You are being watched. If the Sacred Heart picture seemed like spiritual back-up to harried parents, today we have videocameras or more correctly CCTV (Closed Circuit Television). They pop up everywhere, schools, shops, streets, police cars, workplaces, like thousands of virtual eyes monitoring our behaviour. Video evidence appears regularly in court cases today.

You suspect that if the cameras were trained on the Pharisees of the Gospel, their outward behaviour would be just right. The philosophy of CCTV is that if you put people on camera they have to behave, it motivates people to act right. But “act” is the word. Even at family functions, when the camera switches on, people stiffen that back, pull in that chest and basically look wooden and unnatural.

We all know that outward public behaviour doesn't necessarily reflect inward character. We all act to role. When the cameras aren't rolling or there at all, we're more likely to drop the act and be ourselves. It’s only natural. What we “do” matters, but where that “doing” comes from matters more.

Question: What's our motivation? What's on the inside, where no CCTV can capture? What is most important? The outside or the inside? Which defines us more – our outside behavior or our inside motivation?

Or is how you look, how you come across, how you perform – is that what makes or breaks you? It shouldn’t be you know.

“For it is from within… that evil intentions emerge..” (Gospel)

(Comments to Tom at tomascox@eircom.net )