ADJUDICATING JUSTICE – III
JUSTICE is often portrayed as blindfolded and presumably emotionally detached. Today I would like to conclude my three posts on adjudicating justice with a brief reminder about two of what I consider two of the most important but often ignored aspects of justice: mercy and grace.
According to dictionary.com, grace encompasses courteous goodwill, neither asked for nor deserved, but freely given. Grace is often, in my experience, meted out equally blindfolded. Mercy is compassion and kindness shown to someone whom it is in one’s power to punish or harm. It is typically an act meant to relieve someone of their suffering, and may be fatal or provide a “second chance.” In my experience, mercy is intended and not blindfolded. Both grace and mercy are essential components in adjudicating justice; without them, I propose there can be no justice for the accused, those who have been unjustly hurt, the judge(s) or society-at-large. In my opinion, justice is not God-like; grace and mercy based on compassion are. Justice often serves the cycle of violence; grace and mercy break it.
Perhaps to some, motivated by desire for restitution or revenge, this sound like a “Get Out of Jail Free” card for criminals. However, I would suggest that the process of justice, if open, transparent and public, is sufficient; and, administered correctly, incarceration or removal of citizenship rights for some period of time is generally sufficient to break criminal ties, affording a second chance to those who can avail themselves of the privilege. It is through grace and mercy that societies reaffirm their own moral integrity rather than slide down the slippery slope of “an eye for an eye” or “turning the other cheek.” My opin.
What, then, should one do when wronged? The single most important act is to bring the event into the light, reporting it openly, transparently and publicly. That’s not to say that justice is a social media event. But it is to say that darkness, when hidden, is so pernicious that it can affect not just the wronged, but society at large. I like the idea that darkness is the absence of light, and that a single match-flame can lighten an otherwise dark room.
In my new novel, currently in writing, called PROPHECY, I explore these concepts in the aftermath of the ribald TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese, and THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor bringing the unique Sci-Fu (science-based futuring) trilogy to conclusion.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness#RaymondGaynor
According to dictionary.com, grace encompasses courteous goodwill, neither asked for nor deserved, but freely given. Grace is often, in my experience, meted out equally blindfolded. Mercy is compassion and kindness shown to someone whom it is in one’s power to punish or harm. It is typically an act meant to relieve someone of their suffering, and may be fatal or provide a “second chance.” In my experience, mercy is intended and not blindfolded. Both grace and mercy are essential components in adjudicating justice; without them, I propose there can be no justice for the accused, those who have been unjustly hurt, the judge(s) or society-at-large. In my opinion, justice is not God-like; grace and mercy based on compassion are. Justice often serves the cycle of violence; grace and mercy break it.
Perhaps to some, motivated by desire for restitution or revenge, this sound like a “Get Out of Jail Free” card for criminals. However, I would suggest that the process of justice, if open, transparent and public, is sufficient; and, administered correctly, incarceration or removal of citizenship rights for some period of time is generally sufficient to break criminal ties, affording a second chance to those who can avail themselves of the privilege. It is through grace and mercy that societies reaffirm their own moral integrity rather than slide down the slippery slope of “an eye for an eye” or “turning the other cheek.” My opin.
What, then, should one do when wronged? The single most important act is to bring the event into the light, reporting it openly, transparently and publicly. That’s not to say that justice is a social media event. But it is to say that darkness, when hidden, is so pernicious that it can affect not just the wronged, but society at large. I like the idea that darkness is the absence of light, and that a single match-flame can lighten an otherwise dark room.
In my new novel, currently in writing, called PROPHECY, I explore these concepts in the aftermath of the ribald TOTAL MELTDOWN (Borgo/Wildside 2009) by Raymond Gaynor and William Maltese, and THE EDGE OF MADNESS (Aignos 2020) by Raymond Gaynor bringing the unique Sci-Fu (science-based futuring) trilogy to conclusion.
Total Meltdown: A Tripler and Clarke Adventure
The Edge of Madness#RaymondGaynor
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