about being honest about mistakes asking forgiveness;
if we don’t, corruption spreads
It’s not only about teaching, advising, helping others
but also in gladly and humbly accepting lessons, advice and help ;
if we don’t, oppression spreads
It’s not only about people not harming others
but also in refusing to be harmed, speaking up;
if we don’t, violence spreads
When corruption spreads, oppression spreads
When oppression spreads, all forms of violence spread
Violence spreads, and people are not allowed to speak up
So we have to speak up while we still can. World conscience may be dying if we don’t.