WHEN THE CROWD CHEERS FOR WHAT YOUR CONSCIENCE REJECTS__PROPMT 116

Morality
We say it’s one straight line.
But honestly? That line bends depending on where you’re standing.

This happened in my school last semester.

Our SUG President collected money for "student welfare."
Every student paid ₦2,000. They said it was for new chairs in lecture halls and water dispensers.
We were still sitting on broken chairs. Still buying sachet water.

But 2 months later, same SUG President organized a "Welcome Party" for freshers.
Sound, food, DJ, bouncers. The whole campus was talking about it.
He even gave awards to "best department." Big trophies.

On stage that night, the MC shouted: "Give it up for our hardworking SUG President!"
The whole crowd screamed. Phones were up, recording.
"President! President!" they were chanting.

Society said: "He’s a good leader. Look at what he’s doing for students."
My conscience said: "He used our chair money to buy DJ and claps."

That’s when it hit me.

Society’s morality and conscience don’t always match.

Society decides morality by what’s popular, what makes noise, what makes people happy in the moment.
In some schools, it’s normal to "settle" your lecturer for marks. In others, it’s cheating.
In some hostels, it’s okay to take light for 24hrs and let others suffer. "Na survival."
Society claps when you throw party, even if you used student money.

But conscience? Conscience is quiet. It doesn’t need DJ.
It’s that voice at 2am asking "was that fair?" even when everyone is shouting your name.

I’ve seen students follow the crowd and lose themselves.
"Na so we dey do am here." They copy, they keep quiet, they collect small.
Until one day they can’t look juniors in the face again.

I’ve also seen students follow their conscience and pay for it.
They ask questions in SUG meetings and they’re called "troublemaker."
They refuse to collect bribe and they lose friends.
But they can sleep at night.

So should morality be determined by society or by individual conscience?

I think society gives us rules so we can live together. We need that.
But conscience is the compass. Without it, society can cheer for the wrong things and call it leadership.

The SUG President got cheers. The party was a hit. Society was happy.
But we’re still sitting on broken chairs. And my conscience still dey worry me.

Maybe morality is when both agree.
When what the crowd celebrates is also what you can defend when it’s just you and God.

What do you think Hive family?
Should we let society decide what is right and wrong?
Or should we follow our conscience even when the whole campus is cheering the other way?

Let’s discuss 👇

IMAGES ARE GENERATED WITH AI