“A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.” –Doug Larson
I think too much. I know. And my thinking gets me into all kinds of trouble! For instance, I am beginning to think that striving for a clear conscience is psychobabble bullshit. Our conscience is the inner voice acting as a guide to choose right conduct over wrong conduct. Fine. What if someone insists their actions are righteous? A rationale explanation is created ‘cause it’s their story and they’re sticking to it. Anyone who has been in a relationship with an alcoholic or philander knows what I’m talking about. So I started to think maybe having a clear social conscience makes for better behaving human beings.
But then I started to think about all the shit people have done in the name of the social good or social values. Nhem En’s rationale was he was just a photographer. He didn’t do anything. It was the guards and other staff at S-21 who committed the atrocities. En only took the pictures. And if it wasn’t him, En said it would have been someone else. I am beginning to think that striving for a social conscience is psychobabble chicken shit.
For all this thinking I’m left with shit. What’s the alternative? Stop thinking. Or as the Eightfold Path guides us: Stop wasting mental capacity on wasteful thoughts. Fuck. That was easy! (Hey, where’s a Buddha Easy Button when you need one!)
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