Taking a Look at Justice-One Day at a Time

To me justice is one of those prinicples that has received a bumm rap. When a person says "justice" usually thoughts of violent punishment or outright vengence comes to mind. Justice usually brings to mind an unmerciful punisher with fire in his or her eyes whose vexation inspires trembling fear.

To me justice also gets a bumm rap because people see so little of it in the world that they have become skeptical. Justice has become an elusive ghost in the minds of some. A fairy tale story told to assuage the minds of the oppressed. Justice...it will be done in the Great Beyond...just not here on earth. If you are patient and wait, justice will eventually have its day.

Yet, without justice there will be no balance in the world. No sense of well-being and security. Like with any other element lacking in society, justice is home grown. Yep, that's right, it takes root in the individual, then the family, then the community, then the nation....and so on.

People have some VERY different understandings about justice and what it means to be just. In my mind there are two types of justice: justice that is carried out by the governing institutions and then personal justice (not vigilant stuff-I mean internal...how one allows themself to be treated based on their own self-image.) Both types require wisdom and the ability to be objective.

I like the following passage from the Baha'i Writings about justice. I think I will take a sentence or a phrase and break it down...one a day until I am done. Yeah...that would be cool.

O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.
(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words) The Baha'i Faith