You're planning or doing something that isn't really within the rules, but it won't kill anyone. You are telling yourself "it's a small thing", but you are nervous and irritated. You check the details over and over again. A voice tells you "you could get caught". You review your plan to make it more fool proof. You tell yourself things like "he has a lot of money, he won't notice". You tell few people a few details of your plan. You cannot reveal all. You are ashamed to.
Your conscience is speaking. You are working against your values. Drop it.
If you don't, it will become a 'small' distraction that just doesn't go away. And because it works against the grain, however much you convince yourself that "it's a small thing", it will become a 'small' distraction that grinds you to a halt, eventually.
Of course, you can ignore it. You can use people of little conscience as your sounding board, because they will encourage you to go ahead. You can avoid all those people you respect because you know they will question and challenge. You avoid people who know you well because they will see that something is amiss. You develop an addiction to obscure your conscience. You hang out more and more with like-minded people, the ones who have successfully drowned out the sound of their own conscience. And because you are better at it than them, you become a star among them.
The 'small' distractions multiply. In fact the 'small' distractions become big 'heists' and you get better at convincing yourself that it is for the good, because you 'share' with others. You tell yourself that others do it anyway, that you will stop as soon as you complete that project, or pay off that loan, it will eat at you. You ignore the little voice that asks "what would your mother say?"
When that little voice starts talking, you could listen to it and challenge the system that drives you to take the path of destruction. Sure, this is a longer, less certain path. But if you take this path, it will build you. Eventually it will free you.
It's a matter of conscience.
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