CONSCIENCE DOES MAKES COWARDS OF US ALL [HAMLET]

Are you sure it is conscience that makes us cowards, or is it just plain ol' fear?  It is my thought that conscience is such a deeply personal reality that it is not contributory to cowardice.  It is my opinion [thought?] that anyone who follows the directions [notice I did not say "dictates'] of conscience is not a coward.  Allow me to give you an example or two.
1. I eat dog meat, you all know that.  Some of you would never do that because you think that it is disgusting and outright morally wrong.  I differ.  I have many reasons, but none of them is on point here.  Suffice it to say here, that I do not consider it to be immoral, period.
2. I also eat horse meat. By the bye, I do eat my veggies too.
3. I drink alcohol.
4. I gamble.
My conscience allows me to do these things and nothing you say or do is going to change my conscience about them.  That's cowardice?
Things I do not do.
1. I don't take bribes.  Never did [some have been offered], never will.
2. I don't fear death [I can't remember when, and if, I ever did] and I talk about it willingly and without compunction.
3. I don't believe in dodging the truth.  I believe in personal accountability even if it means having to swallow my own bitter medicine.
4. I don't miss work.  I believe in perfect attendance at work, and I believe in being there on time every day.
5. I don't follow immoral commands from anybody.  I've left jobs over this one.  Got fired once too.
My conscience guides me through that too.  If that be cowardice, then so be it.
I do admit that in some areas my conscience is less authoritarian than in the above 9.  But even then I would never call myself a coward for having followed my conscience.
I also have to admit that I have sometimes done some things more out of fear of authority than out of conviction that my conscience was the sole guide at the moment.  This has happened to me in my adult life as well as during my adolescent years.  For a couple of years I was delegated to attend a noon meeting one time per month as a part of my work duties.  For the entire time I went to the meeting, got there just before the meal was to be served, did not imbibe any alcohol and went back to work immediately after the meeting.  I never frittered my time away by swerving off track with a ready made pretext handy for getting back to work later than usual, or not at all.  I admit, that sometimes that was conscience.  Sometimes it was pure cowardice.  I knew the difference then and I know the difference now.  
So, Prince Hamlet, take that.  I don't agree with you.  Conscience does not make cowards, conscience makes heroes.  
I rest my case for the argument that there should therefore be no crying at my funeral.   I knew what I was doing then, and I know what I am doing now.
Amen.  Amen.  Amen.