Leaders on both sides are defending mass suffering in Gaza. As civilian deaths mount, it’s time for conscience, not ideology, to lead the way

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We live in a time when some leaders defend the starvation of children or justify killing them—openly and without shame. These aren’t fringe voices. They’re in power. And they exist on both sides of one of the world’s most violent conflicts. In moments like this, our only reliable guide is not ideology or loyalty but a well-formed conscience.

It’s often the only thing that keeps us human.

In trying to find clarity, we often look to individuals or groups we think we can trust. But no person or group is perfect. Blind loyalty is dangerous. There’s no substitute for an informed conscience—one that compels us to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences.

A key part of developing that conscience is learning to think critically. While there’s no single rulebook for critical thinking, certain principles are essential to our growth as human beings.

One of those principles is humility. None of us knows everything. As a teacher, for instance, I may understand the injustices of the Indian Act in theory, but I don’t have the lived experience of being Indigenous in Canada. That’s why it’s so important to listen, to recognize that I can learn from my Indigenous students and colleagues.

Both sides justify civilian deaths, and that’s a moral catastrophe.
Photo by Onur Burak Akın

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