Why do we always feel so insecure after we make a mistake? Journalist H.L. Mencken stated that: "Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking." Until we admit our mistake, our conscience can cause us severe guilt, and ultimately destroy the human spirit. Examples from literature and our lives in general are good ways to learn the power of conscience. Arthur Dimmesdale, the young reverend in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, is a perfect example of the guilt and shame our conscience can put upon us. It's ironic that the man looked up to for being so righteous, commits one of the most severe sins according to the Puritan's beliefs, adultery. Immediately after his transgression, the young reverend torments himself physically and mentally as punishment. Being a religious figure, Dimmesdale knows that God sees all, and knows about his serious mistake. His punishments are so severe, that by the time he does confess, his weakened body can't take anymore and he dies on the spot.
             While I have never witnessed a man dying from the burden of his own conscience, I have seen the effects it had on my oldest brother. A few years back at the beginning of the Christmas season, my mother began to unbox her most prized possession, her nativity collection. Ever since my mother was a little girl she has been fond of these holy scenes. She began to collect at an early age, and now has them from all over the globe, each with special story. After my mother had unwrapped the last one, she and my father went out for dinner, leaving my two brothers alone at the house. After they'd left, my brother invited some friends of his over. At first their were only two, and then five, and suddenly there were over 20 additional people at our home. Things got rowdy, and some how one of my mom's porcelain pieces fell off the shelf and shattered on the floor. This was the kids cue to leave, and as f...