Opus 2012-239, On the Street: A Matter of Conscience

I have a radio in my car now.  I had it installed when I moved to a newer used car.  The previous owner had removed the face of the stereo so it was useless.  I wanted a way to plug in my I-pod which meant I needed to upgrade. 

One of the side effects of having a radio is that it is on between pod-casts.  I caught a commercial the other day.  I had heard it before but this time I actually listened.  It was a praise song for the foo foo coffee that one of the fast food chains was offering to make life worth living.

I suddenly realized that the voice on the speaker was having a conversation with his conscience.  It seems that his conscience had an opinion on the type of flavoring that should be added to the coffee. 

I realize it is an advertizing gimmick.  It was a clever way of getting our attention.  It also says something about our culture.  Traditionally, if you will excuse the word, the conscience was that inner voice that spoke to us about morality.  It reminded us that there was a right and wrong.  It was a painful goad if we stepped out of line.  It was a link to the eternal.

Now it is about fluff and foam. 

A small thing but it is the substance of the current moral compass.  Maybe I should say it is the smoke in front of our current cultural compass.

homo unius libri