<p>Prompt: Is conscience a more powerful motivator than money, fame or power?</p>
<p>British philosopher Adam Moore once said, A man with good conscience can move mountains, crush the corrupt, and slay tyrants. In other words, conscience can be a more compelling force than money, fame and power. This notion is exemplified throughout history and literacy works. </p>
<p>One compelling illustration that conscience triumphs over evil can be seen in the brave souls of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, Rosa Parks refused to sit in the back of the bus, where blacks are forced to sit. Although she was arrested, her heroic actions lead the development of the Montgomery bus boycott which lasted over a year. Then, in 1964, four college freshman went into a restaurant and held a non-violent sit-in. The news was spread throughout the nation, and in 2 weeks, thousands of college students participated in non-violent sit ins. The Greensboro lunch boys efforts led to the development of the student non-violent coordinating committee. In 1963, Martin Luther King made his famous speech I Have A Dream, which attracted an audience of over 150,000. Martin Luther King was eventually assassinated in 1968. Rosa Parks, the Montgomery bus boycott, The Greensboro lunch boys and Martin Luther King did not commit these deeds for money, fame or power. They sacrificed themselves for a cause which they consider more important than themselves.
Another example of how conscience is more powerful than fame and power can be seen in the brave deeds of King Leonidas. In 490 BC, Xerxes of Persia, the most powerful man in Europe, asked Leonidas for food and water in exchange for gold. Although Leonidas could have traded resources to Xerxes in turn for his own pleasure, he defied Xerxess command. 2 weeks later, he rode to war along with 300 brave Spartans, and died in the battle. Despite the vast wealth that Xerxes offered, Leonidas valued conscience and justice over fame and money, and eventually sacrificed himself for his people.
A final illustration of how conscience triumphs over money and fame can be seen in David Mitchells Cloud Atlas. In the novel, a dystopia society named Neo-Seoul is secretly engineering biological clones, and randomly executing them in order to recycle them for protein. Somni-451, a clone, joined the rest of the nations Rebellion force, and carried out a suicidal mission in order to broadcast the truth to the world which eventually lead to the worlds realization and the collapse of Neo-Seoul. Although Somni knew she will be executed if she exposes the truth, she could not accept witnessing more clones being killed and recycled in the future.</p>
<p>As seen in the Civil Rights Movement, King Leonidas deeds and the novel Cloud Atlas, conscience is a more powerful motivator than fame, money and power as it is supported by a noble cause. As Sir Owen Butler once said, There is no stronger force on this good earth than a mans conscience.</p>