Justice?

I just finished reading “The Decay of the Art of Lying,” by Mark Twain.  It’s a satirical essay which explores the issue of brutal truth.  The essay, in turn, forced me to think about the possibility of brutal justice.  In other words, is there such a thing as an extreme form of justice which, in fact, becomes unjust?

In our society, I have seen examples of this:  the war that takes away thousands of lives to stop one extremist.  Tax cuts for the wealthy few when the lives of the lower and middle classes are in jeopardy.  How can we bring true justice and peace when the monstrous, negative effects of these acts become somehow justified by a small benefit?  Perhaps justice means something different than what is normally considered as “just.”

Socrates says this of injustice, “Then to injure a friend or anyone else is not the act of a just man, but of the opposite, who is the unjust.”  The actions described in the examples above are unjust, yet they are seemingly acceptable.  I mean, until recently with the Occupy movement, there has rarely been anyone who willingly disputes the problem with these issues.  So what is to be done?  Obviously some action must be engaged towards this false form of justice, but how many people actually believe in fighting against the system?  Most of us tend to stand idly by and passively hope for such injustice to pass over them.  Is this an approved way to act?  William Coffin would say, “No.”  He wrote, “Not to take sides is effectively to weigh in on the side of the stronger.”

When we analyze and then apply Coffin’s thought to our present society, we find that so called “justice” is held by those who have access to power--the judicial system, the war profiteers, the one percent, etc.  Their strategy is one where the rich and powerful always come out on top, because they are, themselves, rich and powerful.  How do you beat this corrupted view?  We must push against it.  It’s time to take back the true meaning of justice and dish it out where it is needed.

How do you push back against such inundated corruption?  Write to your congressman, get involved with your local Occupy group, or initiate your own original idea.  Writing, blogging, and speaking your own opinions is a vital action to producing change.  Remember, the first important act is simply taking a side.  Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold.  I wish you were one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth (NIV Rev. 3:15-16).”  We should all stand for something because we all truly matter.  Now let’s show the world.