09-22-2014

You asked for my opinion of justice vs revenge. Well, this is another that I have reached no absolute
conclusion too, but I do have ideas. I have been influenced by a Professor of Philosophy and Psychology
from the University of Texas in Austin, Dr Robert Solomon. I will include links following so you can
download a couple of his lecture series.
I am not sure there really is an absolute we can call justice. Yes, theoretically, as an abstract, we may
speak of justice, but too often that is relative. Relative too many different and changing perceptions.
Even a Christian concept is relative to the particular sectarian preference. More often than not when
we speak of justice or the need of it, we are actually desiring some kind of vengeance, or retribution.
Vengeance is a very real passion or emotion, something felt in us.
I have listened to at least four of Dr. Solomons series. In these two which I link too, he deals with human
emotions, feelings which define and prompt our actions, and he deals specifically with vengeance and
justice.
As I had always been taught in Christian circles, being justified before God means just as if I had never
sinned, and hence justification received as a matter of Gods grace. We all know that may work well
with God, theoretically, but before man and the state justification is not so simple. But justice is what we
clamor for. That, in many if not most, cases is impossible. What people actually want, and use a
smokescreen of justice, is retribution, a reckoning, to make them feel that justice has been done.
Hence, it is not justice that is desired, but, an evening of accounts which will make them feel better, as
though justice had been accomplished.
There was a time, years ago, I had an employee who thought he could even accounts with me by taking
issue with my son. If I had the authority at the time (which I didnt) I would have fired his ass, but I
couldnt. I took the issue to my boss and laid it on the line. There was no future problem with that
employee, but he thought he could pursue some hillbilly justice because of his dispute with me and
my boss. I can understand how he felt, but he was wrong, and when you come right down to it
ignorant of what it takes to survive in a competitive capitalistic environment. That is a rather simple
example, but it is true on much deeper issues. The point is things cannot be redone as if bad things
never happened.
Concerning Justice and the Law, there is a need for society to establish punishments for crimes
committed. Unfortunately the number of persons raised poorly, or simply rebellious in nature, to cause
them to disrespect the rights of others is rather large, and I would not doubt proportionately increasing.
A Presbyterian Elder once commented to me, concerning a particular family, One breeds another. At
the time I was a bit offended and taken back at this, but experiencing more of life, I can now recognize
the truth. That is not saying it is a universal absolute, but rather does contain seeds of truth, which leads
to some justification of a certain prejudice. I wish it were not so.
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