“A just hand is a precious balm” (Latin proverb).
Only those who have been treated with grave injustice can fully understand what a “precious balm” justice is. Frankly speaking, there is nothing more valuable in life than the simple treasure of fairness. And no matter who we are, we would do well to examine ourselves honestly from time to time and make a new commitment to this virtue, which is one of the greatest virtues.
But when we’re meditating on justice, the more fruitful question is: Have we received enough justice? From others or whether we have judged adequately To Other? In a culture where we almost compete for “biggest victim” status, we are always worried that others haven’t given us what we deserve. But when considering our lives as a whole, do we really want what we deserve? Before saying yes, we should probably reconsider. “Let every man be used after his wilderness, and who should escape the scourging?” (Shakespeare).
If we ever really found who we are Needed Get it, most of us would like to return to the “unfairness” that we found so unbearable. H.L. Mencken was right when he said, “Injustice is relatively easy to bear; what stings is justice.” What most of us want is kindness – and to the greatest extent possible, we want the same for others.
Perhaps we should spend more of our time questioning the justice given to others. Here, most of us ordinary people will find much scope for improvement, especially when we consider that we can be as unjustly wronged by what we leave undone as by what we do. A few days of testing Benjamin Franklin’s rule (“It is your duty to refrain from hurting someone or giving up the benefits”) will show us how challenging it is to make a real-life commitment to justice.
Above all, however, we must take care not to limit our defense of justice to those who make a favorable impression on us or who we think should be treated fairly. If there is our most common failure in the matter of justice, it is probably that we show partiality in delivering it. But to be authentic, justice must be “blind” in the respectable sense. everyone Deserves to be treated fairly.
“Do justice to your brother (you can do this, whether you love him or not), and you will come to love him. But do him justice because you do not love him, and you will come to hate him” (John Ruskin).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
