“A sense of shame
is not a bad moral compass.” 
Colin Powell

We know the difference between right and wrong. Even when we choose to do something we know we should not do, and even though we may create all sorts of ways to justify what we’re doing, we know it’s wrong. This is because we have a conscience — or some might prefer to call it a moral compass.

Our moral compass is the internal mechanism which allows us to draw from what we’ve learned and what we’ve experienced in our past. This enables us to distinguish right from wrong. We all have a moral compass. Sadly, no small number of individuals choose to ignore it.

Former congressman Steve Chabot stated, “If people use common sense and their own guiding moral compass, I think they’ll generally stay out of trouble.” It seems so simple, right? Why, then, is it so easy for some to engage in activities they know are wrong?

Perhaps what we need today is a “moral compass app” — some program on our smart phone to remind us, in no uncertain terms, that what we are doing is something we should not be doing. If such an app actually existed, it probably would not be very successful. The people who need it most would either not download it to their phone, or they would ignore the notifications, just as they ignore their own built-in moral compass.

The purpose of a compass is to help us find our way. It can be helpful to hikers, boaters, and others who may be lost and not sure which direction to go. Author Catherine Chea wrote, “We have a strong moral compass to help navigate us through the world. And so, even though we may appear to be lost, deep down, we’re not lost at all.” In other words, even though we are well aware that we’re moving down the wrong road, we don’t want to change direction. This is not an accident. It’s a conscious decision.

Dr. Marjorie Hass, the former president of Rhodes College in Memphis, links such decisions to a lack of courage. She wrote, “It’s about adhering to your moral compass. It’s about setting your values and having the courage of your convictions.” To know the right thing to do, and to do it, takes courage. Even when we convince ourselves that what we’re doing, wrong though it may be, is somehow justifiable or beneficial to us, we know what’s right and what’s wrong. We are well aware when we are a participant in some activity in which we should not be engaged. 

It is said that “opportunity knocks once.” This Greek proverb can certainly be a complicating factor for some considering the right course of action. Author Franklin P. Jones, while acknowledging this, adds a few words about the reality of life today. He wrote, “Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.” 

The challenge is real.