The Power of Conscience

In that village, there was no shallow leader to mislead Jhunnu the tailor, nor was there any Muslim influence strong enough to deceive him in the name of communal pride. So, nature itself guided Jhunnu the tailor. He stood before the people and said: “I accept the decision of the panchayat. I am a poor man; I do not have ready cash. But I will sell the belongings of my house and pay it.” Three days later, the Hindus’ conscience was stirred. They called another panchayat and said among themselves: “Here Muslims are very few and weak. If outsiders hear that we collected a fine from them, they will look down on us. People will say we oppressed them simply because they were weak. This will bring us dishonour.” By unanimous agreement, they decided that Jhannu’s fine should be canceled. And so it was. Every person has a conscience inside. That conscience is essentially your representative within others. Use this natural representative, and you’ll have no reason to complain about anyone. C.F. Dole (Charles Fletcher Dole, 1845–1927) once said: “Goodwill is the mightiest force in the universe.” This is not just the saying of one person—it is a fundamental truth about human nature. The Creator has made people in such a way that if they are treated badly, they flare up in anger; but if treated kindly, they are moved to gratitude and become more gentle toward the one who showed kindness. This universal natural principle makes no exceptions for anyone—not even for friends or enemies. Speak harshly