Keeping the Sacred Flame

A place to discuss the religion and philosophy of the Sacred Flame, HeartShadow's personal religion. Also random other thoughts of HeartShadow's as she feels like posting them.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Justice

What is justice? What do we expect when we cry out for it, and to whom do we cry?

Justice is a complicated concept that we learn first as fair. Even as small children, we want what we perceive as fair and complain bitterly when we don't get it. As we get older, our concept of what we mean by justice becomes more complicated. We want what is fair, but our view of what is fair becomes messier. Is it fair to punish someone that truly cannot know what they are doing? Is it fair to punish with a fine that cripples the poor and doesn't touch the rich? What is fair? What is just? And who will give it to us?

We are the Eyes and Hands of the Divine. When we cry out to the Divine for justice, we are crying out to each other and to ourselves. We are crying for Mommy or Daddy to come fix it as well, but when we are adults there is no magical Mommy or Daddy to come and fix the unfairness in our lives. We as a community must do it ourselves.

This is not a call for vigilantism. We are a community, and we seek justice as a community. And while that does mean that we can't catch every transgressor and we can't make a completely just society, it does mean that we need to work towards it.

There is no cosmic justice waiting for us elsewhere. If we want a just society, we need to create it ourselves.

Questions:
How do you create justice in your life? How do you work against it?
What does a just society mean to you? Do you think you live in one already?
What matters more, justice or mercy? Do you think it's possible to ever live in a "fair" world?
Personal thoughts

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