Just My Opinion!

LL 265 200715 Just My Opinion!

Everybody asks for justice, no matter saint or criminal. Unfortunately, the idea of justice embedded in our minds is mostly the picture of a criminal being punished. This is definitely a negative attitude, for sure. Justice is defined as a virtue, which primarily is concerned with others; it is a noble virtue by which we to give others what is their due. A just person is said to be always working upon his obligations more than on his rights. Obligations? Does everybody owe something to anything else? Since the whole universe is a combination of everything in it and everything in it is dependent on everything else in it, the truth is that everything owes to everything else. Here, justice becomes living in consideration of other things and beings. But the general concept is that we owe only to humans and not to sub humans, slave humans or living beings of any nature or things of any quality. Declaring something else as not proper humans and justifying the injustice done to them continued to be the tactics of the powerful. Jews were sub humans to Hitler, so were all salves to their masters, so are all animals to non-vegetarians. 

Our obligation to other elements in the universe is justified only when we see everything else in the perspective of Gods infinite love. The moment we divide everything else into atoms and elements, the stage we set fits only widespread injustice. In another words, the moment we go beyond needs and wander in the realms of wants, we serve injustice, knowing not that our happiness invariably depends upon the measure of justice we serve. When we graciously remember that we owe the universe for everything we have so far received, we also realize the magnitude of our obligations and there, religion becomes a matter of justice. Justice to others means good relationships. Justice and mercy are different; in justice we treat others with what they owe and in mercy we give others with more than they deserve. For a thriving relationship it is mercy that we want. The fact is that there is no justice without mercy. Our model should be the Divine Mercy, which is the abode of forgiveness and reconciliation. In justice, we develop relationships, in love we develop oneness. Without crossing the barrier of justice love is impossible to reach. 

Joseph Mattappally