Injustice

  Is injustice ever fully compensated? That's what I have to ask as I hear all the cries for reparations, concessions, recognition, apologies, and awareness. All of the injustices of the past that have been corrected, eliminated as best as possible and litigated being used again and again as justification for whatever is perceived today. Yes, there were injustices in the past and yes, those wrongs have been litigated and corrected. I agree we should never forget about that but that doesn't mean they should continue to be used as a club! That is doubly true when you were never a party to any of that, on either side of the coin. Mans' inhumanity to man is well documented. No race, creed, color, or religious affiliation has ever been excluded from any of it. All humanity has been subject to that.

 Do we ever really forgive? I don't think so, we just accept the reality and move forward. We may indeed be willing to give that person another chance, allow bygones to be bygone, but we don't forget. If you can't forget about it entirely, you can't forgive entirely either. There is always that knowledge, that little piece of information tucked away. It is the stuff of judgement. We have learned something of another's capabilities or willingness to, shall we say, bend the rules a bit. We don't forget about injuries, we overcome them. Are you ever fully compensated for that injury? That is entirely up to you. Do you use the past to justify the present? 

 What is justice? Justice is rooted in morality. It is treating others fairly within the confines of the law. Justice isn't receiving monetary compensation. That's not justice although in todays' world that appears to be the narrative being proposed. Something happened and I got justice, my lawyer got justice. I got a settlement for x amount of dollars. But that isn't justice at all.

  Injustice is what we are talking about. When we have been treated unfairly, denied our human rights and dignity. We have been treated unjustly. Justice may only be received by the one that was wronged. Laws can be repealed, rewritten or implemented in an effort to establish justice. That is, after all, their purpose. The law establishes the morality of the group, whatever that group may be. The laws of the United States of America are an attempt to delineate the morality of the nation. That is what the constitution is all about. It is really quite obvious if you are paying attention. We are now celebrating, for an entire month, a shift in moral values. Your personal feelings about that aren't important, it has been decided. The legalization of marijuana, same sex marriages, Roe V Wade, whether or not an artist has to produce their art on demand, are all moral issues. The law of the land.

 Once the law has been established, justice is established. That is what is just. The injustice of the past has been eliminated. Once those that were affected have been "made whole" as the courts decide, justice has been served. The injustices of the past are in the past. I do know that as long as you use the limitations of the past as your foundation you cannot expect much growth. Even though those limitations were artificially imposed upon your ancestors and injustices done it does not justify the actions of today. Amends have been made, reparations have been paid, and injustices corrected. There is nothing more to be done. 

 How many generations are responsible for the wrongs of the previous generation? The idea of that is presented in the Bible with the "sins of the father." But that is often taken out of context. What it means is that "sin" will exist as long as we keep teaching that sin to our children. It doesn't mean the children are responsible for what their parents did. God isn't going to punish you for what someone else did. Neither should the law! Now that is justice for all. Justice isn't the receiving of compensation, justice is the removal of wrong.