In the previous article, I discussed different sorts of people’s consciences, the upright and the corrupted conscience, the individual and the social or national one.
Conscience is formed through many channels:
1- Family:
Family is the first environment where man’s conscience is formed by teaching him values and principles or presenting a role model to him. Parents, elder siblings or grandparents constitute a role model that is more effective in teaching the child good concepts, values and behaviors thus help him to gain the ability of distinguishing right from wrong. Standards of what is right or wrong differ and vary in societies and even at different areas in the same country. Society’s traditions and customs adopted by each family play a great role in forming man’s conscience. Some societies believe in some traditions like feuds and minor’s marriage and breaking them is totally refused and may even lead to death, while other societies may consider these very traditions unacceptable crimes and those who commit them hold liable to law’s punishment.
School is the second factor of forming man’s conscience. As child grows, he goes out to school which is a new society that adopts various cultures. His conscience is formed through teachers’ personality and curriculums that play great role especially during early childhood. If the principles he learnt at school are in harmony with those he learnt at home, his conscience will be formed and will be part of his personality, if not, his inner conflict may rise which would extremely affect forming his character and conscience.
2- Religion:
A factor that has a great role in forming child’s conscience is religion and especially religious institutions in Eastern societies as they transfer the religious thoughts that form conscience and influence it. It is known that Egyptian man from old was affected by the religious values and principles. If we take a quick look on the Egyptian history, we can trace that influence: for example: Pharaohs were keen on having the religious power and rule over their people.
3- Media:We can’t ignore influence of media and news transferred to people on man’s conscience especially the social one. It is capable of throwing the seeds of principles and values, influencing emotions and accordingly shaping people’s reactions toward different situations.
The aforementioned factors are not the only influences on forming man’s conscience, but they are considered the first base to form a person’s conscience. We also can’t ignore the role of culture, crisis in man’s or people’s life and its effect on conscience.
If we want to create an aware conscience of a family, a school, religious institutions and media, we have to collaborate and work to create a good conscience that seeks to work sincerely and refuses acts of destruction. Conscience constitutes a message of erection and progression to nations.
Anba Ermiah,
General Bishop& President of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
