Conscience

A little demon is sitting on your shoulder whispering in your ear. Complete with horns, a hoof, that pointed tail, he’s swinging his trident staff. He’s there to tempt you and you know it, for you recognize a cartoon character when you see one.

On your other shoulder, that annoying angel, flapping transparent wings and wearing its patent halo. Yes, you know its kind.

They are both there to mock you. Talking constantly, repeating their worn-out phrases, humming monotonous tunes with no beginning and no end. Their voices become indistinguishable, sweet and alluring, harsh and threatening, it’s all the same. The two blend into one. The demon is good, and the angel is evil, one misshapen monster without identity is telling you what to do, but it makes no sense.

It is real now. Your conscience is not a cartoon. It is not neatly divided into good and evil. If only it was, how easy that would be. The angel has beauty, the demon is hideous, and the choice is so simple. Who doesn’t choose what is pleasing? Who doesn’t crave for simplicity?

But when it’s simple it must be a caricature. The features of good and evil can’t be drawn with general sweeps, so when such shapes appear it must be a farce.

You brush those creatures off your shoulders and listen to their offspring. You think it’s your true conscience, but you can’t understand it. A cacophony of noises that seem to tell you what to do without saying anything.

A stern teacher is clear: “Do your homework!” The parent says: “Wash your hands!” But you yourself, your conscience and your freedom, talk in intricate sentences without beginning or end, head or tail, halo or horns.

If only you knew the difference between right and wrong. If only you could trust your conscience.

Your Daily Word Prompt – #Conscience – #YDWordPrompt June 13, 2020