This way to the level playing field

1763:

If we aren’t sure about our direction in life we usually do what we see others doing. But if what we see doesn't feel right, then we have to work things out for ourselves, or follow people who seem like us, who are doing things a little differently. We might see that they're doing things by consulting their conscience, even to the point of doing ‘good’ all over the place. But, ugh, it starts to look sickly sweet, so we retreat away from what others are doing and start to examine our own feelings and priorities. We bring in conscience.

If there are any possibilities for humans in the future I think they lie here, in restoring the balance between being too clever and being too heart-driven. The conscience, the guiding instinct, is elevated to a position which is taken more seriously. We in the West have dumped conscience in order to get ahead; we are ‘first worlders’, oblivious of the damage we cause and the exploitation we’re involved with, and this is what has led us towards the fuller consciousness of what we’ve done. The conscience isn't just the judge but the advisor, making us aware of our potential to repair.

Our potential is for destruction but also for creation. If we decide to be more creative and constructive it will mean we have to start all over again. Once we accept the need for a complete reappraisal of our daily habits, however much that might mean we have to suffer, in the end we’ll be better able to strike out in a new direction because of the greater awareness of what’s been happening in our decision-making. We're better able to strike a balance between the genius of intellect and the guidance of conscience. When our conscience is elevated to its rightful place, we can reach to where each of us wants to be.

Better than operating grudgingly, trying to 'be good', instead we find a pleasure in having things going in the right direction but also working more smoothly. Our 'released' conscience keeps us honest in order to keep us on our toes, in order to help us manage our lives more efficiently. It simply encourages us to ‘give and take’. If we are still at the stage where we are thinking about rewards, we'll expect things to fall from the sky. If we can get beyond that point it will be to move towards the potential-self where we can see the ‘strings attached’, where there's a level playing field, where all interests are taken into consideration, because not only our own interests are important.