QUO VADIS?

 


This above all; to thine own self be true. And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man  (William Shakespeare, Hamlet, I,3).  
This quote depicts the importance of staying honest and faithful to one’s own values. Spoken by Polonius as fatherly advice to his son Laertes, it emphasises that personal integrity and inner truth are the foundations of a meaningful life. It necessarily verifies a responsibility towards others. Considered as a whole, it highlights the importance of conscience; its formation.

Conscience’s formation cannot ignore external influences, social and contemporary self-understandings, which downplay responsibility but highlight rights. Misled, we can redirect our understanding of conscience: rather than truth, self-interests prevail. Rather than grounded in who we truly are, an image of who we desire to be replaces it. 

Faith is not immune: religiosity replaces the need to evaluate our choices – the need to witness the Magister. Being religious reflects our faithfulness to Him: lacking it, it isolates us from ourselves, others, and God. 

As Samuel discovered when sent to anoint a king (1 Samuel 16,1-13), God looks at the heart and is not distracted by appearances, which cannot be said for many who use appearance to deceive others and themselves.

Martin   

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