A Kingdom of Conscience

"A king may move a man, a father may claim a son. But remember that, even when those who move you be kings or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God you cannot say 'but I was told by others to do thus' or that 'virtue was not convenient at the time.' This will not suffice. Remember that."
--King Baldwin IV (Kingdom of Heaven)

With Ted Kennedy's passing about a week ago, much ink has been spilled on the late senator's persistence, particularly w.r.t. social legislation. To be sure, persistence is a worthy character trait to develop.

However, persistently focusing on the wrong thing is a ticket to ineffectiveness.

Master thieves, for example, dedicate their lives toward how to take from others. But their persistence is hardly noteworthy.

Debate about whether Ted Kennedy did the right thing is hot and heavy right now. Our judgement of another's life isn't worth a thing, of course, as that task is in hands of an entity above our pay grade.

However, the passing of an influential individual is an opportunity to carefully question the conscience. Am I living my life focused on the right thing?